Hair Transplantation History

Hair loss is one of the most common problems that people have experienced throughout history. The most common known cause of this problem, which is more common in men, is genetic predisposition. Hair loss problem is also seen in women, but this problem may occur for different reasons in women.From the initial conceptualizations to the refined techniques employed today, the journey of hair transplantation mirrors the relentless pursuit of addressing a universal concern with both functional and aesthetic dimensions. Let’s take a closer look at the historical development of hair transplantation.

The first studies on hair transplantation

From a medical point of view, hair transplantation can be considered as an organ transplantation procedure. When you think of organ transplantation, you may think of transplantation from another donor, but today, the donor for hair transplantation is the person himself. It is known that the first hair transplantation procedure in history was carried out in 1822 with the work of a German medical teacher and his student. In this procedure, hair was transplanted from one part of the scalp to another part. Although this procedure seems to solve the problem of male pattern hair loss to a great extent, there is no extensive information about the procedure. The idea of transplanting hair follicles was later revived by the Japanese doctor Sasagawa. In 1939, a Japanese dermatologist started to perform hair transplantation on scars and burn scars with a technique called “Punch Technique”. This technique was performed by placing the scalp containing hair follicles into small holes drilled in the injured areas.

Need for hair transplantation

These developments in Japan began to reach America in the 1950s. In 1952, the first hair transplant operation was performed by Dr. Orentreich. This procedure would take its place in the literature 7 years later. This method, known as “Donor Dominant” in the literature, is considered the basis of today’s hair transplantation procedure. Dr. Orentreich used 4 mm long hair follicles in this procedure. For this reason, the results of hair transplantation created an unnatural appearance. This length was referred to as the “Pluggy Look” in the literature in the 70s and 80s, but its popular name was the grass man. Although this unnatural look seemed to solve the problem, it also created the need to achieve a more natural look.

The beginning of modern hair transplantation

In the latter part of the 1980s, the landscape of hair transplantation underwent a significant transformation, adopting the techniques prevalent in contemporary procedures. The integration of micro graft and mini graft techniques during this era marked a pivotal advancement, particularly in achieving a more natural appearance for the frontal hairline. As the 1990s unfolded, hair transplantation evolved into a widely practiced procedure across diverse global regions. The advent of Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) during this period represented a groundbreaking development. This technique, designed to mimic the innate growth structure of hair, emerged as a noteworthy milestone, yielding consistently successful outcomes that authentically replicate a natural aesthetic.

Hair transplantation today

Today, the FUE method has become one of the most preferred and most permanent methods in hair transplantation procedures. In the FUE method, micromotors with special tips are used for the transplantation process. With these micromotors, hair follicles are taken one by one from the donor area and transferred one by one to the area to be transplanted. This method, which does not require any stitches in the area where hair transplantation is performed, provides a natural appearance. 

Although the history of hair transplantation does not seem to be very long, it has led to very successful results thanks to technological developments in the historical process. If you want to learn more, you can visit our website or contact with Dr. Çağatay Sezgin who is one of the leading doctor at this field.

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