Okay, you’re reading hair transplant info and you come across a term like folliculitis, or androgenic alopecia. What do they mean? Below is a list of commonly used terms on hair transplant information sites like hair loss blogs and hair restoration clinic websites.

• Alopecia
  Alopecia is condition in which  hair is lost from the scalp, and sometimes the body. The condition often forms spots of baldness on the scalp. It is thought that Alopecia is hereditary and may be triggered by auto-immune dysfunction or stress. In about 50% of cases, hair will regrow within one year without any treatment.  This hair loss condition affections .01-.02% of the population and affects both men and women.Read more information at at National Alopecia Areata Foundation.
• Anagen Phase
  The growth phase of hair follicles lasting 2-3 years. Read more about a hair’s life cycle on Wikipedia.
• Androgenic or Androgenetic Alopecia
  Androgenic Alopecia is hair loss of the scalp which affects both men and women. It commonly known as male pattern baldness, but women are also affected.  In men, pattern baldness tend to follow a pattern of recession at the temples and crown. In women, crown loss tends to be diffuse and the frontal hairline is not affected. There is a strong genetic component to pattern baldness. There is no cure for baldness though many “remedies” are sold. To date, hair transplantation is the only permanent solution to hair loss, although hair loss drugs such as Finasteride and Minoxidil can halt or slow hair loss and in some cases grow hair in the crown.Read more information at the Wikipedia Androgenic Alopecia page.
• Catagen Phase
  The end of the active growth cycle of hair  lasting 2-3 weeks. See  growth cycle of a hair on Wikipedia.
• Crown
  The top of the head. Also known as the vertex. Hairs grow from the crown in a whorl pattern.
• Donor Area, Donor Zone
  The area at the back of the head and sides of the head where hair is resistant to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the androgen thought to be a major factor in male pattern baldness. Men with pattern baldness have hair follicles that have a sensitivity to DHT, causing them to shrink. The donor area is a crescent shaped area below the occipital bone (the bony ridge at the back of the head) that extends to the sides near the tops of the ears. The donor area’s resistance to DHT form the basis of hair transplant surgery. Hairs are removed from this area and transplanted to other areas of the scalp, remain resistant to hair loss and grow as they would if they were still at the back of the head.
• DHT
  Dihydrotestosterone or DHT is an androgen thought to be a major factor in male pattern baldness. Men with pattern baldness have hair follicles that have a sensitivity to DHT, causing them to shrink and die. Read more information about DHT on Wikipedia.
• Female Pattern Baldness
  Female pattern baldness is usually marked by diffuse thinning, usually along the center line of the crown. The Ludwig Scale illustrates female pattern baldness in it’s varying degrees. The crown and center-line of the crown are most affected and the hairline in women frequently remains intact.
• Follicle
  A hair follicle is a part of the skin that grows hair by packing old cells together. Attached to the follicle is a sebaceous gland, a tiny sebum-producing gland. The thicker the hair, the higher the number of sebaceous glands.
• Follicular Unit
  Hair grow from follicles in bundles of 1-4 for hairs, but more frequently in 2 or 3 hair bundles. In follicular unit transplantation, these hair bundles are extracted surgically keeping the bundles intact. These multi-hair “grafts” are then transplanted where needed. The rate of growth for hair follicles on the scalp is about half an inch per month.
• Follicular Unit Transplantation
  In hair transplant surgery, follicular units (naturally occuring bundles of hair) are removed from the donor area and transplanted where needed (ie. into the recipient area). Hasson & Wong are an example of a clinic which performs ultra-refined follicular unit hair transplant surgery.
• Folliculitis
  An infection of the hair follicle sometimes occurring with ingrown hairs.
• Graft
  In hair transplant surgery, a graft is synonymous with follicular unit. Sometimes grafts are referred to as follicular unit grafts. A graft can be 1 hair but is often a 2-4 hair bundle removed from the donor zone as it occured naturally.
• Male Pattern Baldness
  See Androgenic Alopecia.
• Micro-Grafts, Mini-Micro Grafts
  Micro-grafts contain 1-3 hairs per graft. Mini-grafts contain 4-12 hairs per graft. Mini-micro grafting was the standard of care in the 1980s and 1990s. Today, follicular unit transplantation, where the naturally occurring bundles are transplanted, is now the standard. Mini-micro grafting often give a bottle-brush appearance wehre with FUT, the angle at which the hair leaves the scalp more closely mimics nature.
• Plugs / Plug Grafting
  Often, when people think of hair transplants, they think of plugs. Plug grafting received a lot of negative attention in the media and thus has stuck in the public’s mind. Plug grafting was the first iteration of surgical hair transplant technique and is no longer in use today.  Grafts were cored from the donor area with a punch tool and placed in holes. Grafts were large — about the size of a pencil eraser and the result was unnatural, much like a doll’s head. Today, ultra-refined follicular unit grafting is the standard of care.
• Propecia
  Propecia (finasteride) is a drug used to slow or halt hair loss. Propecia also promotes hair growth in the crown, but rarely promotes growth in the hairline. Propecia is safe, though women should not use it or handle the drug if pregnant or trying to become pregnant. Propecia is the medication of choice for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BHP) or enlarged prostate.
• Recipient Site, Recipient Area
  The area of the scalp affected by hair loss in which donor grafts are transplanted.
• Rogaine
  Rogaine (minoxidil) is a hair loss drug that is used to help slow or halt hair loss and promote growth mainly in the vertex or crown. Rogaine is a foam that is applied to the scalp daily. Minoxidil can cause a temporary shed known as Minoxidil induced hair loss. The speculated reason for this shedding is the encouragement of hairs already in the telogen phase to shed more quickly.
• Telogen Phase
  The final resting phase of a hair follicle before it is shed. 50-100 telogen follicles are shed daily on average. The telogen phase lasts about 3 months. Read more about the life cycle of hair follicles on Wikipedia.

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