Hair Transplant LA Follicular Restoration Surgery

May 2, 2022

Los Angeles has become one of the best places in the United States to get a hair transplant. Just with the sheer number of different FUE clinics in LA, the market is super competitive and that always works in favor of the hair patient. You can find pretty much whatever kind of hair restoration solution you’re looking for, all available in LA. Hair transplant surgery, laser therapy, scalp micropigmentation, and more are available on nearly every block. If you’re looking for a hair transplant LA FUE or FUT procedure, we’v got you covered.

Over the last 70 years, the hair transplant industry has progressed in leaps and bounds. Long gone is the old “hair plug” style of hair transplant. Now, with the modern FUE and FUT procedures, a hair transplant can give a nearly fully bald man or woman a full head of natural, thick hair, that they can enjoy for a lifetime. These modern hair transplants can work wonders for hair loss, but scientists have not stopped there. There have been even more discoveries lately in the hair field that will revolutionize the hair industry. Before we get into the latest & greatest, let’s take a look at how the most modern, “mainstream” hair transplant LA surgeries work. This way we can fully understand how the newest discoveries will affect them.

The Standard Hair Transplant LA Techniques

Most hair transplant facilities you will find around are FUE clinics. “FUE” stands for Follicular Unit Extraction, which is the latest technique. The second most common hair transplant surgery technique is the Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) method. Both methods are commonplace hair transplant surgeries used today to treat many forms of hair loss. 

The FUT method extracts a long strip of hair-bearing tissue from the specified donor area of the scalp. This area is normally located around the base of the skull where the hair loss has not yet affected it. After removal, the scalp is sutured together and hair-bearing tissue is dissected into individual bunches. Finally, the doctor implants them back into the scalp to fill balding areas. Then, the hair follicles should take root and after time, begin to grow.

The FUE method is similar to the FUT technique but instead of extracting large strips of tissue, an FUE clinic will extract individual hair follicles from the donor area for implantation into the area of the scalp affected by hair loss. This process takes a great deal more time to complete but is less invasive and there is less post-procedure pain and discomfort.

What’s the Best Hair Transplant Method Available?

There is a lot of ongoing controversy about which method is “better.” Most older hair transplant doctors will stand by the tired and true FUT method due to the many years of successful transplants that are the result of the technique. An FUE clinic will claim that their process is better because it doesn’t leave an unsightly long, linear scar along the donor area and is much less painful. However, the type of hair transplant you choose is entirely up to you. Most hair patients suffering from later stages of hair loss may benefit from a FUT transplant. That’s based purely on the amount of exposed scalp and necessary coverage area. Yet, women who suffer from diffuse hair loss may benefit from an FUE procedure due to the more precise extraction process. 

So, outside of both FUE and FUT hair transplant LA procedures, what is next for the hair industry? Scientists and researchers never quit and are constantly working on the next best thing. The number one problem hair transplant doctors run into are patients with unreasonable expectations. For example, when a patient comes to them without enough viable donor hair for harvesting and transplanting. More often than not, these patients go home disappointed after learning they’re not suitable hair transplant candidates.

Follicular Cell Implantation Research 

Both FUE and FUT hair transplant procedures offer different benefits for different people. Either way, there is a finite amount of healthy donor hair available for harvesting. In situations where there is a small amount of viable donor hair, the surgeon must carefully plan how the limited number of follicles create an aesthetically-pleasing result. 

There has been research ongoing for decades on how scientists can “clone hair follicles.” Meaning researchers are trying to replicate the cellular structure of a hair follicle in a controlled environment. This process is called Follicular Cell Implantation (FCI). Research has shown that the stem cells that are contained in a hair follicle have a remarkable ability to regenerate hair and that Dermal Papilla,  can induce new hair in a variety of model systems. This means that Follicular Cell Implantation is possible as a therapy to treat hair loss. (Jeffrey Teumer, 2005).

When Will FCI Go Mainstream?

Since researchers discovered that FCI is a possible treatment for hair loss, why aren’t there as many FCI clinics as there are FUE clinics? The short answer is researchers haven’t found a way to make it work, yet. While the perfect FCI treatment for hair loss doesn’t exist yet, it’s not for lack of trying. For instance, in 2011 a study found that it wasn’t a lack of stem cells in hair follicles that led to baldness. In fact, a lack of “progenitor cells” were to blame. Progenitor cells are basically the descendants of stem cells but are not able to replicate like stem cells. However, they do have the ability to “differentiate” as a stem cell does. A cell that can differentiate can alter its form to become another type of cell in the body. (Luis A. Garza, 2011).

Complications for Hair Maintenance

In the most common form of hair loss, called androgenetic alopecia, researchers found that the condition does not destroy the stem cells in the hair follicle. Instead, the condition creates a problem in the stem cell’s ability to convert into progenitor cells, which leads to a reduction in the progenitor cells and could be the root cause of androgenetic alopecia. When researchers attempted to clone the hair in a petri dish, they created as close to the most natural environment possible. They discovered that the cells of the hair follicle retained their ability to induce hair growth. (Claire A. Higgins, 2013)

Many years later Scientists with the Stemson Therapeutics company, announced in 2019 that they had perfected the “hair cloning” procedure by implanting mice with human dermal papillae cells, which had grown new human hair. While cloning human hair on mice is an extraordinary breakthrough, it is still a far shot away from using this cloned hair in a hair transplant.

Is Hair Cloning an Available Hair Transplant LA?

Even with the incredible breakthrough by Stemson Therapeutics, using hair cloning and FCI as a mainstream hair transplant LA is still far off in the future. Ever since Stemson’s groundbreaking announcement, the company’s website has been very hush-hush about any advances it has made since 2019. What we can be sure of is Stemson, and other scientists are still hard at work trying to mesh out how hair cloning can be used as a viable hair transplant method.

Taking a process that has effectively cloned human hair on mice, and turning it into an FDA accepted, not even approved, treatment for hair loss will take years if not decades. The fact that Stemson has been so quiet about their further research could mean that they are on the verge of another breakthrough, or that they have hit a roadblock in their research. 

There is a company that uses the name “HairClone.” However, contrary to the company’s name they do not actually clone hair. HairClone is what is known as a hair follicle “bank,” which allows people who have not been affected by late-stage baldness, to have their hair extracted and stored until a day comes where they need a hair transplant.

Nanoparticles and Rogaine for Hair Restoration

Outside of hair cloning, scientists have been hard at work trying to figure out how to increase the effectiveness of the hair loss drug Minoxidil (Rogaine). For many years Minoxidil has been used as a hair restoration treatment with limited success. Minoxidil has been shown to slow the rate of hair loss, and in certain situations even regrow hair. However, the results are underwhelming in most cases.

Two companies by the names of Follicle Pharma and ProTransit Nanotherapy are researching how to use “nanoparticles” to deliver Minoxidil directly to the root of a hair follicle. A nanoparticle is a particle of matter that is between 1 and 100 nanometres (nm) in diameter. Normally nanoparticles are used in the manufacture of scratchproof eyeglasses, crack-resistant paints, anti-graffiti coatings for walls, transparent sunscreens, stain-repellent fabrics, self-cleaning windows, and ceramic coatings for solar cells.

The Skinny on Skin

One of the purposes of our skin is to protect our bodies from outside toxins and pollutants. It acts as a barrier that stops random particles from penetrating it and invading our bodies. When we apply topical drugs like Minoxidil to our skin, the skin prevents most of it from penetrating. 

As a result, researchers developed a way to use “therapeutic nanoparticles” to deliver Minoxidil through the skin. Consequently, the roots of the hair follicle gain access to more of the medication. While the mainstream usage of nanoparticles in this manner is still years away, it’s a very exciting discovery. This is especially true for the hair transplant LA industry due to Minoxidil’s use before & after most hair transplant surgeries. (N, 2019)

SUFFERING FROM HAIR LOSS?

Best Hair Transplant is the best place to schedule your hair transplant in Los Angeles. We’ve helped both men and women regrow their lost hair. But don’t take our word for it. We suggest learning as much as possible about hair restoration. Do so prior to making a decision on how to address your hair loss. Not every procedure is right for everyone.

At Best Hair Transplant, we’re proud of our results and happy to provide hair restoration services. Additionally, we’re proud to make hair transplants affordable and help you save money on a variety of hair transplants. To ensure your ease of mind, you can view our customer recommendations HERE. Furthermore, you can also see our Google reviews and Yelp reviews. We can’t wait to help you start restoring your lost hair.

YOUR HAIR RESTORATION SOLUTION

Best Hair Transplant
1970 S. Prospect Ave., Suite 2
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(213) 403-0455

References:

  • Claire A. Higgins. (2013). Microenvironmental reprogramming by three-dimensional culture enables dermal papilla cells to induce de novo human hair-follicle growth. PNAS.
  • Jeffrey Teumer. (2005). Follicular Cell Implantation: An Emerging Cell Therapy for Hair Loss. Seminars in Platic Surgery.
  • Luis A. Garza. (2011). Bald scalp in men with androgenetic alopecia retains hair follicle stem cells but lacks hair follicle progenitor cells. The American Society for Clinical Investigation.
  • N, N. (2019). Drug Delivery System Based On Minoxidil Nanoparticles Promotes Hair Growth In C57BL/6 Mice. Dovepress.

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