Is it possible to transplant hair from another person?
By Prof. Dr. Soner Tatlidede 2020-09-02
Is it possible to transplant hair from another person? When we suffer from alopecia problems, it is normal for us to ask ourselves questions like this, in addition to others such as how a hair transplantation is performed, where are hairs to be grafted taken from, what is the cost of a hair transplant in Turkey, or what alternatives do I have before undergoing a transplant.
Today organ transplants are common and serve to solve many serious health problems, even to save lives; however, can you transplant other people's hair using the same technique? What if I don't have enough of my own hair to make a transplant? We will answer these and other questions in this article.
Hair transplant from another person: risky and unnecessary
It must be taken into account that when an organ transplant is carried out, patient's body generates a rejection that forces doctors to prescribe immunosuppressive drugs against rejection; in addition, transplants increases risk of infections and other diseases. Therefore, although transplanting someone else's hair might be technically feasible, in practice, this operation is never performed because involves unnecessary risks and complications.
Even if patient has few donor areas, or even if hair donor is a member of his/her same family, a hair transplant from another person would not be performed. Therefore, hair to be used for such operation must be found on the patient himself: usually in areas of the head less affected by baldness, such as head sides or nape.
These areas are especially suitable for a hair transplant mainly due to two factors: firstly, density of hair in them is higher, and therefore transplanting hundreds or even thousands of follicles from them will not have a severe aesthetic effect; and secondly, hair follicles located in these areas are immune to the DHT hormone, which is responsible for male pattern baldness. In other words: hair transplanted from these donor areas probably will last a lifetime.
What if my donor area is not sufficient for a transplant?
Then another question immediately arises: what if hair in my donor area is not sufficient to perform my hair transplant? This can occur in patients who have very advanced baldness or a very aggressive form of alopecia, in whom several thousands of follicles need to be transplanted, and the number available in parietal or occipital areas of head may not be sufficient.
In these cases, a hair transplant from another person is not used either, but hair donor areas are sought in other areas of patient's own body, being beard hair the most suitable; however, this option is not recommended and it is only used in special cases, since body hair has very different characteristics from that on head and there is a higher risk that hair transplant results may look unnatural.
What are the alternatives?
In other cases, either due to absence of enough own follicles in donor areas of head and body, or due to other circumstances, a patient might not be suitable for a hair transplant. Is there any available solution then? Yes, it is possible to resort to alternative treatments that can help alleviate the aesthetic effects of baldness, such as scalp micropigmentation, in which natural pigments are injected into scalp to simulate a shaved head.
Another possibility is resort to an artificial or synthetic hair transplant; however, this is not a practice that we would recommend at Clinicana since there is a high risk of rejection and the final look that it offers is unnatural. In other cases in which alopecia is not very advanced, it is also possible to apply a Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) treatment, which is injected into patient's scalp in areas with low hair density.
In summary, although you cannot transplant hair from another person, normally this will not be necessary; besides, a good hair specialist will be able to provide you with several alternatives for your problem. At Clinicana we are experts in all kinds of treatments, offering long-lasting and guaranteed solutions for your hair: check it yourself by reading our patients' reviews about their hair transplant in Turkey. Ask us for a free consultation now!
