Hair transplant glossary
Ten words you will see on every clinic page, in plain language.
- Graft
- One follicular unit moved in a transplant: usually one to four hairs that grow together. A graft count is not a hair count.
- Follicular unit
- Hair grows in tiny natural groups, not one by one. Such a group is a follicular unit.
- Donor area
- The back of the head. Hair there is usually less affected by hair loss, which is why grafts are taken from it.
- Donor density
- How much hair the donor area has to give. It limits how many grafts can be moved.
- Norwood stage
- A standard scale for patterns of hair loss in men, from stage 1 to stage 7.
- Hairline
- The front edge of hair growth. Its shape and height are planned with the surgeon.
- FUE
- Follicular Unit Extraction: grafts are taken one by one from the donor area and placed into tiny openings in the area being treated.
- DHI
- Direct Hair Implantation: a variation of FUE where grafts are placed with a pen-like implanter, so making the opening and placing the graft happen in one step.
- Sapphire FUE
- FUE where the tiny openings are made with a sapphire-tipped blade instead of a steel one.
- Shedding phase
- Transplanted hairs often fall out between weeks 2 and 8 after the procedure. This is normal; new growth usually starts later.
General explanations, not medical advice. A surgeon decides what is right for you.
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