TLDR Body-hair transplant successfully improved scarred areas and frontal hair density without visible chest scarring.
In the 2012 case report, a 30-year-old man with Norwood class III alopecia who had previously undergone a hair transplant using the strip method received a body-hair transplant to reconstruct a donor strip scar and reinforce the frontal area. The patient had a low follicular density in the occipital region, so a combination of follicular units from the occipital region and chest was used. A total of 335 follicular units were harvested from the chest and 600 from the parieto-occipital region. The body hair follicular units were implanted at a density of 17 units/cm² in the scar area. Six months post-procedure, over 80% of the units had survived in the scar, and the hair was practically indistinguishable from scalp hair in terms of thickness and length. The donor area on the chest healed without visible scars or keloids, resulting in a satisfactory cosmetic outcome. The case highlights the potential of body-hair transplantation for cicatricial alopecia, despite it being a controversial technique with few published case reports.
18 citations,
April 2010 in “Actas Dermo-Sifiliográficas” Follicular unit hair transplantation is the standard method for natural-looking hair restoration in androgenic alopecia.
11 citations,
June 2008 in “Dermatologic Surgery” Transplanting chest hair into scalp scars may effectively treat wide donor scars in hair restoration.
6 citations,
March 2008 in “Dermatologic Surgery” Transplanting chest hair into scars can effectively treat wide donor scars from hair restoration surgery.
24 citations,
September 2002 in “Dermatologic Surgery” The place where hair is transplanted can affect its growth and survival rates.
854 citations,
February 2002 in “The journal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology” Understanding hair follicle development can help treat hair loss, skin regeneration, and certain skin cancers.
29 citations,
September 1997 in “PubMed” Follicular transplantation can greatly improve hair restoration if done with detailed planning and patient evaluation.
January 2016 in “Springer eBooks” The document concludes that there are various causes and treatments for hair loss, with hair transplantation being a notable option.
April 2019 in “Advances in Cosmetic Surgery” The document concludes that ongoing medical therapy is crucial for preventing hair loss, and surgical options can restore hair, with future treatments for hair loss being promising.
21 citations,
May 2016 in “The Cochrane library” Topical minoxidil helps treat female pattern hair loss, but more research needed for other treatments.
8 citations,
November 2019 in “Dermatologic Clinics” AGA treatments like minoxidil and LLLLT are safe and effective for gender minority patients.
42 citations,
August 2013 in “International Journal of Women's Health” Female pattern hair loss is caused by multiple factors and while treatments like topical minoxidil, hormone therapy, and low-level light therapy can help, none can fully cure it.