70 Follicular Unit Excision with Black Patients and Kinky Hair

Patrick Mwamba

Summary

Patients with curly or kinky hairs have the same curvature inside the scalp, from mild to extreme curl, known as a C-shaped hair follicle. This makes harvesting grafts, with minimal transection—with strip or follicular unit excision (FUE)—more difficult. To overcome this challenge during FUE harvesting, the physician needs to be especially careful. When performing FUE, the author uses a four-step FUE technique to successfully harvest grafts in patients with African hair characteristics. A semisharp punch or a motorized device with a flat FUE punch is the preferred tool.

Key words

elliptical shape - tight curls or coils - moisturize - C-shaped curl - traction alopecia - oxidative stress - microinflammation - four-step FUE technique - flat FUE punch - semisharp punch

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