The history of hair transplant procedures

People tend to think that hair transplants derive from the 1980's, the time when a transplant was obvious and had a plug-like effect on the scalp. However, this is simply not the case. In fact, the first reports of hair transplantation are dated back to the 19th century.

The history of hair transplants

Follow the timeline to discover the technological progressions of the hair transplant procedure.

1800's

The trend of transplanting portions of hear-bearing skin from animals and humans beings.

1930's

Japanese dermatologist, Okuda, successfully harvests and grafts hairs, and transplants them into other areas of the body.

1943

Japanese dermatologist, Dr. Tamura, uses 1-3 hair micro-grafts to restore female pubic hair.

1959

New York dermatologist, Norman Orentreich transplants grafts from the patient’s back of the head and inserts them in balding area.

1960's & 1970's

Physicians begin performing hair transplants for cosmetic improvement. Their first attempts are unsuccessful as the hair results in a “bristle brush” appearance. This is due to the fact that the grafts contain 15-25 hairs.

1980's

Gradual improvements are made as the mini-graft is implemented. This graft contains only 5-8 hairs, but it still resembles the plug effect of the previous decade.

1990's

Techniques have significantly improved as grafts are now smaller (1-8 hairs), and the number of graft transplants per session has decreased (200-300 grafts).

TODAY

Techniques continue to evolve and now include the follicular unit extraction. This method uses hundreds and thousands of tiny grafts containing only 1-4 hairs, and they are all inserted closely together over the entire surface of the balding area. This results in a more natural aesthetic appearance, and allows for the creation of a natural hairline as well.