Hair transplant glossary: the vocabulary, without the marketing

Techniques

FUE (follicular unit excision/extraction)

Harvesting individual follicular units from the donor area through small circular punches, then placing them into recipient sites. No linear scar; per-graft cost is typically higher than FUT. The dominant technique in marketing — stated in effectively every market we review.

FUT (follicular unit transplantation, “strip”)

Removing one strip of donor scalp, dissecting it into follicular units under magnification, and placing them. Leaves a linear scar; allows large single sessions and typically a lower per-graft rate, since strip dissection concentrates the labor. Offered by 7 of 22 reviewed clinics.

Combination / hybrid case

FUT and FUE in the same patient — usually strip for volume plus FUE to supplement. Only practices offering both techniques can propose it.

DHI / implanter-pen FUE

A marketing name for FUE in which grafts are placed with a spring-loaded implanter pen rather than forceps into pre-made sites. A placement-tool variation, not a separate technique — the questions about who performs each step apply unchanged.

BHT (body hair transplant)

Using beard or body hair as donor supply when scalp donor is depleted. An advanced-case tool with different growth characteristics — a topic for an in-person evaluation, not a menu checkbox.

Devices

NeoGraft

A pneumatic-assisted FUE harvesting device — the most-stated device in our index (8 practices across 6 markets). It standardizes extraction mechanics; it does not design hairlines, set graft counts, or place grafts. A brand of tool, not a credential.

SmartGraft

NeoGraft’s closest competitor: a pneumatic FUE harvesting device with a closed graft-storage system. One practice in our index states it — and runs NeoGraft in its other cities, which says everything about how interchangeable the two are.

ARTAS

A robotic FUE harvesting system that automates punch alignment using image guidance. Robotic harvesting still does not answer the recipient-site and placement questions; no clinic in our current index states it.

Anatomy of a procedure

Graft / follicular unit

The transplanted unit: a naturally occurring bundle of 1–4 hairs with its follicles. Quotes are typically per graft, not per hair — a “3,000-hair” promise may be under 1,000 grafts. Always get the graft number.

Donor area

The band of permanent hair at the back and sides of the scalp from which grafts are taken. Finite for life — donor management across future loss is a core planning question, and a reason honest evaluations sometimes recommend waiting.

Recipient sites

The incisions into which grafts are placed. Site angle, depth and distribution determine how natural the result looks — the ISHRS position is that creating them is physician work. “Who makes the recipient sites?” is the single most revealing consultation question.

Hairline design

The drawn plan for the new front line — age-appropriate placement matters more than density. Ask who draws it and who approves changes on surgery day.

Graft survival

The share of transplanted grafts that grow. Handling time, storage and placement technique drive it; results are judged at 12–18 months, not at 3.

Shock loss

Temporary shedding of existing (and sometimes transplanted) hair in the weeks after surgery, from surgical trauma. Common, usually reversible — but a reason transplant timing around ongoing loss needs a physician’s judgment.

Megasession

A very large single session (commonly described as 3,000+ grafts). Feasibility depends on donor supply and team capacity; “as many grafts as possible” flat packages are an ISHRS-flagged warning sign because a deal is not a diagnosis.

Trichophytic closure

An FUT closure technique that lets hair grow through the strip scar, making the line less visible. A detail worth asking any FUT practice about.

Patterns and planning

Norwood scale

The standard classification of male-pattern hair loss, from I (no recession) to VII (horseshoe). Clinics and forums describe cases in Norwood stages — our illustrated guide shows each stage and what it typically means for planning.

Ludwig scale

The equivalent classification for female-pattern loss (grades I–III, diffuse thinning with a preserved hairline). Women’s candidacy questions differ substantially from men’s — diffuse loss can make transplantation inappropriate; evaluation matters more, not less.

Crown / vertex

The circular area at the top-back of the scalp. Crown work consumes grafts quickly and continues to lose native hair around the transplant — why many surgeons stage it after the front.

Minoxidil / finasteride

The two most established medical treatments for pattern loss, often discussed alongside surgery to protect non-transplanted hair. Prescription decisions belong with a physician — we mention them because an evaluation that never discusses stabilizing loss is incomplete.

Credentials and bodies

ABHRS

American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery — the one certification specific to hair restoration: exam plus casework, voluntary, checkable in a public registry. Stated by 3 of 22 clinics in our index.

ISHRS

International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery — the field’s largest professional society; membership signals engagement, not examination. Stated by 4 of 22. Its consumer campaign on who-performs disclosure underlies our comparison criteria.

IAHRS

International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons — a selective, invitation-based referral organisation. One letter from “ISHRS” and routinely confused with it; stated by 2 clinics in our index. Different body, different meaning.

Physician extender

A licensed clinician (PA, NP) working under a physician. Relevant because the ISHRS position places donor harvesting and recipient-site creation with a physician or physician extender — not unlicensed technicians.

Traveling technicians

Contract surgical technicians who move clinic to clinic, versus a full-time in-house team. One practice in our index raises the distinction itself. Ask: are the technicians on my case employees, and how long have they been here?

Money

Per-graft pricing

The industry’s standard quote structure: rate × graft count. Only one clinic in our index publishes its rates ($5 FUT / $6 FUE). A written quote should show the rate, the evaluated count, and what is bundled.

Financing cadence

An advertised recurring payment — “$50 a week” — presented without a total or term. Not a price: the same cadence equals $5,200 over two years or $10,400 over four, before interest. Our calculator does the missing arithmetic.

All-inclusive pricing

A claim that one figure covers surgery, anesthesia, facility and follow-ups. Meaningful only when the figure itself is stated — one clinic in our index claims it without publishing the number.

The Norwood scale, illustrated → · How to verify credential claims → · Printable consultation checklist →