What Is a Hair Graft?: How It Works, Explained Simply

Video Transcript

In hair transplantation, the unit that actually gets moved is called a graft. Hair does not grow as evenly spaced single strands. It grows in natural clusters. Each cluster is a follicular unit: one to four hairs emerging together, with their own glands, a tiny muscle, and a shared blood supply. A graft is one of those natural units, removed intact with a small amount of the tissue around it. This is why grafts and hairs are not the same number. A thousand grafts might carry two thousand hairs or more, depending on how many hairs each unit holds. It is worth knowing which of the two figures a clinic is quoting you, because they are easy to confuse. Single-hair units are the most valuable at the hairline, where they create a soft, natural-looking edge. Units of three and four hairs are placed further back, where they build density more efficiently. Whichever technique is used, the aim is the same: keep every unit intact and undamaged, because a damaged graft may not grow. This video is for general education only. It is not medical advice. Ask your doctor what's right for you.