Should I Get a Hair Transplant Now Or Wait For New Future Alternatives Such as Hair Cloning?

Should I Get a Hair Transplant Now Or Wait For New Future Alternatives Such As Hair Cloning?

Written by Gregory Pistone, MD on October 28, 2008

I am considering hair transplant surgery and I am aware of the high cost of this procedure. I recently saw a documentary that informed viewers that “new and more efficient” methods will be introduced within the next couple of years, these methods will be a more effective alternative to hair transplants, “or so they say.” Italian hair transplant surgeons are already cloning hair follicles. Can you give me any more information on what kind of “new methods” are going to be introduced. Should I wait? I do not want to spend all of my savings on a hair transplant if I can just wait for the more efficient and effective methods to be introduced. I have unsuccessfully researched for countless hours online to find out more information. Anything you can tell me would be helpful.
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Hello and thank you for your question. Without going into detail about the status of research efforts directed toward hair loss worldwide, let me just summarize by saying that while there are many promising techniques currently in their infancy (stem cell research, cloning, gene therapy, new drugs, etc) none of them are likely to translate into concrete clinical applications for quite some time. There are labs in the US, UK, Italy, Japan, Korea, and a few other countries working in this direction. During our recent annual meeting in Montreal, I did not hear anything that would indicate otherwise. Could someone get lucky tomorrow? Sure. Is it probable? I don’t think so. How many years? Who knows? 5 or 10 or 25? No one really has a clue despite what you may hear or read on the web. So what should you do? If you are young and have minimal hair loss, see a hair restoration expert and consider a Minoxidil and Propecia program for a year or more. If you do well on this then you can afford to wait as long as you like. If your hair loss is visibly disturbing to you then besides starting a medical program you might want to consider a state-of-the-art follicular unit hair transplant, as performed by the surgeons accessible here on the www.iahrs.org. On a personal note, I had a similar decision to make over 10 years ago regarding LASIK eye surgery. If I had waited, then I would have been deprived of 10 years of excellent vision without glasses or contacts. I don’t regret it at all. Choose a good hair restoration doctor, get several opinions and then consider your options. Use this site as a resource and send in any additional questions you might have. And remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Gregory Pistone, MD
Member, International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons
Member, American Hair Loss Association

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