The follicular isolation technique is a process of removing one follicular unit at a time from the donor region. A special instrument is used to extract the individual follicular units.

This instrument must cut into the dermis to a point just deep to the arrector pili muscle. Once this structure is cut, the graft can be extracted intact. Grafts ranging from one to 5 hairs each have been extracted. Our technique has allowed the largest single session of graft removal in a single day. We successfully removed 500 intact follicular units in a single day. We also have the largest successive sessions in a five day span on the same patient. Currently, we are able to move almost 2000 grafts in a two day time using our follicular isolation technique.

This process requires a dermal depth analysis so that we can properly judge the depth of the arrector pili muscle. We have found that this depth varies from one region of the donor area to another.

Our process allows for the harvesting of hair from multiple regions of the body. This includes chest, stomach, back, etc. hair. The combination of this technique with standard graft harvesting expands the scalp donor region. The ability to use hair from other regions of the body also adds significantly to the total amount of available donor hair. Dr. Chaudhari has found that chest hair grafted to the scalp eventually begins to grow faster and longer than it did when it was on the chest.