Follica
has raised money to begin a human trial of its hair cloning technology.
According to the company’s website, the company has obtained “an
exclusive, worldwide license from the University of Pennsylvania to
develop and commercialise a breakthrough technology that has been
demonstrated to stimulate the genesis and development of new follicles.” It is announced it had completed a $5.5 million Series A financing round.
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Scientists in Berlin have used human adult stem cells to develop hair
follicles using 3 D Biodegradable Scaffold, from which hair then grows naturally. The treatment provides
new hope for people suffering from hair loss.Only a few hair follicles
would need to be taken from the"patient"and used to generate as much new
hair as is needed, which can then be grafted.
check this video:
http://youtu.be/iAS_k1IrJpA
Restoration Robotics, Inc., MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, a medical device company, has on 14th March 2011 announced that they have received 510K clearance from (FDA)
for a ROBOT for harvesting hair follicles from the scalp in men diagnosed with
androgenetic alopecia (male pattern hair loss) with black or brown
straight hair. The name of the Robot for this technology is ARTAS™ System.
ARTAS™ is a physician-controlled, state-of-the-art, interactive,
computer-assisted system that enables harvesting of hair follicles
during hair restoration procedures. It combines several features
including a video image-guided robotic arm, special imaging technologies,
small dermal punches, force sensor, robotic arm,and a computer interface. The ARTAS™ System is
capable of identifying and harvesting individual follicular units to
implement the follicular unit extraction (FUE) technique. The software that runs the instrument helps the surgeon target
follicular units for extraction and also uses stereoscopic video images
to guide the needle mechanism and robotic arm.
The robotic harvesting technique resembles that of
follicular unit extraction ( FUE). The donor area, as in FUE is cropped to
short length to enable the stereo camera system to visualize hair follicles.
The imaging algorithms are capable of identifying follicular unit, determining
their type (1 hair FU, 2 hair FU, 3 hair FU etc.) and calculating the angle,
orientation & location of each follicular unit on the scalp surface. Using
this position & location data,
the imaging system semi autonomously guides the robotic arm & mechanism to
core & extract follicular units one at a time; The punch size is 1mm in ID.
The coring of the follicular units is enabled by a proprietary punch designed
that aims to minimize transaction rate. The system, using a feature called
visual servoing, continuously tracks & adjusts to patient movement so that
harvesting of targeted follicular units is precise. Based on inputs by the
user, the degree of automation can be adjusted, e.g. the system may be
configured to harvest 10-20 grafts sequentially. The harvested follicular unit
may then be automatically transported to a vial where it is kept moist and
cool. It may be possible to achieve harvest speed of up to 1000 grafts in an
hour.
The Benefits
There is growing interest in FUE because of its
many patient benefits, such as less discomfort and a quicker return to
normal activities. The ARTAS™ System solves many of the technical
challenges experienced by physicians currently attempting the FUE
procedure which gives physicians and patients new choice. Rapid healing and lack of a
linear scar, which makes this procedure different from the strip method.
Limitations:
The Robot is approved for only straight back and brown hairs and for those with curly , gray or blond hair may have to wait for some later date.
On a personal communication it was mentioned that the system may harvest up to 1000 grafts in an hour with Transaction rate under 6%.
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Check this research paper: double click the picture to read it in separate view
Add caption
Well we can do up to 60 per sq. cm but we do not recommend it because of significantly reduced survival rate if transplanted over 30 per sq. cm. Check the attached pdf file of the research paper:
For example, if grafts are placed at a density of 50 FU/cm2 but only grow at a density of 40 FU/cm2, the results would still look good to the eye because a density of 40 FU/cm2 looks good. However, in reality this represents a loss of 20 percent of the grafts, which is unacceptable in hair transplantation due to the limited donor supply.
Transplanting in
crown with early hair loss has following drawback in your case at this stage and age of hair
loss;
1. The miniaturized weak existing hairs in this area may not be able to sustain
the surgery and some of them may be lost sometime after this procedure ( shock
loss)
2. The Transplant may be possible between the existing hairs so we can only put
small number of hairs without damaging the existing hairs
3. If you lose more hair in future around the area of transplant you will have
central are of transplanted hair with surrounding halo of no hairs ; this will
not look natural.
4. You can certainly improve the area by use of medications then why you need
surgery?
According to an article published in on line journal Plosone.org Million
Mulugeta, D.V.M., Ph.D., co-director of UCLA’s preclinical stress biology research
program at the University of California, Los Angeles, claim that they have
uncovered a promising hair-loss treatment & may have the potential to
affect hair color, including gray hair..
The experiment wasn’t focused on hair loss. Instead, it was
designed to study a chemical compound that blocks the effects of stress on the
gut.
The research team, during a study of the effect of a compound
called Astressin-B while conducting
stress-hormone experiments on mice that typically develop head-to-tail baldness
as a result of being genetically altered
to overproduce a stress hormone (The mice used in the experiments had been
genetically altered to overproduce a stress hormone called
corticotrophin-releasing factor, or CRF. Corticotropin-releasing factor
over-expressing (CRF -OE)-mice that display phenotypes of Cushing's syndrome
and chronic stress, including alopecia. CRF-OE mice develop bilateral symmetric
hair loss in adulthood). The goal of the experiments was to study the effect of
Astressin-B ((5 µg/mouse) injected
peripherally once a day for 5 days) to determine whether it would block the effects
of stress on the colon but accidental finding was the mice treated with Astressin –B had recovered the full
cover of fur on the back in few weeks compared to the placebo ( injected with
saline) given mice which did not recover. A
sterssin-B induced pigmentation and hair re-growth that was largely
retained for over 4 months (a significant period for average 2 years life of
mouse) when mice were killed Histological examination indicated that alopecic
CRF-OE mice had hair follicle atrophy and that Astressin-B revived the hair follicle from the telogen to anagen phase.
The team repeated the experiment several times and got the same
results — bald mice grew new hair in a few weeks. The researchers also injected
the compound into young mice before they went bald. Those mice never lost their
fur.
The researcher said the compound appears to have affected the
mice skin pigment as well as
spurred hair growth. This could mean
Astressin-B has the potential to
affect hair color and gray hairs. Majority of Pigments were regained by about 1
week and the hair was regained by about 2 weeks
Temporary blockade of the CRF receptors could thus be a
breakthrough therapy for alopecia particularly for patients in acute
(chemotherapy, traumatic stressful events) or chronic stress setting.
Findings of a mouse study may not be applicable to humans, but results
may spur more study of the role stress might play in human hair loss. Hair
growth cycles are very different in mice and humans, so one could draw only
limited conclusions from the research
The research would probably be useful only for hair loss related
to stress, likes that caused by one-time events, rather than as a treatment for
genetic baldness.
Your thought is ingenious but the
scalp transplant would involve very major surgery under general anesthesia with
higher risks. More over it will have circumferential scarring, which may not
look natural.
Well The reason they write not to use on shaved head is if you are
having sensitivity to minoxidil and if you are exposing your shaves head
to sun for long time there may be irritation. Although this is not very
common but if you are having sensitive skin and if you have more sun
exposure you may not apply Minoxidil with shaved head. Shaved head infact makes the application easy and with direct application on long hairs can make your hair stiff and the crusting on the scalp under the hair may not be easy for you to remove.
Same way hair
loss can be due to many reasons some skin conditions with hair loss may
have more skin irritation if Minoxidil is applied and therefore it is
best suited for hair loss such as Androgenetic alopecia ( male pattern
baldness or common baldness) . Because this common baldness has some
link to father or mother side genetically it is written on the information leaflet given with minoxidil that those with no
family history of hair loss may not use it. Since you certainly have a
pattern hair loss it is Ok for you to use it without any problem. In
fact it is the right indication for minoxidil
"Recharging donor" area which is also known as "Donor sealing" even
called "Donor Farming" is not new by concept and some surgeons have even
practiced this in past. The typical indication would be
1. When
surgeon has by poor & aggressive planning over harvested a particular
area of donor scalp and that looks thin compared to other parts of donor
area. The best way to recharge is to take anagen BHT. When well
performed there is no reason why BHT would not grow.
2. When the shock loss has occurred in donor area where hair does not grow back
3.
when patient wants to keep the hair very short and want to avoid
visibility of dotted scars. The transplanted BHT will bring back the
pigments to the donor area and reduce the visibility
4. It may be
useful esp. if someone wants to intentionally over harvest good quality
scalp donor hair for better cosmetic result in the front and therefore
replace donor with BHT instead of using BHT at the front or top.
More over when donor recharging done in the fresh wound immediately after extraction would cause higher chances of BHT growth rather than recharging done in the previous FUE scar with reduced blood supply.
Toppik, Dermmatch or Nanogen are the Hair cosmetics or concealer which by static adhesion to the existing thin hair will thicken the hair and also by covering the skin reflect no light there by it can give the better cover and volume to the hair thinning area.
It may have some value in early thinning
and in post hair transplant early growth
phase.
They are very inert material and would not harm your skin and hairs even on long term use. You can get more info on www.toppik.com , www.dermmatch.com or www.nanogen.com. They can easily be removed on shampoo wash.
Because these products are directly available on their website located abroad when some people in India may want to buy this in India following is the contact details in India:
1. Toppik powder in
India: http://www.nutraskyncare.com/
Midas Chamber 301,
Opp. Laxmi Industrial Estate,
Off New Link Road, Andheri ,
Mumbai – 400053.
Tel: 0226740022/32428898E-mail:- sales@nutraskyncare.com
Iron deficiency is defined as having a ferritin level of under 40ng/ml or iron
saturation of Ferritin under 20%.
Iron deficiency is the most common cause of Chronic Telogen
Effluvium ( CTE) in premenopausal women ('During one period, a woman will
lose around 10-15 mg of iron, while throughout a pregnancy around 600-1000mg
will be lost) . 72% of women in the premenopausal group were found to have iron
deficiency as the cause of Chronic Telogen Effluvium (CTE).
In postmenopausal women; medications are the most common cause of
telogen effluvium.
The
loss of this ferritin from the follicle cells can affect the ability of the
hair to grow. This leads to the development of vellus (non pigmented fine
hairs), which can be an early indication of deficiency. The presence of vellus
hairs is easily mistaken for miniaturized hair seen in androgenic alopecia. We
should note here that Iron deficiency hair loss could therefore mimic the
pattern of androgenic alopecia hair loss.
When low ferritin
levels and female hair loss coexist, the patient is most likely diagnosed with
Chronic Telogen Effluvium, or CTE. This hair loss condition usually occurs in
women of childbearing age (18-50 years old), and results in evenly-distributed
hair loss. Women with low serum ferritin hair loss usually notice one of two
things:
Increased loss of hair during shampooing or brushing.
Less density of hair, as in a thinner feeling ponytail,
or less hair to clip back.
If iron levels
are insufficient to maintain blood health, the body "robs" iron from
other cells. Since hair is not as essential to the body as is blood, the body
often sacrifices the less important function of hair growth for the essential
function of blood maintenance.
It is
important to note that hemoglobin is the standard measure for iron in the
blood, and while hemoglobin levels can diagnose anemia, they do not always
correspond with low serum ferritin hair loss. A woman can have plenty of
hemoglobin, yet still suffer from low serum ferritin levels
Rushton suggests that serum
ferritin concentrations of 40 ng/mL or greater are required for maintaining
good hair while 70ng/ml is required for regrowth
Iron metabolism
Total body iron averages
approximately 3.8 g in men and 2.3 g in women.
Typically about 65% of the iron
is in hemoglobin (in red blood cells) and about 4% in myoglobin (in skeletal
muscle). About 30% of the iron in the body is stored (as ferritin or
hemosiderin) in liver, bone marrow, and the spleen other tissues cells. A small
percentage of the body's iron is in transport between various compartments of
the body (in association with transferrin) or is a component of enzymes in
cells throughout the body.
Ferritin is a protein complex
that contains about 23% iron. It's formed in the intestine when iron unites
with a special protein called apoferritin. It is then stored in the body's
tissues, especially the liver, spleen, and bone marrow.
Iron
Deficiency and Ferritin:
Iron is stored mainly in the
liver, within the iron storage proteins ferritin and hemosiderin. Iron
stimulates the liver to make ferritin, and serum ferritin provides a reliable
estimate of body iron stores. Ferritin is a
protein found inside cells that stores iron so your body can use it later. Some
Ferritin is released in the blood when the cell uses the iron. The amount of
ferritin in your blood (serum ferritin level) is directly related to the amount
of iron stored in your body.
The fall of iron stores normally
passes through several stages: lowered iron stores, iron depletion and iron
deficiency anemia.
1) Lowered iron stores: This is indicated when the iron stores are
reduced but not exhausted. No clinical effects are detected.
2) Iron depletion: Shows up in laboratory
tests. Hemoglobin concentration may be well below ‘normal’ for that
individual’s reference range. This can be detected by Ferittin Test.
3) Iron deficiency anemia: No iron
is left remaining in the bone marrow. Hemoglobin production falls to the point
where concentration is well below the reference range.
It
is important to note, therefore, that iron deficiency (low iron stores, i.e.
low ferritin) can occur even if the patient is not clinically anemic and has
normal haemoglobin levels
The deleterious effects of iron deficiency
are partly due to impaired delivery of oxygen to the tissues and to a
deficiency of iron-containing compounds. Clinical features include restlessness
and irritability lower IQ scores in adolescent girls fatigue in nonanaemic women,
and abnormalities in response to infection and impaired T-cell proliferation.
It is believed that as people
have reduced or do not have red meatintake
There may be a number of reasons why the
amount of iron absorbed is not sufficient. Firstly, only about 10% of ingested
iron is absorbed into the blood each day, and this is dependent on the type of
food in the diet. Certain foods may
inhibit the absorption of iron, such as tanins
found in tea and coffee, also bran
and egg albumin.
One can lose iron by: intestinal
bleeding, excessive menstrual bleeding, poor digestion, long-term illness,
ulcers, and heavy use of anti-acids. [Irritable bowel syndrome too]
Controlling
iron deficiency
You can maximize your iron absorption by
eating a combination of iron-rich foods such as red meat, green, leafy
vegetables, shellfish, egg yolk, nuts and cereals with food or drinks that are
high in vitamin C for example, a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. Avoid tea until at least an hour after
eating as it contains tannin, which interferes with iron absorption.
One method of controlling iron deficiency in the body is to stimulate the liver
to synthesize ferritin, the protein that stores iron in order to maintain the
correct balance. Hair follicles are known to contain ferritin, and when the
circulating stores of ferritin decline then these stores are called upon to
ensure support for more essential cells, such as bone marrow.
Treatment:
1.Eat a balanced diet that includes plenty of iron. Sources include red meat,
spinach, broccoli, prune juice, kidney beans and chickpeas.
2.Add Vitamin
C-rich foods
to your diet to help boost absorption of iron: Vitamin C sources are citrus
fruits and juices, berries, green peppers, tomatoes, broccoli and spinach.
3.Iron supplementation. The use of an
iron supplement may help low ferritin hair loss by adding more iron to your
system. The rationale for iron supplementation is that once the serum level is
raised to the necessary threshold point, hair growth will resume. However, one of
the biggest drawbacks to this type of treatment is that it takes a long time,
because ferritin levels must be increased gradually. Allow 2-3 months for hair
to stop shedding, and 6 - 12 months for new hairs to become long
enough to make a visible impact.Woman
usually needs between 18 and 30 mg daily Excess iron can accumulate in the body. This increases the risk of
heart disease, cancer, and some other conditions that are worse than hair loss.
Many people find that eating red meat is a better option than pills when serum
ferritin levels are low. The iron in red meat is absorbed well.
"If you need to take iron
supplements, do not take them at the same time as vitamin E, Antacids, tea or coffee. And choose
an organic form of iron such as ferrous gluconate or ferrous fulmerate.
Inorganic forms of iron, such as ferrous sulfate, can oxidize vitamin E. Only about 10% of ingested
iron is absorbed into the blood each day, and this is dependent on the type of
food in the diet. Take after food to reduce GI side effects. Continue treatment for 3 months after the hemoglobin reruns to normal so as to ensure replenish the storage.
The
Pattern loss is genetic hair loss where the hairs at the top central
and horse shoe shaped are is where the hairs gradually miniaturize and
die because these hairs are Genetically Hormone (5DHT) sensitive. This
is the reason this hair loss is also called Andro Gentic Alopecia (AGA).The hairs at the back and side of the head are permanent and are resistant to this effect of 5 DHT hormone.
When
the head is developed from embryo the frontal and parietal bone area of
the head has migrated Neural crest tissue but the occipital and
temporal bone area ( back and side of the head ) does not have this
tissue of origin. It is believed that certain genes responsible for AGA
affect only these hairs which are having Neural crest origin and the
area at the back and sides escape the effect of these genes. As a result even if this hairs transplanted in the front they keep growing because they remain unaffected by 5 DHT.
The analogy is it is not the problem of the land but the seeds are bad in the front and when the good seeds from the back of the head are planted in the front they grow normally because the land is fertile.
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