Clinical studies have shown that body hair can be successfully harvested in large quantities while leaving minimal scaring. For those men who have a fair amount of body hair, be it back, chest, leg or pubic hair, this is a great advance, particularly if the donor area is depleted from previous transplants, rendering scalp hair no longer achievable.

This new technique uses a micro punch to retrieve single or double grafts from the body. An added bonus is no sutures required.

These hairs usually grow to a short length on the body, however, once they are transplanted to the scalp, they usually grow to the same length as scalp hair. Although these hairs are different in texture and diameter, no visible difference can be detected when transplanted among the normal hair.

Certain hairs are better suited to different areas of the scalp i.e. back hair being a finer texture is well suited to the hairline while chest and pubic hairs are better used for thickening in the mid section and crown.

Clinic Del Mondo has already achieved very good results using Body Hair Transplantation.

Personal Hair-Loss Treatment lasers. Hand-held devices that stimulate hair follicles and assist general scalp. Easy to use and rechargeable, these personal lasers are at the fore-front of hair-loss treatment technology, and can be used in the privacy of your own home.

 

Back To Top

 

Just thinking about culturing human hair and re-implanting into the scalp sets the scene for hair transplantation with an unlimited capacity. This being the case, the donor area would be left with very minor interference…….after all, that’s one of the two main factors in attaining a good hair transplant.

But the truth is, almost 20 years of research has past and many problems have surfaced. With inconsistencies in the culturing, it brings to light the myriad of obstacles that must be overcome in the future.

At present, research science is working hard to perfect hair cloning but will it be aesthetically acceptable. Animal studies show tissue culturing to be grossly dissimilar to the original hairs. So we must ask, would human hair be greatly deformed as well? The growth angle also comes into question as it must mimic the same angle as your own hair would naturally be. Another important point for consideration is, the tissue cultured cells showing any tendency toward tumour formation? The transmission of infectious diseases must also be carefully considered.

Cloned hair transplantation is a wonderful idea that, once perfected, would overcome the donor supply problem. However, at this stage there are inconsistencies and problems with reproducibility. For example:

• Will it be economical to bring safe, effective cloned hair to the market?
• Harvesting just the right cell type for cloning.
• Growing the new hair to mimic your own at the same angle, colour and texture.

The prospect of having an unlimited supply of donor hair available to treat hair loss will continue to spur research into overcoming these hurdles in the future.

So when do we see successful hair cloning? Could be 5 years, could be 10 years or it could blow out to another 20 years. In the meantime, there is always the possibility of breakthroughs in oral medications that may successfully regrow lost hair due to male pattern balding.

At present, follicular unit grafting is the most advanced technique available and we, at Clinic Del Mondo, are at the leading edge of this technology.

 

Back To Top

 

Craig came to Clinic Del Mondo with a seriously depleted donor area at the back and sides of his scalp.

• His history was: 39 year old male suffering male pattern hair loss.
• Previously undergone 5 scalp reductions
• Previously undergone 3 hair transplant procedures in sessions of 200, 500 and 800 grafts.

In my consultation with Craig, I informed him that it would be unwise to continue harvesting more grafts from the already depleted donor area as it was now seriously thin and lacking any real density. Craig, as you can imagine, was a little sad in coming to terms with the fact that he could not complete the hair restoration which he had embarked on many years ago, to bring his hair thickness to a stage that would please him personally and put an end to being self conscious about his hair.

Craig and I then discussed a transplant using pubic hair, placed between the grafts he had received earlier. Although I knew the procedure was possible, I insisted that Craig give it some serious thought and time to think this through thoroughly. After 4 more consultations, which gave Craig more understanding of the procedure and the chance to answer the many questions he had, it was decided to go ahead and harvest about 200 grafts from his upper pubic area.

Craig found the procedure to be quite comfortable and pain free, much to his delight! As Craig said to me, an added advantage is less body hair to worry about and very little visible scarring. Having such excellent hair transplant professionals as Dr Gerry Brady and his team was the icing on the cake.

Although this was a relatively small procedure in 200 grafts, each hair, of course, is thicker than a scalp hair and the slight curl gives greater density and fullness, as can be seen in the before and after photos. The hair began to grow at about 4 months and is now totally undetectable, even on close examination, appearing to mimic the scalp hair.

Craig now feels satisfied that the hair restoration he set out to achieve many years ago has been completed. Craig is now a very happy patient and has no regrets in undergoing this procedure.

Before

After

 

Back To Top

 

Tim is 15 year old male.

Tim came to Clinic Del Mondo in July 2004 for his first consultation, accompanied by his mother. He was wearing a small hairpiece on the crown area of his scalp. Tim told me he has a large, raised and lumpy scar at the crown and had been burdened with it from birth. I could see that his problem had made Tim very self conscious, especially as he was still at school. This in itself can have serious social implications that Tim may have to deal with.

On inspection, the scar was about 60mm in diameter, white in patches with red valleys in deep, uneven directions. Dr Leat was also present at the consultation. He had a long, indepth conversation with Tim and his mother. After checking for sufficient blood supply, it was decided that we would perform 600 grafts to begin with. Although he could do with about 2000 grafts for complete density, Dr Leat decided to spread the 600 grafts across the area and then judge the success of the transplant growing in such raised, thick scar tissue.

Tim and his mother were told to give it some serious thought as he is very young and, although Dr Leat felt it would be successful, they should take their time in considering the procedure.

After much thought, Tim’s mother phoned to book his procedure for October 2004. On the day of the procedure, Dr Leat went over the procedure again, ensuring Tim and his mother thoroughly understood the hair transplant procedure. So, Tim was underway, with his mother in the theatre beside him, just for reassurance, which was great for Tim. Dr Leat and the team, Liz, Jo-Anne and myself, all enjoyed their company for the day. Tim felt no discomfort whatsoever and, in his own way, enjoyed his day with us at the clinic.

It has now been 8 months since the procedure and we are extremely happy to announce that Tim has hair growing from the scar tissue. All in all, his procedure has been very successful. Tim may need more grafts in the future but at this stage he is doing very well and starting to achieve good coverage.

We will keep you posted with a pictorial update and news on his growth.

Before

4 Months After

8 Months After

Back To Top