Whether it is follicular unit transplant or follicular unit extraction, one aspect that is common to both is the proper dissection of the grafts that have been harvested. In FUT, this is more important, because the method of harvesting is removing an entire strip of hair from the scalp and then dissects them into individual follicular units. During the dissection process, it is absolutely crucial that the entire follicular unit is kept intact, because even a little damage will render it useless. A properly dissected follicular unit will ensure that the hair transplant is a success and the final result will be a full head of natural looking hair.

Now let’s take a look at the average donor strips:

An average donor strip is about a centimetre wide and the length depends on the requirement that has been adjudged by the surgeon. The length of the donor strip is dependent completely on the number of follicular units that will be required for the procedure. The general count of follicular units available on an average person’s head is so –65-85 follicular units per cm² of donor tissue in Indian patients. This means that if the surgeon has decided to utilise two thousand grafts, he would be required to harvest a one centimetre strip with a length of approximately 25 cm-26 cm. In most cases, doctors will make sure that the dissection is done quickly to ensure less out of body time for grafts and ensure better success.

Now, let us take a look at the steps involved in the microscopic dissection:

Step one is slivering, wherein the long donor strip is divided into small sections which are one graft wide, making them more stable and easier to handle. This is similar to slicing a loaf of bread.  Each section is normally two to two and half millimetre in width. Each section is created by cutting the strip across its width using a minute scalpel or blade. It is during this process that all the excessive fat and dermis is trimmed away.