Understanding the Role of Sentinel Hairs in Hair Transplants

Understanding the Role of Sentinel Hairs in Hair Transplants

A sentinel hair is defined as a single-hair graft that stands 1 to 3 mm in front of the hairline.  These 1-hair grafts are intended to blur the hairline visually, i.e., to make the line look less like a line.  They are the tiny archipelagos/islands that border and float near the hairline that make the hairline look natural.

1-Hair Sentinel Hairs in Front of Hairline

What is important to understand is that when creating a hairline and making it look irregular, it is not the job of the 1-hair grafts in the front row or as sentinel hairs in front of the front row that should be relied upon to make it look irregular.  Instead the initial 1 to 2 rows of 2-hair grafts that sit behind this initial row of 1-hair grafts that should already do the bulk of the work in making the hairline look irregular.  The 1-hair grafts including the front row of sentinel hairs are used to further soften the hairline.  I love using sentinel hairs to make the finishing touch in a beautiful hairline creation.

Samuel M. Lam, MD, FACS, a board certified hair transplant surgeon in Dallas, Texas. To schedule a hair transplant consultation please call 1-888-866-3388, or visit www.HairTX.com for more info. To ask Dr Lam a question please visit our hair transplant forum.