What are the differences between follicular units and follicles?​

Follicular units, follicles, hairs ... It is not uncommon that we often get confused and want to know what the differences are between follicular units and follicles. It is very important to know the difference, especially when making a decision on how to have a hair graft.

It is not the same to say 3000 follicular units than 3000 hairs or follicles, so knowing the difference will help us to know properly how much density we can gain in a single intervention. Please read carefully!

Differences between follicular units and follicles

In this article we want to tell you the differences between follicular units and follicles, as well as with hair. We tell you one by one what each of these things is, so that you can know perfectly what each one is:

Information about the follicle

The follicle is what we consider hair as such, including all the parts that make it up. It grows within, along with more follicles, a follicular unit. Therefore, follicle is a name used to speak of hair as such.

Everything you need to know about the follicular unit

So what is a follicular unit? Basically it is the grouping of follicles. This means that within the same "bag" there are several of these hair follicles.

For this reason, it is so important to know the differences between follicular units and follicles: 3000 follicular units is more than 3000 follicles, so the density is totally different in one case or another.

What is hair?

Como hair or hair as such is considered the visible part of the hair follicle. It is still the same number in quantities, but it refers to what is behind the skin, not counting the root or the sebaceous gland.

The importance of knowing the differences between follicular units and follicles

It is very important that we know the differences between follicular units and follicles.  Many times they can tell us "7000 follicles" and that at first we think that it is a very large quantity at the level of density, but then it is the opposite.

A follicular unit has 1 to 6 follicles, the average being 2,2 hair follicles per follicular unit. This means that, if for example, they tell us 7000 follicles it means that they have implanted around 3000 follicular units.

Therefore, as can be seen, the density we want is not going to be the same. It is always convenient that they speak to us in follicular units, being what is extracted and implanted.

It is also important that we do not confuse it and talk about follicles even though we have been told that they are follicular units. If, for example, we say “I have 3500 follicles” when they are really follicular units, the concept that can be understood is that they have made us a very small intervention, leading to error.