Hair Transplant Glossary: Your Complete Guide to Terms and Definitions

If you’re researching hair restoration, you’ve probably come across a lot of confusing medical words and technical terms. From alopecia to FUE and from donor area to hair grafts, understanding these words makes the entire journey much easier.

This Hair Transplant Glossary is designed to explain all the important terms in simple language. Whether you’re a patient considering a procedure, a student learning about hair science, or just curious about treatments, this guide will give you clarity.

Why a Hair Transplant Glossary Matters

• Clear understanding – Medical jargon can be overwhelming. A glossary breaks it down into easy explanations.
• Better decisions – Knowing terms like grafts, hairline, or donor dominance helps you ask the right questions.
• SEO benefit – For blogs and clinics, glossaries attract search traffic since people often Google specific terms.
• Evergreen content – Hair transplant terminology doesn’t change quickly, so this stays useful for years.

The Complete Hair Transplant Glossary

Here’s an A-to-Z glossary of the most common terms in hair restoration:

A

Alopecia – The medical term for baldness, or partial/complete hair loss.

Alopecia Areata (AA) – A condition where the immune system attacks hair follicles, causing sudden patches of hair loss.

Alopecia Reduction – A surgical method where a bald scalp strip is removed, and the surrounding scalp with hair is stretched to cover the area.

Anagen Phase (Growth Phase) – The active growth stage in the hair cycle when hair grows the fastest.

Anagen Effluvium – Sudden hair shedding during the growth phase, usually caused by chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

Androgenic Alopecia (Male Pattern Baldness) – The most common type of genetic hair loss in men and women, linked to hormones like DHT.

B

Body Hair Transplant (BHT) – A procedure where hair is taken from areas like the chest or beard when scalp donor hair is limited.

BIG FUE Hair Transplant Technique – An advanced FUE method offering larger graft sessions.

BIO FUE Hair Transplant Technique – FUE combined with bio-enhancements (like PRP) to improve growth.

C

Celebrity Hair Transplant™ – A non-shaven FUE technique developed by Dr. Parsa Mohebi. It’s discreet with minimal downtime, but only a limited number of grafts can be transplanted.

Club Hair (Telogen Hair) – Hair that is in the resting phase, with a short, club-shaped root when it falls out.

Crown of Scalp – The back upper part of the head where baldness often develops.

D

Dermal Papilla – A group of cells beneath the hair follicle that control hair growth.

Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) – A hormone derived from testosterone that shrinks hair follicles, causing male and female pattern baldness.

Donor Area – The region (usually the back and sides of the scalp) where hair is taken for transplantation.

Donor Dominance – The theory that transplanted hair retains the traits of the donor area, even after being moved.

F

Face-to-Scalp Hair Transplant (FSHT) – A transplant that uses beard or mustache hair for scalp restoration.

Female Pattern Baldness – Thinning of hair across the scalp in women, often leading to diffuse hair loss.

Follicular Unit Excision (FUE) – A modern technique where individual follicular units are extracted and transplanted.

Follicular Unit Graft – A group of hair follicles transplanted as a unit.

Follicular Unit – Natural groupings of 1–4 hairs, along with oil glands, blood vessels, and nerves.

H

Hair Density – The number of hairs per square centimeter of scalp. Higher density usually means better transplant results.

Hair Economics – The concept that donor hair is limited, so surgeons must carefully plan hairline and coverage.

Hair Flaps – An older method where a strip of hair-bearing scalp is rotated to cover bald areas.

Hair Follicle – The tiny organ under the skin that produces hair.

Hair Grafts – The extracted follicular units that are transplanted into thinning or bald areas.

Hair Miniaturization – The process where hair gradually becomes thinner and weaker due to genetic hair loss.

Hair Plugs – Outdated large grafts that gave an unnatural “pluggy” look in older hair transplants.

Hair Shaft – The visible part of hair above the skin.

Hair Transection – Damage to hair follicles during harvesting if not done carefully.

Hair Transplant – The surgical procedure of moving follicles from the donor area to the balding area.

Hairline – The front boundary of hair on the forehead.

Hairline Refinement – Correcting unnatural hairlines created by older transplant methods.

I

IMPLANTER FUE Technique – Uses special implanter pens for placing grafts with precision.

L

Laxometer – A tool used to measure scalp flexibility before surgery.

Long Hair FUE – A method where long hair follicles are transplanted without shaving the donor area.

Ludwig Classification – A scale used to measure stages of female hair loss.

M

Male Pattern Hair Loss – A genetic hair loss condition causing receding hairline and thinning crown.

Micrograft – A small graft with 1–3 hairs, more natural than older methods.

Minigraft – An outdated grafting technique with 3–6 hairs, often resulting in unnatural looks.

Minoxidil (Rogaine) – A topical solution for stimulating hair growth.

Mohebi Implanter – A device created by Dr. Parsa Mohebi to make graft placement safer and faster.

Multi-Unit Grafts – Grafts containing multiple follicular units.

Multi-Unit Grafting – A procedure using multi-unit grafts for higher density.

N

Norwood-Hamilton Classification – The most common scale for measuring male pattern baldness stages.

P

Punch Graft – An old method using circular punches to extract grafts.

Power Hairline® – A technique for men who aren’t fully bald but want a stronger, denser hairline.

R

Recipient Site – The area where transplanted follicles are placed.

Rogaine – Brand name for Minoxidil.

S

Senile Alopecia – Age-related thinning seen in older individuals.

Serial Extraction-Placement Technique – A method to minimize graft damage by reducing out-of-body time.

Scalp – The skin covering the top of the head.

Scalp Laxity – Flexibility of the scalp, important for strip harvesting.

Scalp Reduction – Surgical removal of bald scalp areas.

Scalp Rotation Flaps – A technique where a strip of scalp with hair is rotated into a bald area.

Shock Loss – Temporary hair shedding after a transplant due to surgical trauma.

Simultaneous Extraction and Placement – A method where one team extracts while another implants grafts simultaneously.

Stereo-Microscope – A high-resolution microscope used to prepare grafts precisely.

Strip Harvesting – A method where a strip of scalp with hair follicles is removed and dissected for transplantation.

Stem Cell FUE Hair Transplant – A newer technique combining FUE with regenerative stem cell therapy

T

Telogen Effluvium (TE) – Hair shedding caused by stress, illness, or trauma.

Temples – The sides of the forehead above the ears.

Temporal Point – Triangular hair sections at the lower corners of the forehead.

Tissue Expander – A balloon-like device used to stretch scalp skin for more donor area.

V

Vellus Hair – Soft, thin body hair that cannot grow as thick as scalp hair.

Vertex – The top back of the head (crown), a common area for balding.

Final Thoughts

Understanding hair transplant terms gives you confidence when exploring treatment options. Whether you’re looking into FUE, FUT, donor dominance, or hairline refinement, this glossary covers the basics and advanced terms you’ll encounter.

Use this glossary as your reference whenever you read about hair restoration or consult a specialist.

If you want to learn more about specific topics like FUE vs FUT, hair graft survival, or scalp care after surgery, check out detailed guides linked within the glossary.