Hair Restoration Blog

Intercytex has recently released some information on its hair multiplication experiments in a new article in the Journal of experimental dermatology. The title is “A graft model for hair development” and the article discusses what is done so far for hair multiplication experimentally. Intercytex has been involved with hair stem cell, hair culturing and hair multiplication, which is also known as hair cloning.

In this article follicular cell implantation (FCI) is discussed as an experimental cell therapy for the treatment of hair loss that uses cultured hair follicle cells to induce new hair formation. The process of culturing hair cells is based on the demonstration that adult dermal papilla cells (DPC) retain the hair inductive potential that they acquired during hair morphogenesis before birth. To obtain FCI, the investigators isolated hair inductive cells from scalp biopsies and then propagated them in culture media in order to provide adequate cells to generate several new follicles from a few hair follicles.

Following expansion of cells in culture, they implanted those cells into the scalp where they induce the formation of new follicles below the level of skin. They describe a consistent, reliable method in which they can test hair induction. Since the process relies on the ability to retain the potential for hair induction during the expansion of DPC in culture.

They go over a simple graft model that supports hair morphogenesis. In this experiment, they combine dermal cells with embryonic mouse epidermis that provides the keratinocyte (one of the skin cells) component of induced follicles. The grafts are placed under a protective skin flap in the host athymic mouse (a special mouse without capability to reject the transplanted grafts from human) where the cells will form a skin graft with hair if the dermal cells are hair inductive DPC.

Using the assay freshly isolated and cultured mouse embryo dermal cells as well as cultured dermal papilla cells from other species all induced hair formation. They also showed that induced hairs were aesthetically indistinguishable from those of the epidermal donor in length, thickness, and pigmentation. The investigators stated that the newly formed hairs were histologically normal and could resemble a complete natural hair.

We at Los Angeles hair transplant surgery centers of US Hair Restoration will closely follow up with the progress of hair multiplication and cloning techniques. Although the result of the cultured hair on animals has been released before, the current released article is interesting and elucidates more on the characteristics of cultured hair during the process of hair multiplication so called hair cloning. It seems like we still have a long way to go till we can practically use hair multiplication techniques in restoring human hair.

A Los Angeles Hair Restoration patient asked me today about Kevis products for medical hair loss treatment in men the other day. His father used to use those hair loss products when he was in Europe and He recommended that he can use them as well. I had to do some research on the website of the company to find out what are the ingredients of this presumed hair loss medication.

Kevis products are claimed to be natural and chemical drug-free. They work through the biological compound, hyaluronic acid, which is found in eyes and joints in its highest concentration.

Kevis uses a high-molecular-weight product called HUCP, to address hair loss and follicular mal-nutrition. HUCP is claimed that it directly impacts hair follicles, cuticles, and shafts in a positive way, bringing about stronger, thicker, and healthier hair. HUCP also hydrates and balances the moisture levels in hair and the skin of the scalp.

Kevis hair loss prevention and hair care products gently clean hair and selectively remove residue from the scalp, encouraging follicular health and greater natural hair production.

It is all nice to have a product to help cleaning the scalp and the root of our hair and also to keep the moisture to the hair shaft, but neither dryness nor dirtiness of hair is the cause of hair loss. I could not find a significant research on the effect of any of those ingredients on the health and growth of hair. We at our Los Angeles hair transplant clinics of US Hair Restoration recommend products with solid medical research showing their effectiveness and safety.

Q:

I am a 35 year old woman with history of scalp dermatitis. My doctor gave me steroid solutions for my dermatitis that helped the condition, but I have been suffering from hair loss now. Could steroid solution be the cause of my hair loss or could the scalp dermatitis be the cause of my hair loss?

Although hair loss is reported as a rate side effect of many medications, losing hair is not a common condition that could be seen after topical steroid use. Dermatitis or inflammation of skin could be seen as part of many other skin conditions. I think you have to see a good dermatologist and get an accurate diagnosis for your hair loss condition. Microscopic evaluation of the scalp or miniaturization study is a great tool to diagnose the condition of your hair loss and to see whether your hair loss is still active or not. I perform a miniaturization study on almost all my patients to determine the activity of their hair loss condition and also to predict their future hair loss. The type of your hair loss and its association with other medical conditions could be assessed by a hair specialist after taking a history and examination of your hair and scalp including performing a miniaturization study. We do perform

miniaturization study on all patients while evaluating them for hair transplant. If you are diagnosed with a treatable condition that has caused or accelerated your hair loss, proper treatment may cure your balding and give you your full head of hair back.

Q:

I take Errin Tablets for a few months as a contraceptive. I have also been experiencing hair loss recently. I wanted to know if there is a correlation between losing hair and this particular contraceptive. I had a baby 4 months ago. I see thinning everywhere but it is more obvious on the front and top as diffuse thinning.

A:

Your hair loss could be related to your pregnancy and delivery of your baby. Human hair grows in cycles and goes to resting phase (telogen) between the growth cycles. About 95% of your hair is in growth phase (anagen) at anytime and about 5% of them are in resting phase. You may not see any hair growing from the follicles during resting phase. That is the reason we normally lose scalp hair on a regular basis. In fact losing up to 200 hairs every day is normal and part of the cycling of our hair. Some stimulants can put a large number of our hairs into telogen phase. This condition is called Telogen effluvium. Telogen effluvium (TE) can be seen in women after delivery of a baby. Telogen effluvium is especially seen between months one to five following delivery of a baby, when the load of estrogen is removed. It is usually seen in 40 to 50% of women after pregnancy, and like most of the changes in pregnancy, it is temporary. Wait 4 to 6 months and you should grow your hair back. Meanwhile, make sure you are taking sufficient minerals and vitamins on a daily basis.

Any other cause of imbalance in estrogen level may increase hair loss. Scalp hair loss is reported in users of oral birth control pills containing norethindrone and ethinyl esteradiol, like Errin tablets or other brands: Brevicon, Norinyl, Norethindrone. However the association of those contraceptives and hair loss has not been completely confirmed through medical literature. I women think their hair loss may be linked to the use of birth control pills, they need to stop the pill and use another birth control method after discussing that with their doctor.

Many hair transplant patients are concerned with the scar of cosmetic surgeries including hair transplants. Several techniques have been suggested to minimize the scar such as corticosteroid injections, irradiation, ultrasound, silicone applications into and around the forming scar. However, the effects of most these methods were far from satisfactory. Botox is a new method that could be used to minimize the size of both facial and scalp scars. The use of Botox for reduction of facial scars from surgeries was first suggested by plastic surgeons who were trying to reduce postoperative effect of facial muscles on stretching and widening of scars.

In many patients with ugly scars of the face, botulinum toxin (Botox) was used successfully to induce temporary paralysis of the muscles during revision surgery. Botox with the same mechanism can help minimizing tension on the healing wound edges until collagen could mature and scar if completely adnd firmly formed.

The use of Botox has been suggested for the treatment of stretched scars on the face by many plastic surgeons now. Hair transplant surgeons also use Botox for treatment of the hair transplant widened scars of the donor area that do not show improvement with a simple scar revision procedure. There are reports of successful decrease in the final size of the scars with injection of Botox into the muscles surrounding the maturing scar. We at the Los Angeles hair transplant offices of US Hair Restoration don’t offer Botox to every patient who is having a hair transplant surgery through strip technique, but it certainly could be used for the patients who suffered from widened scars of prior surgeries and did not respond to the other methods of scar revision.

Recently published in the Journal of Medical Hypotheses was an interesting article on the treatment of alopecia by transplantation of hair follicle stem cells and dermal papilla cells (the cells of the bottom of hair follicles) in alginate gels (media used for cell transplantation).

A group of scientists at regeneration lab of tissue engineering, Department of Bioscience of life science in Northwest University of China authored this article. They proposed a system to use the two important hair stem cells to form mature hair in people with hair loss. They explain that the discovery of hair follicle stem cells (FSC) brings gospel to the affected individual of hair loss because of its capacity of generating new hair when they interact with mesenchymal dermal papilla cells (DPC).

The above two cells are known as the necessary cells for formation of new hair. Since both FSC and DPC have strong proliferative capacity and the patient’s own cells could be expanded considerably in vitro, they hypothesize that the microencapsulation of the two kinds of cells in alginate gels could be implanted into the bald scalp of the patient since alginate gels is effective in cell transplantation. They concluded that the strategy may provide a more convenient and valid alternative to hair loss if the hypothesis proved to be practical.

Here at Los Angeles hair transplant office of US Hair Restoration, we follow the most recent findings on the field hair hair stem cell research or hair multiplication also known as hair cloning. The above theory sounds logical and seems to be simple. However, until it is experimented in the lab and then on life creatures we cannot know how practical it may be. It seems like the race to use hair stem cell for the treatment of men hair loss is started.

Q:

Hey there!

How’s everything? I had a quick question.  What do you think about nanogen hair?  From the fibres to shampoo?

Thanks!

A:

Nanogen manufactures a group of products for hair loss treatment and balding camouflage. You can read more on their products on their website at http://www.nanogen.co.uk.  I will go over the two products that you asked in your question, Nanofiber or as they called it “Precision Cut Microfiber Camouflage System” and Nanogen hair loss shampoo.

Nanogen Microfiber is made from keratin that is also the substance that hair is make from. The fibers bind to the existing hair electrostatically adding volume to your hair shafts. Nanofibr is similar to the hair product, Toppik that has been around for a while in the United States and works through attaching to the hair shafts and increasing the volume of each hair.

Nanogen Shampoo is claimed to work through different mechanisms:

1. Inhibiting sebum output in the scalp that has been stated that can control the waxy build up and associated problems. We know sebum production does not have anything to do with male patterned baldness.
2. Reducing dandruff and associated flaky skin by treating the causes of dandruff. Dandruff is not necessarily the cause of hair loss of any kind.
3. Containing anti-fungal properties that can control the fungal outbreak in the scalp. Some fungal diseases of the skin used to be causing infectious balding in past that are not seen as often now with the increased levels of public health. Typical men hair loss definitely doses not have to do with fungal diseases.
4. Reducing irritation and inflammation in the scalp that has been claims that can restore the barrier function of the skin. Again I have to question the role of this mechanism on restoration of hair in men with men hair loss.

In the other parts of the site of Nanogen, the causes of having unhealthy scalp is states as a combination of sebum, fungus like malassezia furfur, dandruff, scalp irritation and problems with inhibiting the barrier function of the skin. As we mentioned before, none of the above is the real cause of typical baldness in men hair loss or male patterned alopecia.

Q:

Thanks Dr Mohebi,

for your time and information, really appreciate it. I have seen a neurologist who gave steroid shots and a pain management Dr who gave an occipital nerve block, neither worked. Had Botox injection into the area also. EMG and neck MRI tests didn’t show anything. Is the donor incision sometimes deep enough to damage muscle such as the occipital muscle or trapezius? Deep enough to damage the fascia tissue?

thanks again,

A:

It seems like you have done the proper work up for evaluation of your donor scar complication. If a hair transplant is done by a skilled hair transplant surgeon it should not be that deep to injure the fascia. In most patients it is easy to find the subcutaneous fat, which is our safe zone. Even if the fascia is injured, it should not create such a problem. The area of the strip is generally much higher than the levels of the neck muscles. Injury to the muscle and fascia should not cause any such feeling without involvement of the nerves.

I cannot imagine anything except the nerve damage to be the cause of your current problem. I occasionally have seen patients with some unusual sensation after old surgeries that get better when they get a repeat hair transplant. The reason for the improvement is that the hair transplant surgeon removes the scar and by doing that can release the adhesion of scar of first hair transplant and underlying tissues including the nerves.

Q:

Dear Doctor,

I had a hair transplant at another clinic, X Medical, 8 yrs ago. The donor area was 1 strip 1 inch wide, 4 inch length, going diagonally from the occipital protuberance bone towards the right ear.

When I woke up the day after the procedure, I could tell something was really wrong. The whole back and right side of my head was really tight. It felt like the scalp was being pulled backwards, mostly on the right side. It hasn’t changed to this day and its constant. It’s a crippling feeling and I’ve been having problem with it since then. I understand there could be some tightness from removing the donor area. But this is something different than just tightness or scalp stretching; it’s a whole other type of problem in the tissue under the scalp surface. The clinic said the tightness should go away after awhile but hasn’t given me any possible solutions or possibilities.

I thought I might get some answers by contacting other hair transplant doctors who do these procedures frequently and who know the anatomy of the head. It would be so helpful if you could try to give me an idea of what could have happened or went wrong.

Thank you for your time,

A:

Hi,

This is an unusual condition that I have not seen or heard. The donor skin tightness usually improves in two to three weeks following a hair restoration surgery with strip technique. However the numbness and tingling around the donor incision may continue for a few months due to violation of the very small superficial branches of nerves of the donor area.

Although removing the donor strip may look simple, it should be done meticulously. The best method of removing the strip is to trace the skin on the back superficially while having a good control on the depth of the incision and then remove the right thickness of the scalp skin. We follow this procedure religiously at the Los Angeles hair transplant offices of US Hair Restoration. The incisions should be done within the subcutaneous fat layer, which is the safe zone with minimal chance of injuring the main sensory nerves of that area.

Since you have an unusual sensation on the back of head, you need to be evaluated by a physician for confirming your diagnosis. I have not examined you, but one of your sensory nerves might have been injured during the strip removal. Mild nerve injuries recover within a few months with complete return of the sensation. More serious injuries may leave patient with a numb area or a sense of tingling or tightness for a longer time or permanently. This complication is generally rare, but may be seen in any skin procedure that involves making incisions around the sensory nerves. If this is the right diagnosis and you are experiencing a phantom pain or sensation due to injury of a nerve, a pain specialist might be able to help you with the injections of some medications into the local nerve to block the irritated nerve.

Q:

I was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I have been sensing some changes in my hair including; color and texture changes and some scalp hair thinning overall. Can all these changes be due to my hypothyroidism or should I look for any other causes?

A:

When you have hypothyroidism or low thyroid function, your hair tends to get more coarse and sparse. Changes in waviness of hair are not unusual either. Some degrees of hair color changes could also be seen.

You definitely need to be regularly seen and evaluated by your endocrinologist. In some medical syndromes patients may suffer from several different hormonal imbalances that may contribute to the changes in their hair color or characteristics.