To Dr Ruby/Arvind .... about your research on BHT

Hair Transplant
1

In another post you said that, according to your research on BHT characteristics:

“BHT hair does not change its characteristics on being transplanted”

1) So are you saying that, so far, you did not find any BHT characteristic changes in any of your clients?

2) Does that include no changes in hair length?

2

?

3

» In another post you said that, according to your research on BHT
» characteristics:
»
» ********************************************************************
» “BHT hair does not change its characteristics on being
» transplanted”
» ********************************************************************
»
»
» 1) So are you saying that, so far, you did not find any BHT
» characteristic changes in any of your clients?
»
» 2) Does that include no changes in hair length?

Dear ADP,
We have noticed an increase in length of the transplanted body hair in some patients. In many others, the increase is not significant.
I do not think it is correct to term this increase in length of transplanted hair as a change in its characteristic. That would be misleading.

To call it a change in characteristic, it will have to :

  1. Be observed in a wide variety of body donor hair,
  2. be observed in a wide variety of patients.

Regards,
Dr. A

4

“I do not think it is correct to term this increase in length of transplanted hair as a change in its characteristic” I think this study explains very well what he means by charecterirtic of length.

Does the recipient site influence the hair growth characteristics in hair transplantation?

Hwang S, Kim JC, Ryu HS, Cha YC, Lee SJ, Na GY, Kim do W.

Departments of Dermatology and Immunology, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Taegu, Korea.

BACKGROUND: Recently hair transplantation has been widely applied not only to correct androgenetic alopecia, but also to correct hair loss on other parts of the body such as the eyebrows and pubic area. It is believed that the transplanted hairs will maintain their integrity and characteristics after transplantation to new nonscalp sites.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether the transplanted hairs maintain their hair growth characteristics after transplantation to a new anatomic site other than the scalp.

METHODS: Three study designs were used.

Study I: Hair transplantation from the author’s occipital scalp to his lower leg was performed and clinical evaluations were made at both 6 months and at 3 years after the transplantation.
Study II: After finding changes in hair growth characteristics, transplanted hairs were harvested from the leg and retransplanted to the left side of the nape of the neck (group A). As a control study, occipital hairs were transplanted to the opposite side (group B). Observations were made at 6 months after the operation.
Study III: An observational study was done in 12 patients with androgenetic alopecia about 1 year after transplantation of occipital hair to frontal scalp. At each step, survival rates were documented and the rate of growth and the diameter of the shafts were measured for both recipient and donor sites.
RESULTS:

Study I: Surviving hairs on the lower leg showed a lower growth rate (8.2 +/- 0.9 mm/month), but the same diameter (0.086 +/- 0.018 mm) compared with occipital hairs (16.0 +/- 1.1 mm/month, 0.088 +/- 0.016 mm). The survival rate 3 years after transplantation was 60.2%.
Study II: There was no significant difference in the growth rate, shaft diameter, and survival rate between retransplanted hairs (group A) and controls (group B). Groups A and B showed a lower growth rate, but the same diameter, compared with occipital hairs.
Study III: There was no significant difference in the growth rate and shaft diameter between the transplanted hairs on the frontal scalp and the occipital hairs.
CONCLUSION: These results strongly suggest that the recipient site affects some characteristics of transplanted hairs, such as their growth and survival rates.
Notice he say’s some charecteristics.

5

This is an important finding as it is different than Dr Wood’s (earlier) findings. I am not sure if Dr Woods has given any recent updates that state differently.

“On 5 November 2002, two years after the body hair transplantation surgery, Dr Woods and Dr Campbell measured and documented the results on Justin’s scalp. The body hair was originally 7 cm [2.75”]. After 22 months it has grown to exceptional lengths and characteristics. It is now between 12.5 cm [4.92"] and 16 cm [6.29"] in length. Similar findings are confirmed on another patient whose original chest hair growth was 3.17 cm [1.25"]. After 10 months it is measured at 6.35 cm [2.5"].

In both cases the body hair has taken on similar characteristics of normal scalp hair. This is one of the greatest findings in surgical hair restoration in recent years."

Published in the British Journal of Plastic Surgery December 2004: … However, that body hair can grow longer once transplanted and assume the characteristics of normal scalp hair is truly remarkable.

6

“What can be concluded from these experiments is that the transplanted hairs do not behave the same way as in their site of origin. An important point to be noted is that, the transplanted hairs did not show any reduction in their shaft size. Hence other factors such as the blood supply in that area, fat tissues, the architecture of the skin layers etc. probably have a role to play in the growth pattern of the hair. There can be no other explanation when comparing the percentage of surviving hairs; 92% survival in hair transplants on the head and 60% survival in other parts of the body. But when re-transplanted on the head, the survival rates shot up to 95 % [lower leg hair] and 92% [control from the back of the head]. So this study confirms that the part of the body where the hair is transplanted governs its growth and the pattern can definitely differ and not remain the same.”