Does Ethnicity affect Hair Transplant Results?

In countries all over the World we have different ethnicities meaning that there is an existence of people belonging to different social groups that have a common national or cultural tradition. Just like how our culture and geographical area may be different, our hair quality of different as well.

We have patients coming from Latin America, the Middle East and Asia, North America, Europe and Canada, there is surely a clear difference in the hair quality of all our patients.

At our clinic we generally perform one common procedure which is hair grafting, this is a process in which hair is transplanted from the back or sides of the head into areas of hair loss, most commonly the frontal and mid scalp and crown regions, but sometimes, into other areas, including the beard and eyebrows.

In addition to these hair transplants, we perform several other procedures, including hairline lowering surgery surgical hairline advancement, in which the hairline is advanced and the forehead shortened, and the repair of previous plastic surgery procedures. With these procedures, ethnic considerations affect not only technique and patient candidacy but also the results.

Hair Characteristics according to Ethnicity

When it comes to hair transplant, it is not rational to show the same approach to every hair type. Each type of hair requires its own approach due to the differing nature of various hair types; particularly Afro-textured hair type. Hair loss is very common in the African community, and it can be a sensitive subject for people who are losing hair in their early 20s.

Through the years human hair has been categorized into 3 ethnic groups according to distinguishable characteristics:

1. Asian
2. White
3. African hair.

These ethnic groupings show distinct characteristics in hair density, diameter, shape, mechanical properties, and composition.

Asian Hair

• As it is stated that hair follicle itself determines the appearance of the hair, Asian hair follicles are round and smooth
• Asian hair has a circular geometry.
• Asian hair follicles are metabolically more active than those of whites.
• Grafts of Asians are more vulnerable to dehydration and a prolonged preservation period.
• Asian hair has the largest cross-sectional diameter or caliber.
• Probability of transection during FUE is higher therefore using a sharp punch during dissection is preferred.
• The hair follicles of Asian hair are found in single, double hair follicle groups in the scalp.

African Hair

• African hair has an elliptical shape.
• The chemical and protein composition of hair does not vary across ethnic groups, and there is no difference in the keratin types.
• African hair generally has less tensile strength and breaks more easily than hair of whites.
• As the lowest hair density but gives the appearance of a higher density, given the curly nature of the hair.
• Because the grafts are large as a result of the curliness of the hairs. This curl of the African hairs allows for a hairline to appear natural.
• Planting grafts into the recipient sites can be more challenging in patients of East Asian ethnicity, because of the challenges in visualizing the sites.
• Africans have grafts with triple hair follicles.
• Risk of keloids development on scars in the healing process after hair transplantation.

In Africans, the upper skin that surrounds the hair follicle externally is thicker and tighter compared to other ethnic groups. This may cause damage to the hair follicles, rupture and thus graft damage during extraction. For successful results, the surgery should be performed by an experienced hair transplantation specialist and a professional team.

White hair

• Its shafts are oval and of an intermediate shape.
• The density of hair is intermediate.
• Smaller recipient sites than in African and Asian patients.
• Has a medium-sized hair shaft diameter.
• White hair grafts with triple and quadruple hair follicles.
• The length of hair follicles is also shorter in white hair.
• The scalp in white hair is more flexible.

This structural characteristic in white hair allows the grafts to be collected more easily, helping reduce the likelihood of damage to hair follicles and the risk of transection reduced to a minimum.

In conclusion

In Civas Hair Transplant which is the best hair transplant clinic in Turkey  hair transplantation operations on African hair, white and Asian hair have been performed for many years. Such hair transplantation procedures each need much more technical knowledge and care during the hair transplantation procedures because each one of the ethnic group hair types has advantages and disadvantages. In order to get most natural hair transplant results contact  with Civas Hair transplant is best hair transplant clinic in Turkey.