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Recent results published by a joint team of stem cell researchers from Sweden and Scotland may one day offer hope for those suffering from hair loss. The team, led by Professor Yann Barrandon, head of the stem cell lab at the University of Lausanne, had been searching for a way to help burn victims by growing viable skin when they unexpectedly changed one cell type into a completely different one. In the process, they ended up with skin cells complete with working hair follicles.

While testing how stem cells extracted from the thymus of lab rats would perform if transplanted into growing skin, the team discovered that the cells ceased behaving as they did in the thymus and began performing just like healthy skin cells. “These cells really change track, expressing different genes and becoming more potent,” said Prof. Barrandon.  Past attempts to grow skin cells resulted in tissue that lasted only three weeks. The tissue produced in this method has lasted up to one year and includes the precious hair follicles lacking in previous attempts.

It is important to note that these are preliminary results that have only been tested in rats. It is uncertain at this time how this process may work in humans and how it might be implemented in order to restore hair to a balding head. However, it does offer one more avenue of hope to those men and women who have been eagerly awaiting a baldness cure.

Throughout history, men and women have been searching for the secret to curing hair loss. In fact, the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates (The father of modern medicine) was not unlike modern day hair loss sufferers attempting to reverse their balding. Among other “treatments” to curb hair loss, Hippocrates devised an ancient hair loss remedy that included a mixture of horseradish, cumin, pigeon droppings, and nettles to be applied to the scalp. As you may have guessed, this and hundreds of other wacky treatments have proven to be ineffective in combating thinning hair. The good news for the men and women of the 21^st century is that real options, both surgical and non-surgical now exist.

Despite the number of proven treatments today, many men and women are convinced that the real “cure” already exists and is known only to a select few individuals including the rich and the famous. Unfortunately, these hair loss sufferers quite often find themselves parting with hundreds or thousands of dollars as they gobble up every whimsical lotion, tonic, pill or device being hawked on late-night TV or in the back of magazines. So how do you know what works and what doesn’t in the world of hair restoration?

On June 25th through the 27th, 2010, The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgeons (ISHRS) is hosting a conference in Bangkok, Thailand. The conference, which focuses on new advances in Asian hair transplantation, features two hair transplant surgeons recommended by the Hair Transplant Network - Dr. Damkerng Pathomvanich, and Coalition physician Dr. Jerry Wong.

Dr. Pathomvanich is presenting an introductory speech and giving presentations on hairline placement in Asian hair restoration patients, eyebrow transplantation in Asian patients, and stem cell and growth factor hair loss treatments. He’ll also be sitting on several question and answer panels and assisting in several follicular unit transplantation (FUT) cases.

Dr. Wong is giving presentations on the difference between pre-made follicular unit incision sites and stick-and-place incisions, mega sessions for Asian patients, facial hair transplantation, and temple hair transplantation. He too will be sitting on several panels and assisting in follicular unit transplantation cases.

Congratulations to both Dr. Pathomvanich and Dr. Wong!

Blake Bloxham – aka Future_HT_Doc

Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum

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Technorati Tags: Hair Restoration, Asian hair transplantation, hair transplant surgeons, hairline placement, Asian hair restoration, eyebrow transplantation, stem cell, growth factor, hair loss, follicular unit transplantation, FUT, follicular unit incision sites, mega sessions, facial hair transplantation, temple hair transplantation

While no cure for hair loss yet exists, millions of balding men and women worldwide hope that hair multiplication (HM) will end baldness once and for all. By cloning derma papilla cells and injecting them into hairless scalp tissue, hair multiplication/cloning may eventually provide balding men and women with an unlimited supply of their own natural hair.

Intercytex and Aderans Research Institute are two major contenders in developing hair cloning/multiplication amongst other treatments. However recently, Intercytex announced that they’re closing the doors after several long hard years of working to develop this hair loss treatment.

To learn more about Intercytex and who may be taking over their research, visit “Intercytex discontinues its hair multiplication development operations”. You can also discuss this topic on our hair restoration forum.

Bill Seemiller – aka Falceros
Managing Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum
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Technorati Tags: hair loss, balding, derma papilla, hair multiplication, Intercytex, Aderans Research Institute, hair cloning, hair loss treatment, Bill Seemiller, Falceros

Our popular hair loss forum community includes dozens of active patient and physician members devoted to answering your hair loss questions daily. Get past the hype and learn about proven treatments that really work to stop baldness.

Below, we’ve compiled answers to hot topic questions we received from real patients and expert hair restoration physicians.

Feel free to ask your own questions and get answers on our hair restoration forum or privately by using the contact us form.

Graft Survival Rates and High Hair Densities (Dr. Brad Limmer)

Claims that Hair Multiplication is Available Today

Female Hair Loss Due to Hair Straightening and Blow Drying

Why Some Clinics Can Perform Hair Transplant Sessions Exceeding 5000 Grafts

Bill Seemiller – aka Falceros
Managing Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum
Follow our community on Twitter
Watch hair transplant videos on YouTube

Technorati Tags: hair loss forum, hair loss, baldness, hair restoration

While no cure for hair loss yet exists, millions of balding men and women worldwide hope that hair multiplication (HM) will end baldness once and for all. By cloning derma papilla cells and injecting them into hairless scalp tissue, hair multiplication/cloning may eventually provide balding men and women with an unlimited supply of their own natural hair.

Intercytex and Aderans Research Institute are two major contenders in developing hair cloning amongst other treatments. However recently, Intercytex announced that they’re closing the doors after several long hard years of working to develop this hair loss treatment.

Patrick Hennessey, publisher of the Hair Transplant Network visited Intercytex’s hair multiplication operation in Manchester, England when he visited the Farjo Clinic back in May of 2007. While they appeared to have good management and promising preliminary results, their subsequent Phase II testing on humans failed to produce cosmetically significant hair regrowth.

Given the inconsistencies in hair growth observed in clinical studies, it would appear that discovering the potential of hair multiplication is still in its infancy stages. It’s suggested that the key to success may lie in growing stem cells in vitro to a hair follicle stage and then transplanting the hair follicles using today’s state of the art surgical hair restoration techniques.

To learn more about Intercytex and who may be taking over their research, visit “Intercytex discontinues its hair multiplication development operations”. You can also discuss this topic on our hair restoration forum.

Having attended the annual International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) meetings over the past ten years, while publishing the Hair Transplant Network, I now seem to know or be known by almost all of the prominent hair transplant physicians.

Those who have become famous online for doing outstanding work typically greet me warmly, while others who I have chosen not to recommend often stiffen up and scowl when they encounter me.  One hair restoration physician last week even took me aside in the hallway and threatened to sue me for having his recommendation discontinued.

But, like it or not, most physicians have come to realize that our patient based community and our open forum are here to stay and that we will continue to say when the “emperor has no clothing” even if it may be awkward or embarrassing. As the publisher of this community, I will continue to critique various techniques, treatments and those who perform them, while keeping an eye out for top-notch hair transplant physicians and clinics. I know the active members of this community will also continue to do the same.

In this report I’d like to share highlights from the 15th annual ISHRS scientific meeting that was held in Las Vegas from September 26th to the 30th.

I will focus on what may be of most interest to hair loss sufferers and patients such as presentations on the potential dangers of Dutasteride (Avodart), new advances such as hair multiplication (follicular cell implantation), the effectiveness of low light laser therapy (LLLT) in treating hair loss, the pros and cons of FUE (follicular unit extraction) and other topics.

Despite the many claims of a “cure” for baldness, to date there are only a few viable methods hair restoration. 

The first one is through hair loss medication such as finasteride marketed as Propecia and minoxodil marketed as Rogaine – the two FDA approved medical treatments for hair loss.  The second is through hair transplantation – a surgical procedure where hair is removed from the donor “safe zone” (the sides and back of the head where hairs are not vulnerable to Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) – the hormone responsible for the loss of genetically predisposed hairs) and then transplanted into recipient incisions in the balding areas made by a hair transplant doctor.

Though some options are more viable than others depending on the hair loss sufferer, none of them offer a “perfect” means of hair restoration.  Hair loss medication MIGHT restore some hair but is generally better at combating future hair loss.  Hair Transplantation may give a patient a cosmetically pleasing look and the illusion of density – one can never restore a full head of hair.

But what about the future of hair restoration?  Will there ever be a hair loss cure? 

Hair loss is being researched from two different perspectives as far as I can tell.

The first perspective is finding and curing the cause of hair loss by attacking it at the core.  WNTs proteins and the signaling pathway is one such possibility in discovering the root “cause” of hair loss in order to find a cure.

Can you transplant hair that’s not from your own head and put it in
your balding areas?

If people could donate their hair follicles to another person for a hair transplant I can just imagine the strange scenarios that would come about. But unfortunately (or fortunately) only hair from an identical twin could be successfully transplanted without being rejected. But since hair loss is genetic I can’t imagine the identical twin would want to give up their hair.

I use to tease my younger brother who has ridiculously thick hair that he should donate some for my next hair transplant. But he was never willing. Eventually he found out that this would not work and I was no longer able to tease him about it. What a shame.

Pat – Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q & A Blog. To share ideas with other hair loss sufferers visit our Hair Restoration Discussion Forum.

Technorati Tags: balding, hair transplant, hair loss

Meeting Report by Pat Hennessey – Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center

Each year the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) hosts a four day meeting that is attended by ISHRS members from around the world. I have attended several of these international meeting as both a guest and as a member of the press. The highlights that I thought would be of interest to hair loss sufferers are presented in this report.

This years annual ISHRS meeting was held in San Diego, California from October 18th to the 22nd. Over four hundred hair restoration physicians from around the world attended this international meeting along with over 100 medical technicians and staff members. It was impressive to see so many hair transplant physicians sharing and debating the fine points of hair restoration. I found it interesting that many of the issues that have been discussed on our forum over the past couple of years were the hot topics at the meeting. These topics included – optimal session and graft sizes, ultra dense “super” mega sessions vs traditional density mega sessions, sub follicular unit grafting vs follicular unit grafting, growth rates, hair multiplication, FUE, and trichophytic closure techniques.