Frizzy hair, also known as Afro hair, has certain characteristics that distinguish it from wavy or straight hair. They have a hair density 20% lower than other hair; they grow more slowly; the proportion of hair in the telogen phase is structurally higher; and they are very dry by nature, which makes them more brittle and vulnerable. Alopecia is therefore a common phenomenon among people of African descent. When it is too pronounced or irreversible, hair transplants are a solution to permanently correct the problem on an aesthetic level.

What are the pathologies of afro hair?

The most frequent types of alopecia are the following:

androgenetic alopecia, which affects both men and women
traction alopecia, which is more specific to women and is caused by traumatic practices on the hair (brushing, straightening, braids, extensions, wigs, etc.)
“hot comb” alopecia which is caused by the regular use of a curling iron
scarring alopecia, an irreversible loss of hair due to severe inflammation of the scalp

Can a transplant be done on afro hair?

Yes. However, it requires a particular technique adapted to the specificities of Afro hair and scalp.

In particular:

follicular units should be extracted from the mid-occipital area of the scalp to avoid hypertrophic or keloid scars
the surgeon will prepare grafts in follicular units of 2 to 4 hairs rather than in micrografts of a single hair

Which hair transplant technique is recommended?

This will mainly depend on the patient’s hair condition and their wishes.

FUL hair transplant

The FUL technique is the most commonly used. The objective is to take a strip of scalp from the mid-occipital area of the skull, extract follicular units of 2 to 4 hairs under a microscope and then implant them on the bald areas of the scalp.

This technique has many advantages:

no need to shave the donor area beforehand
the surgeon can remove up to 4,000 hairs in a single session
the post-operative scabs are hidden by the longer hair
the surgeon can accurately assess the orientation and angle of the grafts and implant the most appropriate hair on the anterior hairline.

The disadvantage is that it leaves a very thin scar (less than one millimeter wide).

FUE hair transplant

The FUE technique is mainly recommended for patients who have minimal alopecia and who want to shave their head in the future.

Like the FUL technique, the objective is to extract follicular units to reimplant them on the bald area of the head. However, it is less invasive, as the extraction is performed with a 0.9 millimeter diameter micropunch. In addition, it increases the potential donor area by 30 to 50%.

The disadvantage of FUE transplant is that it does not allow the transplantation of more than 2,000 hairs per session.

diagnosis

AFRO hair transplant

What are the pathologies of afro hair?

Can a transplant be done on afro hair?

Which hair transplant technique is recommended?

FUL hair transplant

FUE hair transplant