Evolution of Hair Transplantation

Hair transplant surgery has undergone remarkable developments during the past 20–30 years. Since establishment of the concept of modern hair transplantation in the mid to late 1990s, novel surgical methods have been introduced in the order of follicular unit excision (FUE), follicular unit transplantation megasessions, FUE megasessions, non-shaven FUE, and long-hair FUE. Instruments and devices for FUE procedures have also made tremendous progress, potentiating the harvest of high-quality grafts with minimal follicular injury. The field of female hairline correction surgery has progressed beyond the concept of simple reconstruction in alopecic areas and now proudly takes its place as facial aesthetic surgery that changes the facial contour and completes the harmony of the entire face. The present chapter introduces and reviews five landmark papers in the field of hair transplant surgery from the 1990s to the present with the aim of discussing the developments in this field.