Oxidative Stress in Follicular Units During Hair Transplantation Surgery

The study, conducted on 18 patients from April to July 2008, explored the impact of oxidative stress on follicular units (FUs) during hair transplantation and whether antioxidant glutathione (GSH) could mitigate this stress. Despite varying the GSH concentrations in the preservation solutions (5, 10, and 20 mmol), the researchers found no significant changes in oxidative stress markers, measured by thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS) and GSH levels, before and after ischemia and grafting. The study concluded that increasing GSH concentrations in the preservation solutions did not reduce oxidative stress during hair transplantation, suggesting that the methods used to detect oxidative stress in FUs might not be sensitive enough. Further research was recommended to enhance the detection sensitivity of oxidative stress in FUs.