Comparison of Hair Shafts Angles Using a Curved Blade: An Innovation

BACKGROUND: The study was conducted to compare the angles of the hair shafts created by straight/flat blade and curved blade. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted in a private hair transplant surgery center. Five patients undergoing thefirst session of hair transplant were included. In each patient, 1 cm(2) area was selected in the anterior hairline in midline. Five slits were created with 1.0 mm straight/flat blade and five slits were created with 1.0 mm curved blade in each patient. After the slits creation, the grafts were inserted into the slits. The custom-made macrophotography technique was used to take high-magnification photographs of the grafts. The software was used to measure the angle of the hair at the level of the skin. The angles of all the hair shafts were measured in both the groups. The data were then analyzed statistically using paired t-test. RESULTS: A total of five patients were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 35.0 years. The mean hair angle of the hair shafts created with straight/flat blade was 17.42°, whereas the average hair shaft angle created with curved blade was 9.56°. The hair shafts angles varied from 14.3° to 23.1° while using straight blade. The hair shafts angle resulting due to curved blade ranged from 8.6° to 11.3°. CONCLUSION: The curved blade created the slits which were more acute than the slits created by the straight/flat blade.