Cloned Hairlines: Hair Replacement Surgery Study by Dr. James M. Swinehart
October 2001
in “
Dermatologic Surgery
”
TLDR Cutting and implanting hair follicles can create finer, more natural-looking hairlines, with about half of the implanted hairs growing back.
In the 2001 study by Dr. James M. Swinehart, 14 patients underwent hair replacement surgery where 20 of their own hair follicles were bisected and implanted to create finer hairlines. Follow-up on six patients aged 29 to 57 years showed that 46% of the upper portions and 47% of the lower portions of the implanted hairs exhibited growth 2.5 to 8 months post-surgery, and these hairs were finer than the original donor hairs. The study suggested that bisected donor hairs could be used to create more natural-looking hairlines, especially for patients with coarse hair and light skin, and indicated the need for further research to improve the technique for broader application.
