Hair Restoration Blog

Q:

Hello Dr Mohebi,

I recently read an article on the web that you commented on Harvard research for hair cloning.  I am in my early 40′s, fairly broke, and eagerly awaiting the day that hair cloning is successful and available to the market.  For the past decade, I keep hearing the same promises that it will arrive in 5 years, but still no luck.  Can you comment on why it is not here yet, and perhaps when we will see it.  Thanks in advance.

A:

Hair multiplication also referred to as “Hair Cloning” is a hot topic in hair restoration over the last few years it is garnering more and more attention.  The research for multiplying hair (hair cloning) has been going on for years now in several centers around the world over the past few years.  The study that we performed with collaboration with some scientists in Cedar Sinai is only one of the many steps that need  be taken to successfully multiply hair.

Hair multiplication would offer superior benefits to patients and represent a significant advance for medical science and hair restoration. Still the march towards this being a medical reality moves slowly for a several different reasons:

1.  Although hair loss has detrimental effects on patients’ lives, is yet to be recognized as a burning issue in medical field to warrant more funding for hair loss research.
2.  Hair multiplication studies are usually done in private setting without the support of larger institutions such as universities and NIH (National Institute of Health).
3. The growth rates of the hair stem cells are extremely slow in cell cultures.  That makes the overall period of hair multiplication timelier and adds exponentially to the cost of these studies.

The combination of above three factors and other obstacles in this process has made progress of hair multiplication very slow.  My best estimation of current research is that hair multiplication is probably at least 8 years away from practical medical application.  The reason for this is that any new medical treatment or device needs to go through different phases to obtain FDA approval for its use in the U.S.

The last phase necessary in development of a new treatment is ‘clinical trials’. The phase three is done on volunteer patients to find out more about long term complications that might be associated with the treatment. At this time no study has reached the clinical trials stage this makes it unlikely that we can have hair cloning available to public within the next eight years.

Q:

Dear Dr. Parsa Mohebi,

Exactly 2 years ago (2011), I was diagnosed with Oral Candidiasis (Candida Albicans, Yeast, Thrush. Till presently, I still suffer from Oral Candidiasis and oral hair growth. My gums get itchy to the point of comparison to poison ivy, & hairs which feel like multiple splinters in my gums.

In the beginning, my gums were so soft that they were literally piecing off. In the back of my left, last tooth it was so unbearably itchy and the skin became multiple white balls coming off the gum. It was biopsied for cancer, although I had expected that the results would have rather been that of a diagnosis.

Within the past 2 years, my gums and teeth have been suffering from this phenomenon. Within the past year and a half, I had a tooth extracted, which immediately after the anesthesia had worn off, began feeling like something sharp was inside the gum. The dentist would not fully examine it, and before I realized the extent of it, hair (some resembling nasal hair and stubble) was growing in, and coming out of my gums; increasing in numbers, forms and areas as time has passed.

Having gone to over twenty-five doctors/specialists, not one is knowledgeable, nor believes that anyone can have hair growing in the oral cavity.

Despite indeed this is a rare case, after reading your blog, articles, and speaking with you, I have the utmost confidence with your knowledge and expertise, that you will be of great help in solving this dreadful, debilitating health issue.

Thank you ever so much!

A:

Hi,

Growing hair inside mouth is an extremely rare condition but it was reported in medical literature in past as “oral hirsutism”. I have written a post on that in our blog in November of 2009 as Hair Growth in Woman’s Mouth. The diagnosis on that particular case was hyper-androgenism. Hyper androgenism is due to excess secretion of the male hormone (testosterone). Elevated testosterone could be present in some conditions like polycystic ovary disease or other endocrinology disorders.

In your case, you need a lab work to check your hormonal levels. Most importantly, the levels of testosterone and DHEA should be measured. If any of those hormones are elevated, further investigation is warranted to find out the reason for the excess hormones. Then your oral doctor should find the exact location that grows hair and try to remove the hair follicles.

There should not be any further growth of hair, if the elevated hormone is treated and after the hair follicles are removed. Thank you for sharing with us your condition. I hope this condition gets treated completely soon.

Innovation in Hair Loss

Hair loss continues to be one of the leading medical cosmetic concerns among men and to a lesser degree for women. Modern hair transplant is a proven natural solution and continues to benefit many people. Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) is growing in popularity and can offer a unique solution to some individuals with limited donor hair.

Many men today are opting for shaved or ‘military type hair styles where the entire scalp and hairline frames the face with closely cropped ‘stubble’ hair. A person with limited donor hair can be a prime candidate for this safe and less invasive hair transplant procedure.

Hair Transplant Surgeon Can Combine both Techniques

Skilled hair restoration surgeons can take individual follicular units (FUs) and create the maximum balanced coverage over the scalp. They can then create further ‘look of density’ by simulating hair stubble with scalp micro-pigmentation (SMP).

SMP is a procedure where special surgical needles are used to inject dermal pigments into the scalp or other areas such as eyebrows into the skin. The color of pigment selected is close to that of the patient’s hair resulting in a cosmetic hair shadow. SMP is a safe and very non invasive procedure.

Combining FUE and SMP to resolve the challenge of hair loss for people with little alternatives and represents an advancement in modern hair restoration. This solution is not for everyone but is a welcome choice for some people who previously had limited alternatives to resolve their hair loss problem.

Q:

Doctor Mohebi,
I have heard having an orange a day keep your hair healthy and may thicken your hair.
Is it true?

-

A:

Taking an Orange a Day is a good healthy habit. In fact, taking any fruit on a regular basis can help get reasonable amount of fiber and vitamins depends on the type of fruit you are taking. However, there is no scientific reason that prove taking Orange can help your hair loss condition. There is no active hair loss component in orange that makes it an exceptional fruit for hair loss treatment or prevention.

If you have hair loss, you need to see a hair specialist and get started with a macro and microscopic evaluation of your hair. Your doctor may need to prescribe hair loss medications that can help slow down your hair loss condition.

Thanks,

Q:

Dr. Mohebi

There seems to be a lot of talk on the internet about FUE and ARTAS procedures. Can you explain to me what the pros and cons are of these types of procedure vs the strip technique?

A:

We perform both ‘Strip Method’ and FUE transplants in our practice. Both of these procedures are the most modern forms of Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) for hair restoration. FUE procedure could be done through different techniques such as manual and automated.

ARTAS is a FUE machine that harvests Follicular units by a robotic arm. Since the robot removes the hair grafts, the procedure is easier on the surgeon, but it is not flexible as of using different punches that might be necessary in different individual. Besides the harvesting the rest of the procedures are the same in two techniques of Strip FUT and FUE.

Strip gives us better quality grafts and preserve your donor hair better. It is also more affordable. This is especially important for someone like you with possibility of further hair loss in the future (based on your microscopic evaluation). Strip hair transplant leaves a linear scar on the back that might be visible if you shave your head in the future or keep it very short. I think the main question is whether you need to keep the option to shave your head in the future or not. Here is more on the differences of FUE and strip hair transplants in our blog.

Q:

I read that some clinic’s use hair from the nap of the neck to help create a more natural hairline. Is this a technique that you practice or something you think is not necessary?

A:

The neck hair is not permanent in many people. This means it too can be susceptible to the adverse effects of DHT as a person goes through the process of balding by aging.

We do not use neck hair nor do we recommend it for hair transplants. If hair transplantation is done with the right design and standard techniques, it should not be detectable any way. It is not necessary to take hair from the areas with thinner hair to achieve a natural looking hairline.

 Vitamin D and Hair Growth

35 million men in the US have male pattern baldness along with several million women who have hair loss. The Wall Street Journalreported on studies throughout the world that indicate that the ‘sunshine vitamin’ does have a positive effect on receptors that directly relate to hair growth.

Various studies are ongoing into vitamin D’s possible ability to help regrow hair by activating the appropriate receptors. Although too much vitamin D can have harmful side effects, Dr. Hausler suggests that for some individuals obtaining the full recommended daily dose of vitamin D, “from foods such as fatty fish or from being in the sun—may generally improve health and aid hair growth,”

There have been some reports on the effect of vitamin D receptors and hair growth recently. Here is some information about one of the most recent studies on vitamin D and its effect on hair growth. Aoi et. al. at Department of Plastic Surgery of University of Tokyo did a study on dermal papilla cells (DPCs) which are one of the two main stem cells responsible for the growth of human hair (Aoi N, 2012).

Prior studies have shown that Wnt signaling is involved in the initiation of hair follicle regeneration from stem cells. We also know that vitamin D3 (1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3) or VD3 which is the active form of vitamin D is involved in the expression of transforming growth factors TGF which is one of the important growth factors in the process of wound healing and hair growth.

The study of this group suggests that vitamin D3 may be essential in promoting differentiation of dermal papilla cells or hair follicles stem cells. The result of this study suggests that vitamin D3 may have a major role in hair regeneration treatments in the future.
At US Hair Restoration we make our best efforts to keep abreast of the latest developments in the field of hair restoration. We pride ourselves on keeping our patients better informed on present options for hair restoration, as well as, advancing possibilities.

Bibliography
Aoi N, I. K. (2012, Aug). 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 modulates the hair-inductive capacity of dermal papilla cells: therapeutic potential for hair regeneration. Retrieved from Pubmed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23197867

Q:

Dr. Mohebi,

We have a 6-year old patient with severe form of Alopecia Areata.  The patient has undergone all the standard forms of treatment including scalp injections of steroids.  The patient has lost about 70% of the scalp hair.  Now that there has been no respond to any of the other treatment options, the patient’s father is inquiring about Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) for this patient.

My questions to your regarding PRP are:

• Is this a process you offer at US Hair Restoration?  You mention the process in your blog: http://www.ushairrestoration.com/blog/tag/platelet-rich-plasma/ but does not say if you offer this treatment.
• Is this something that an Alopecia Areata patient as young as 6-years old should take?Thank you for your help.

 A:

 This is a great question.

Base on the information in your query it appears that this child has Alopecia Areata (AA) or its more severe form “Alopecia Capitis”.  Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune disease that might progress to involve large areas of the scalp in some cases.  This disorder can improve spontaneously and without any treatment. When this does not occur a physician must monitor it and consider various approaches. There is no perfect treatment that can guarantee full recovery in resistant cases of AA.

PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) has been in the news in recent years.  PRP has been suggested for treatment of several types of hair loss conditions. However at this time, there is not sufficient level of solid evidence to prove its effectiveness for hair loss conditions.

Since Alopecia Areata may resolve spontaneously with no treatment in most cases, The few reports of the recovery of alopecia areata after PRP treatment may simply  be reflecting the spontaneous regression of the disease. These isolated instances do not definitively prove the positive effect of PRP in the treatment of AA.  A double blind study of comparison of the patients who were treated with PRP vs. Placebue is necessary to prove this claim.

As a researcher and hair restoration surgeon, I believe a well designed study is necessary to substantiate this claim for PRP. We at US Hair Restoration do not recommend PRP for treatment of patterned hair loss, alopecia areata or any other types of hair loss disorders. Further consideration can be given if more solid evidence from scientific research is available to prove PRP’s effectiveness for hair loss treatment

I appreciate your contact and question and will submit it to our Hair Restoration Blog as it may be of benefit to other people too.

Thanks,

Parsa Mohebi MD

Q:

What do you think about applying Emu oil or distilled witch hazel to the healing areas to help soothe and speed up healing process; (apply from seven/eight days post-op). Distilled witch hazel helps with redness?

A:

There is no evidence to show emu oil, witch hazel or other commercially available oils can help healing after hair transplantation.  Using the shampoo that we recommend and provide for use after hair transplant is the best thing you can do to minimize the scabs maintaining a proper environment for the hair grafts to grow.

US Hair Restoration Centers welcomes people who have considered hair restoration for years to make this step in 2013. The science of medical hair restoration is now a natural, proven and permanent method to improve your self image. Led by renown Los Angeles and Beverly Hills Surgeon, Parsa Mohebi, MD we continue our commitment to be leaders in the field. Learn More >>>

We wish all our patients and everyone a promising and successful new year!