The art of repair in surgical hair restoration part I: basic repair strategies.

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Dermatol Surg 2002 Sep;28(9):783-94

The art of repair in surgical hair restoration part I: basic repair strategies.

BACKGROUND: An increasingly important part of many hair restoration practices is the correction of hair transplants that were performed using older, outdated methods, or the correction of hair transplants that have left disfiguring results. The skill and judgment involved in these repair procedures often exceed those needed to operate on patients who have had no prior surgery. The use of small grafts alone does not protect the patient from poor work. Errors in surgical and aesthetic judgment, performing procedures on noncandidate patients, and the failure to communicate successfully with patients about realistic expectations remain major problems. OBJECTIVE: This two-part series presents new insights into repair strategies and expands upon several techniques previously described in the hair restoration literature. The focus is on creative aesthetic solutions to solve the supply/demand limitations inherent in most repairs. This article is written to serve as a guide for surgeons who perform repairs in their daily practices. METHODS: The repairs are performed by excision with reimplantation and/or by camouflage. Follicular unit transplantation is used for the restorative aspects of the procedure. RESULTS: Using punch or linear excision techniques allows the surgeon to relocate poorly planted grafts to areas that are more appropriate. In special situations, removal of grafts without reimplantation can be accomplished using lasers or electrolysis. The key elements of camouflage include creating a deep zone of follicular units, angling grafts in their natural direction, and using forward and side weighting of grafts to increase the appearance of fullness. The available donor supply is limited by hair density, scalp laxity, and scar placement. CONCLUSION: Presented with significant cosmetic problems and severely limited donor reserves, the surgeon performing restorative hair transplantation work faces distinct challenges. Meticulous surgical techniques and optimal utilization of a limited hair supply will enable the surgeon to achieve the best possible cosmetic results for patients requiring repairs.

Dermatol Surg 2002 Aug;28(8):720-8

Follicular unit extraction: minimally invasive surgery for hair transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) is performed using large numbers of naturally occuring individual follicular units obtained by single-strip harvesting and stereo-microscopic dissection. Donor wound scarring from strip excision, although an infrequent complication, still concerns enough patients that an alternative solution is warranted. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper is to introduce Follicular Unit Extraction (The FOX Procedure), in which individual follicular units are removed directly from the donor region through very small punch excisions, and to describe a test (The FOX Test) that determines which patients are candidates for this procedure. This paper explores the nuances, limitations, and practical aspects of Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). METHODS: FUE was performed using 1-mm punches to separate follicular units from the surrounding tissue down to the level of the mid dermis. This was followed by extraction of the follicular units with forceps. The FOX test was developed to determine which patients would be good candidates for the procedure. The test was performed on 200 patients. Representative patients who were FOX-positive and FOX-negative were studied histologically. RESULTS: The FOX Test can determine which patients are suitable candidates for FUE. Approximately 25% of the patients biopsied were ideal candidates for FUE and 35% of the patients biopsied were good candidates for extraction. CONCLUSION: FUE is a minimally invasive approach to hair transplantation that obviates the need for a linear donor incision. This technique can serve as an important alternative to traditional hair transplantation in certain patients.

Med Hypotheses 2002 Apr;58(4):261-3

Hormone-induced aberrations in electromagnetic adhesion signaling as a developmental factor of androgenetic alopecia.

In androgenetic alopecia, overactivation of the androgen hormone cascade in genetically predisposed persons leads to miniaturization of the dermal papilla of the hair follicle and to reduction in the number of papilla cells in the scalp, but the mechanisms explaining this miniaturization have remained unclear. According to our hypothesis, the increase of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) production in the overactive androgen state inhibits cell mitosis in the dermal papilla and contributes to the induction of programmed cell death (apoptosis). Normally, DNA molecules have a negative charge, which doubles in every cell mitosis. In the catagen and telogen phases, the sulphur-rich hair moves upwards, dehydrates and develops an increasing positive charge. In a normal hair-growth cycle, the epithelial column shortens and the secondary germ is formed and it invaginates the dermal papilla by electromagnetic attraction. In the mitotic inhibition state induced by DHT, the negative charge decreases, leading to a weakening of the electromagnetic adhesion forces and weaker electrical attraction between the undifferentiated germ cells and the dermal papilla. Insulin resistance has an additional pathogenic role in the excessive miniaturization of the hair follicle. The vasoactive substances associated with endothelial dysfunction in insulin resistance induce microcirculatory disturbance, perifollicular vasoconstriction and stimulation of smooth muscle cell proliferation in the vascular wall. This leads to microvascular insufficiency and local tissue hypoxia and progressive miniaturization of hair follicles.

J Cardiovasc Risk. 2003 Jun;10(3):227-31.

Hair loss, insulin resistance, and heredity in middle-aged women. A population-based study.

CONTEXTThe association of androgenic alopecia (AGA) with insulin resistance, coronary artery disease and hypercholesterolemia has been previously reported in men, but no such association has been reported in women with female androgenic alopecia (AGA). Female AGA has usually been linked with hyper-androgenism and hirsutism and, most recently, also with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), even though epidemiological documentation of the latter association is scanty. Polycystic ovarian syndrome is quite common among Caucasian women, and its association with insulin resistance is well documented.OBJECTIVES AND DESIGNThe aim of this study was to obtain a more precise estimation of the prevalence on female AGA and to describe its possible connections with insulin resistance linked parameters and with paternal and maternal family history of alopecia. A cross-sectional population based cohort survey was carried out in the City of Oulu, Finland in 1998.SETTING AND PARTICIPANTSAs a part of a population based cohort study the hair status of 324 women aged 63 years was assessed by a modification of Ludwig's scale. The background data consisting of anthropometric measures (weight, height, body mass index, waist, hip and neck circumferences), smoking status, chronic diseases and their medication as well as the family history of AGA were collected by questionnaires and interviews made by study nurses and in clinical examination. Blood samples for laboratory tests were taken on the same occasion.RESULTSThe prevalence of extensive loss of hair (at least grade II or III on Ludwig's scale) was quite high (31.2%). The insulin resistance associated parameters, such as waist and neck circumferences, abdominal obesity measured by waist-to-hip ratio, mean insulin concentration (11.3 mU/l versus 9.95 mU/l, p=0.02) or urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (1.80 versus 1.58, p=0.01), were significantly higher in women with extensive hair loss compared to those with normal hair or only minimal hair loss (grade I on Ludwig's scale). The women belonging to the highest quintiles of neck or waist circumferences had significantly increased risk for extensive hair loss compared to those with normal hair or minimal hair loss, the unadjusted ORs being 2.25 (95% CI, 1.26-4.03) and 1.75 (95% CI, 1.00-3.07), respectively. Similarly in women with hyperinsulinemia (fs-insulin >10 mU/l), microalbuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio exceeding the highest microalbuminuria decile (>2.5 mg/mmol) and paternal history of AGA the ORs for alopecia were increased being 1.65 (95% CI, 1.02-2.67), 2.39 (95% CI, 1.21-4.73) and 2.08 (95% CI, 1.26-3.44). All of these ORs, except those for highest quintiles of waist and neck circumferences remained significant in multiple adjusted models.CONCLUSIONSAccording to the results of this study, female AGA (grade II or III on Ludwig's scale) was quite common among Finnish women aged 63 years. Our results support the hypothesis that women with some markers of insulin resistance have significantly increased risk for female AGA. Paternal history of alopecia seemed to be more common in female AGA compared to women with normal or minimal loss of hair.

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