ABSTRACT
Background: The follicular unit (FU) transplant is currently considered the gold standard treatment for baldness. The hair is removed from the lateral and posterior region of the head where it is more resistant, and is implanted in the bald area. After 3 to 4 months a new hair starts to grow, maintaining the characteristics of the donor area. On the Preview Long Hair technique (PLH), the donor area hair is kept long and it's possible to have a preview of the final result, when in classic technique (CT) it's possible only after 6 months. The objective of this research was to compare the classic and the PLH technique. Method: Ten patients were operated using each technique and the data related to surgical time, implanted FUs and postoperative aesthetic result was compared. Results: The average speed of the PLH technique was lower than in classic technique (p<0.002). The duration of PLH surgery was higher than in classic technique (p<0.0006). The number of FUs implanted wasn't different in the two techniques (p=0,66). The final aesthetic result was considered equal in both groups by patients. Conclusions: The surgical time was higher in PLH surgery, but it didn't exceed six hours in any patient and the total number of FUs had no difference in the two groups. The anxiety of waiting for the final outcome was lower in the PLH. The final aesthetic result was similar in both techniques.
Keywords: Hair follicle/transplantation. Scalp/surgery.