Hair follicle transplant

[szabolcs]

Hello all!I have a little different problem than the large majority here.I want to change the color of my hair on the head and on the face.I am a keen hair donor,I have donated hair to people who are fighting cancer,so I know that the human body can accept the hair follicles of another person,with some special drugs.Now,I would like to know if it's possible that another person with a different hair color (and eventually texture) donates his hair follicles to me,and they are transplanted into my head and face,will my body accept them with drugs,AND if the hair that will eventually grow out will be my original hair color or the donor person's hair color.For example:if I have red hair and a blonde persons hair follicles are transplanted into my head,will the hair that grows out be blonde or red?Or eventually a combination between them?I didn't know where to post this,so please forgive me if I posted this in the wrong section,and I ask the moderators to move it in the corresponding section.

Thank you in advance for the answers,have a very good day!

[greatjob]

When you donate hair to someone who has cancer they don't implant it into that persons head they just make a wig out of it. In order to transplant hair you have to extract the entire follicle, not just the hair strand.

 

The short answer to your question is no it cannot be done, you're just going to have to rely on dyeing your hair.

 

Long answer is that in theory it could be done, but will never be done. If you transplant hair from another person onto your head you're going to have to take Immunosuppressive drugs in order to prevent your immune system from attacking the foreign hair. No doctor on earth is going to prescribe you those drugs for anything other than a life threatening condition because they are very dangerous and can kill you by themselves. Any doctor that would prescribe such drugs for cosmetic reasons would lose their license and probably face criminal charges.

 

Also for this to happen all the hair on your head would first have to be surgically removed (we're talking about 100,000 FU's) then all the hair on the donor persons head would have to be removed (leaving this person completely bald with about 100,000 scars all over their head) and then the hair would have to be re-implanted onto your head. Even if you could get a doctor to do this (which you can't) it would probably cost over a million dollars and you would have to find someone willing to go completely bald with a disfigured head just so you could change the color of your hair. Also immunosuppressive drugs cost about $15,000-$30,000 per year. You might not like your hair color, but you need to go see a hair stylist, not a doctor.

Edited December 13, 2013 by greatjob

[szabolcs]

When you donate hair to someone who has cancer they don't implant it into that persons head they just make a wig out of it. In order to transplant hair you have to extract the entire follicle, not just the hair strand.

 

The short answer to your question is no it cannot be done, you're just going to have to rely on dyeing your hair.

 

Long answer is that in theory it could be done, but will never be done. If you transplant hair from another person onto your head you're going to have to take Immunosuppressive drugs in order to prevent your immune system from attacking the foreign hair. No doctor on earth is going to prescribe you those drugs for anything other than a life threatening condition because they are very dangerous and can kill you by themselves. Any doctor that would prescribe such drugs for cosmetic reasons would lose their license and probably face criminal charges.

 

Also for this to happen all the hair on your head would first have to be surgically removed (we're talking about 100,000 FU's) then all the hair on the donor persons head would have to be removed (leaving this person completely bald with about 100,000 scars all over their head) and then the hair would have to be re-implanted onto your head. Even if you could get a doctor to do this (which you can't) it would probably cost over a million dollars and you would have to find someone willing to go completely bald with a disfigured head just so you could change the color of your hair. Also immunosuppressive drugs cost about $15,000-$30,000 per year. You might not like your hair color, but you need to go see a hair stylist, not a doctor.

Well,thanks for the answer!It appears to be a little more complicated than i thought of it!

You seem very knowledgeable in this topic,what's your opinion,in the future there will be a method to permanently change your hair color(besides this,which may seem risky and costly)?

[greatjob]

Well,thanks for the answer!It appears to be a little more complicated than i thought of it!

You seem very knowledgeable in this topic,what's your opinion,in the future there will be a method to permanently change your hair color(besides this,which may seem risky and costly)?

I think it could be possible, however probably not for some time. I'm not aware of any research being done in this area, but I haven't really looked either, in theory it could be possible. The cells responsible for hair color are called melanocytes, they produce two types of melanin, eumelanin and phaeomelanin. The proportions of these two pigments is what determines a persons hair color. I could see a way to up regulate or down regulate one or both of these pigments to achieve the desired hair color being possible. However, like I said I'm not aware of anyone working on this and if they are I wouldn't plan on anything like this being a reality for a long time.

[szabolcs]

I think it could be possible, however probably not for some time. I'm not aware of any research being done in this area, but I haven't really looked either, in theory it could be possible. The cells responsible for hair color are called melanocytes, they produce two types of melanin, eumelanin and phaeomelanin. The proportions of these two pigments is what determines a persons hair color. I could see a way to up regulate or down regulate one or both of these pigments to achieve the desired hair color being possible. However, like I said I'm not aware of anyone working on this and if they are I wouldn't plan on anything like this being a reality for a long time.

Thanks again for the quick and prompt answer.I figure that this procedure would cost a fortune,as this can turn hairstylists into beggars in no time,or at least thin their numbers considerably.I hope a solution will be invented,anyway.If there is a way on these forums,I will rep you,definitely.

[szabolcs]

I think it could be possible, however probably not for some time. I'm not aware of any research being done in this area, but I haven't really looked either, in theory it could be possible. The cells responsible for hair color are called melanocytes, they produce two types of melanin, eumelanin and phaeomelanin. The proportions of these two pigments is what determines a persons hair color. I could see a way to up regulate or down regulate one or both of these pigments to achieve the desired hair color being possible. However, like I said I'm not aware of anyone working on this and if they are I wouldn't plan on anything like this being a reality for a long time.

Thanks again for the quick and prompt answer.I figure that this procedure would cost a fortune,as this can turn hairstylists into beggars in no time,or at least thin their numbers considerably.I hope a solution will be invented,anyway.If there is a way on these forums,I will rep you,definitely.