MadSci Network: Medicine
Query:

Re: Can hair be transplanted successfully?

Date: Thu Apr 6 21:51:08 2000
Posted By: Mark Sullivan, Medical Student
Area of science: Medicine
ID: 954519132.Me
Message:

Hi Marcela,
     The use of the term "hair transplant" is a little misleading.  What 
actually happens is that hair is transplanted from areas of the scalp that 
contain growing hair to the areas that don't.  If hair was to be 
transplanted from one person to another then that recipient would have to 
worry about rejection of the transplant and would have to be on 
immunosuppressive drugs to maintain the transplant.  Immunosuppressive 
drugs are not something that any person would want to be on for any 
cosmetic procedure, nor would the medical community allow do this anyway 
for ethical reasons.  But since the hair came from the same individual, 
this is no problem.  However, since only small patches of hair are 
transplanted the person will not have a full head of hair in the end, only 
a better redistribution about the scalp.  The hair should not thin if 
everything goes well and would be the same color, so in that respect the 
procedure is sucessful.  

Mark Sullivan      


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