A: The difference is genetic with the inheritance coming from either side of the family.

Although a person will have the genes his/her whole life, a gene’s expression (also called phenotype) can be quite variable. The factors that cause this variability is still unknown.

“Donor cells can be transferred from one person to another without being rejected. Since repeat hair implantations did not provoke the typical rejection responses, even though the donor was of the opposite sex and had a significantly different genetic profile, this indicates that the dermal sheath cells have a special immune status and that the lower hair follicle is one of the body’s ‘immune privileged’ sites.”

Does this mean that I could get a hair transplant from someone else’s head of hair one day? Any type of hair?

A: Yes, in theory we will be able to use someone else’s donor tissue to clone hair – but the technology to actually do this is still years away.

A: Yes. The presence of miniaturization (decreased hair diameter) in the areas of thinning allows us to distinguish between hair loss due to heredity (i.e. androgenetic alopecia) in which hair progressively decreases in diameter under the influence of DHT and other causes such as stress where there is no miniaturization. The degree of miniaturization can be assessed using a hand-held instrument called a densitometer.

The pattern of hair loss and the family history are also important in the diagnosis.

Stress more commonly produces telogen effluvium, a generalized shedding that is not associated with miniaturization and is often reversible without treatment.

A: The cause is genetic and this poly-genetic trait can be inherited from the mother’s side, the father’s side, or both.

There is an old wives’ tale that it is inherited only from the mother’s parents. Although the inheritance can come from either side, it is actually greater from the mother’s side – but only slightly.

Healthology, the leading producer of broadcast and webcast programming that provides consumers with direct access to top medical experts, produced an important series of videos on hair loss. As Associate Clinical Professor of Dermatology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. Bernstein was a vital part of the interview series.

Hair Transplantation Techniques

The first video that Dr. Bernstein was invited to take part in, focused on the various techniques used in surgical hair restoration. As a pioneer of Follicular Unit Transplantation, the filmmakers were eager to hear Dr. Bernstein’s thoughts on FUT:

“A major breakthrough in hair restoration came via identification that hair didn’t grow individually, but actually in small groups called follicular units. And these follicular units are naturally occurring groups of hair from one to four” Dr. Bernstein explained, “in modern hair transplantation, a procedure we call Follicular Unit Transplantation is used; we transplant the hair the way it actually grows in nature.”

This Healthology segment explored how the Follicular Unit Transplantation technique is also helping patients who want to improve the appearance of old transplants or scars.

“What we can do now is remove the old grafts, sew the holes closed where they’re transplanted, place those grafts under a microscope, divide them into individual follicular units and then place them back in the scalp the same day.” said Dr. Bernstein.

In addition to covering surgical hair restoration, the segment touched on the issue of medications for hair loss. Though some patients think getting a hair transplant means they can stop taking hair loss medications, Dr Bernstein illustrated why most physicians recommend using medicine along with surgery:

“Hair transplantation and medications do essentially different things. The main benefit of a transplant is to restore hair that’s been lost. The main benefit of medication is to prevent further hair loss.”

Using Cloning Techniques in Hair Transplantation

In this second Healthology video segment, on hair cloning, they invited Dr. Bernstein to take part in the discussion along with other distinguished guests; including Angela Christiano, PhD an Associate Professor of Dermatology and Genetics & Development at Columbia University.

This interesting segment explored how researchers are trying to find ways to make more follicles for hair transplant surgeons to work with. Research into cloning techniques shows it may be possible to create a virtually limitless supply of new follicles in the not too distant future. Dr. Bernstein provided some insights as to how hair restoration doctors might approach hair cloning in the future:

“The actual role of cloning in hair transplantation will depend upon how the cloning technology actually evolves. Initially, cloning may be used to supplement a regular hair transplant. We would use Follicular Unit Transplantation to give definition to a hairline and frame the face. Cloning would then be used to give the hair transplant bulk, by placing the cloned hair (which may not look as natural as normal hair) behind the transplanted hair.”