Glossary
The words that get used about hair loss as if everyone already knows them. Some come from surgery, some from dermatology and some from clinics' own vocabulary, and a consultation moves between all three without warning.
A few matter more than the rest. Donor area and graft are the two that govern every decision you will make, because between them they describe a finite budget. Transection is the one most worth asking a clinic about. And shock loss is the one most worth knowing before week four, so it comes as no surprise.
I add terms as they come up in the guides, so this list grows. If a word you have hit is not here, tell me and I will write it.
Terms A–Z
A
Androgenetic Alopecia
Pattern hair loss, the kind a transplant treats. Genetic, progressive, and the only kind the two proven drugs work on.
D
DHT
The hormone behind pattern loss. Lowering it is what finasteride does, which makes finasteride the only common treatment that addresses the cause.
Donor Area
The reserve every transplant draws on. Roughly 6,000 to 8,000 grafts in a lifetime, and worth spending wisely.
F
Follicular Unit
The natural bundle of one to four hairs that a graft consists of. Why graft counts and hair counts are different numbers.
G
Graft
The currency of hair restoration. Non-renewable, priced individually, and the number every quote turns on.
M
Miniaturisation
How pattern loss actually happens. Hair does not fall out so much as shrink, which is why starting treatment early works so well.
N
Norwood Scale
The shared vocabulary of every consultation. Ideal for describing where you are, and a starting point for planning where you are heading.
R
Recipient Site
The incisions the grafts go into. Where the artistry of a transplant lives, and what makes a result look natural.
S
Scalp Laxity
How loose your scalp is. It decides whether a strip transplant is possible and how wide a scar you end up with.
Scalp Micropigmentation
Tattooed stubble. It spends no donor hair, costs a fraction of surgery, and is the most underrated option in hair restoration.
Shock Loss
The shed a few weeks after a transplant. Expected, temporary, and much easier once you know it is coming.
T
Telogen Effluvium
Sudden diffuse shedding with a cause. Not pattern loss, usually recovers, and needs a diagnosis rather than a transplant.
Transection
Grafts cut during extraction. Why careful technique keeps it low, and how to ask a clinic about it.
Trichophytic Closure
The detail that decides how visible an FUT scar is. Worth asking for by name.
W
Whorl
The spiral at the crown. It is the reason that area needs more grafts and careful planning to look full.
Thinking about a transplant?
The Start Here guide shows you the order that gets the best result: what is causing your loss, how medication protects your hair, how much donor hair you have, and where a transplant makes the biggest difference.
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