Asian hair: A Korean study

1. As most Asian hair is black, coarse, and straight (Fig. 8), hair transplantation is difficult, especially when the skin is light. An Asian with high-caliber hair and a visibly high contrast between hair and skin color requires very small grafts (usually fewer than three hairs per graft) to produce a natural look 2. Asians have a lower hair density than Caucasians. Korean hairs have a density of approximately 120 hairs/cm² in the occipital zone and about 100 at the temple area. Therefore, a larger donor area is required, and available donor hair is limited 3. Asians have a high proportion of single hairs. The occipital scalp hairs of Koreans consist of 45% of one-hair follicular units, 42% of two-hair follicular units, and 7% of three-hair follicular units. The survival rate of single hair grafts is relatively low compared with two-or three-hair grafts 4. Because the hair follicles of Asians are longer than those of Caucasians, the probability of transection during donor harvesting and graft preparation is very high in Asians 5. The hair follicles of Asians are metabolically more active than those of Caucasians. Therefore, the grafts of Asians are more vulnerable to dehydration, preservation temperature, and preservation period Fig. 8. Asian hair follicles