Hair Transplants

British researchers have found that it is possible to transplant hair from one person to another without using anti-rejection drugs, a discovery that could eventually make hair transplants routine. But the finding involves only one patient and only a few hairs, so much more work needs to be done. Biologist Colin A.B.

Hair-transplant surgery could become cheaper and more accessible with a new robot that plucks hair follicles from the back and sides of the head so they can be moved to the top and front of a balding pate. It normally takes eight to nine hours to individually harvest, by hand, the 1,000 follicle clusters needed to build a full mane of hair, according to Dr. James Harris, director of the Hair Sciences Center of Colorado in Denver. Since the surgery is tricky and time-consuming, fewer than 10% of hair-restoration surgeons do it. Most simply remove a whole strip of scalp and separate out the follicles under a microscope.

Why do so many men go bald? What exactly changes on their heads? Hot off the lab bench: Men go bald because the follicles from which their hairs sprout run out of special progenitor cells with which to make the hair. Normally, inside hair follicles a region called “the bulge” contains a packet of adult stem cells from which the hair is replenished. Scientists have theorized that these stem cells might simply run out in those prone to male-pattern baldness.   To test this, a team of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania (and, it seems, a few other places)

Why do so many men go bald? What exactly changes on their heads? Hot off the lab bench: Men go bald because the follicles from which their hairs sprout run out of special progenitor cells with which to make the hair. Normally, inside hair follicles a region called “the bulge” contains a packet of adult stem cells from which the hair is replenished. Scientists have theorized that these stem cells might simply run out in those prone to male-pattern baldness.   To test this, a team of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania (and, it seems, a few other places)

In better economic times, some in search of youth and beauty thought nothing of plunking down thousands of dollars for a cosmetic procedure. These days, tummy tucks are on sale. What's more, recent figures from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery say the number of cosmetic procedures in the U.S. -- such as eyelid lifts and liposuction -- fell 17% from 2008 to 2009. "It's the economy. People don't have the disposable income," said Dr. Darryl Blinski, a Miami plastic surgeon.

Re "A political fashion do or don't?" Oct. 23 Because Sarah Palin has made being "pro-America" one of the cornerstones of her campaign speeches, why is she wearing expensive clothing made by Italian designers Valentino and Gianfranco Ferre? At a time when many Americans have lost their jobs, it would have been more appropriate and pro-American for the vice presidential nominee to wear clothes manufactured in the U.S. Palin should practice what she preaches. Phyllis Landis Ocean Hills -- John McCain has an economic stimulus plan: Send Palin shopping.

To avoid bad hair days with your transplants or hairpiece, care should be taken in choosing your doctor or wig maker. For transplants, experts recommend board-certified doctors of dermatology, general surgery or plastic surgery who specialize in hair restoration. Ask for before-and-after photos and phone numbers of patients. Make sure the doctor--and not an assistant--actually does the surgery.

At last, Calendar has addressed one of the true burning social issues of our day. I am referring to the letter from Bill Turner expressing his justifiable complaint of the Industry's treatment of male pattern baldness (Calendar Letters, March 6). Everytime I read an article about a woman or minority decrying the short shrift they get in this town I want to scream out, "You want prejudice!? Humiliation!? Vilification!? Just try breaking into Hollywood with a bald head!" Consider this.

Sean Faro took a hair-raising ride the other night. He traveled 20 miles from Sherman Oaks to Pasadena to join two dozen other nervous men at a hotel meeting room to talk about going bald. The funny thing is, Faro has a full head of hair. And he was not the only one at the hair restoration seminar who looked that way. A curly topped man sitting at Faro's right definitely seemed out of place. So did a man in the back row whose blond locks cascaded over his shoulders.

"Nip/Tuck," season premiere, Oct. 30, FX, 10 p.m. The premise: Dr. Christian Troy (Julian McMahon) and Dr. Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) have moved their cosmetic plastic surgery practice from Miami to Beverly Hills. They are having trouble competing with established surgeons who operate on local celebrities, so they hire a publicist who gets them a job with a TV drama about plastic surgeons.

In better economic times, some in search of youth and beauty thought nothing of plunking down thousands of dollars for a cosmetic procedure. These days, tummy tucks are on sale. What's more, recent figures from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery say the number of cosmetic procedures in the U.S. -- such as eyelid lifts and liposuction -- fell 17% from 2008 to 2009. "It's the economy. People don't have the disposable income," said Dr. Darryl Blinski, a Miami plastic surgeon.

The recession has caused patient volume at cosmetic-surgery facilities to fall by a third, according to the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery. With money so tight, it's hard for many people to contemplate spending thousands of dollars on face-lifts or boob jobs. But when I attended an open house at the New Hair Institute in Century City last weekend, I found a waiting room full of guys who were willing to spend as much as $20,000 apiece to restore what nature was taking away.

Re "A political fashion do or don't?" Oct. 23 Because Sarah Palin has made being "pro-America" one of the cornerstones of her campaign speeches, why is she wearing expensive clothing made by Italian designers Valentino and Gianfranco Ferre? At a time when many Americans have lost their jobs, it would have been more appropriate and pro-American for the vice presidential nominee to wear clothes manufactured in the U.S. Palin should practice what she preaches. Phyllis Landis Ocean Hills -- John McCain has an economic stimulus plan: Send Palin shopping.

"Nip/Tuck," season premiere, Oct. 30, FX, 10 p.m. The premise: Dr. Christian Troy (Julian McMahon) and Dr. Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) have moved their cosmetic plastic surgery practice from Miami to Beverly Hills. They are having trouble competing with established surgeons who operate on local celebrities, so they hire a publicist who gets them a job with a TV drama about plastic surgeons.

Look around a crowd, and you'll see that lots of middle-age men are losing their hair. What is science doing about this? Quite a bit, it turns out. A British company, for example, says five guys are walking around with hundreds more hairs than they had before, thanks to an early test of what's been called hair cloning. A U.S. outfit hopes to start testing a similar approach next year. Other scientists are tracking down genes that make some men susceptible to hair loss to understand the process.

British researchers have found that it is possible to transplant hair from one person to another without using anti-rejection drugs, a discovery that could eventually make hair transplants routine. But the finding involves only one patient and only a few hairs, so much more work needs to be done. Biologist Colin A.B.

Look around a crowd, and you'll see that lots of middle-age men are losing their hair. What is science doing about this? Quite a bit, it turns out. A British company, for example, says five guys are walking around with hundreds more hairs than they had before, thanks to an early test of what's been called hair cloning. A U.S. outfit hopes to start testing a similar approach next year. Other scientists are tracking down genes that make some men susceptible to hair loss to understand the process.

One evening in 1973, when she was a 20-year-old college student still living with her parents, Pamela Small entered a discount import store in suburban Annandale, Va., to buy some furnishings for her first apartment. It was just before closing time. The manager, a freckle-faced 19-year-old she had never seen before, was the only person in the store. Small took $31 worth of purchases to the cash register, but discovered a flaw in the window blinds she had selected. The manager said he had more in the storeroom and suggested she come and pick out the ones she wanted.

To avoid bad hair days with your transplants or hairpiece, care should be taken in choosing your doctor or wig maker. For transplants, experts recommend board-certified doctors of dermatology, general surgery or plastic surgery who specialize in hair restoration. Ask for before-and-after photos and phone numbers of patients. Make sure the doctor--and not an assistant--actually does the surgery.

Sean Faro took a hair-raising ride the other night. He traveled 20 miles from Sherman Oaks to Pasadena to join two dozen other nervous men at a hotel meeting room to talk about going bald. The funny thing is, Faro has a full head of hair. And he was not the only one at the hair restoration seminar who looked that way. A curly topped man sitting at Faro's right definitely seemed out of place. So did a man in the back row whose blond locks cascaded over his shoulders.