PrintHair Loss Treatment
New developments in hair restoration
Greg Williams FRCS, FRCS (Plast) is a consultant in burns and plastic surgery, who also specialises in hair restoration. Below he outlines the key options currently available in terms of hair restoration and takes a look at some of the exciting developments on the horizon.
What are the options for somebody considering hair restoration procedures?
Hair transplant techniques have improved dramatically in recent years and can now give very natural results. Currently, the gold standard technique is a procedure called strip excision follicular unit transplant (FUT). This involves removing an area of skin complete with hair follicles from the back and/or side of the scalp, carefully dissecting it into follicular unit grafts and transplanting these into areas of the scalp where the hair is thinning or absent. This procedure is performed under local anaesthetic and most patients will require no more than two weeks off work.
Follicular unit extraction (FUE) is a method of extracting single follicular units, one at a time, using a small punch biopsy instrument. Use of this technique is currently limited in the UK due to lack of sufficiently sophisticated instruments but I envisage that this procedure will become more widely available within the next five years or so.
Is hair transplantation suitable for all men with hair loss?
No. Each patient will need to receive careful counselling to determine whether the procedure would be suitable for them and what type of results they could expect to achieve. Obviously, hair loss is a progressive phenomenon and it is important to decide when would be the best time to carry out the procedure, bearing in mind that it may need to be augmented or repeated in the future. In assessing a patient, the surgeon will need to take into account a range of factors including the pattern of hair loss, family history, any medical problems and use of medication (including medical treatments for hair loss).
What should a patient expect to discuss at a consultation with a hair surgeon?
Patients should expect to have all the options available explained in detail, including non-surgical options such as scalp dyes and microfibre bulking products that can be very effective at camouflaging hair loss. If they decide to proceed with hair transplantation, good counselling is vital so that patients have a realistic expectation of what can be achieved for them and are therefore more likely to be satisfied with the outcome. The surgical plan must be individually tailored to each patient and it is vital to meet the surgeon who will be carrying out the procedure, rather than just seeing a counsellor.
How do I find a reputable hair transplant surgeon?
There are no specific regulations governing qualifications for hair transplant surgeons but it is important to look for somebody who has extensive experience of the procedure that you are considering. Contact the British Association of Hair Restoration Surgeons (www.hairsurgeons.org.uk) for a list of members. The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (www.ishrs.org) is a useful source of information on hair restoration techniques.
Are there any new developments on the horizon?
Follicular culture, which is also sometimes referred to as cloning, is a promising area of research. The idea is that in the future, hairs will be cultured in the laboratory, producing a solution of stem cells that can be injected into the scalp. Research has already shown that this technique is achievable in mice. However, hairs have a complex structure. At present, cultured hairs tend to be wispy and grow randomly. The challenge will be to produce good quality hair in terms of both calibre and structure so that it grows in an aesthetically pleasing and realistic manner. Unfortunately, this technique is unlikely to be available for a number of years but it could represent an exciting new approach to treating hair loss in the future.
Provided as a service to patients by Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited