Alternative Treatments of HT

Medical and non-medical treatment methods have come forward in the direction of the demands and expectations of people with baldness. The most common of these are hair prosthesis, hair simulation and synthetic hair transplantation. Furthermore, studies on hair cloning are still underway even if it is not yet applied.

What is a hair prosthesis?

Hair prosthesis is made with synthetic materials. It can be dyed and shortened with different options according to the hair structure and density of the person. It is applied to the scalp using a special adhesive. Since the hair prosthesis is synthetic and artificial, it is possible to find and use it for entire hairless area with the desired density and quality. Since hair prosthesis is not a medical and permanent solution, no medical procedure is performed and you do not feel any pain. You can remove the hair prosthesis at any time and stop using it.
  • To apply the hair prosthesis, the area to be implemented must be completely shaved. And as long as you use the prosthesis, you should constantly keep the hairy area shaved.
  • Since the hair prosthesis covers the hair in the area you apply and is adhered to the scalp with chemical adhesives, it can damage the hair under the prosthesis, if any.
  • As the hair in the hair prosthesis does not grow like your normal hair, there will be impairment in the image as your hair grows.
  • People who have hair prosthesis should periodically go to the place where they have prosthesis, are removed them and have their care and haircut done.
  • Hair prosthesis have a service life and need to be replaced at regular intervals.

What is hair pigmentation, what are the advantages and disadvantages?

Hair pigmentation or hair simulation is similar to tattoo and permanent make-up applications. It is applied by injecting dyestuff under the skin with similar devices and making appropriate dots of the hair color of the person. In this process, which takes approximately 8 hours, hair follicle simulation is created with 10,000 or more dots according to need. Hair pigmentation is not a medical implementation. It can be applied to the scalp and can create a denser appearance on the sparse hair without damaging the existing hair. Can be used to reduce the visibility of the scars in the scalp area. 
  • It is suitable only for the patients who want to have the existing hair appear more often but who do not want to have hair transplantation and for those who are constantly shaving.
  • Since it is made by placing dyes under the skin, this dye has a lifetime and needs to be regenerate.
  • As it has a constant color, it will lose color harmony with the greying of your hair over time.
  • There may be changes in the color of the dye due to the insufficient quality of the dye used or the reaction of the skin of the person applied.

What is synthetic hair transplantation, what are the advantages and disadvantages?

Synthetic hair transplantation is a medical implementation which is similar to hair transplantation with artificial hair strands used in prosthesis. In the case of synthetic hair transplantation, the synthetic hair which is similar to the person's hair structure, is provided according to the need. It is attached to the scalp after it is replaced under the skin with special knots formed under the synthetic hair strands. It can be implemented to the patients whose donor area is unsuitable. Since it is not done by using one's own follicles, implantation can be done at the desired density.
  • Since the hair strands are synthetic, they cannot keep up with the natural processes such as hair growing and greying, so they turn into wigs in the long term.
  • Since this practice carries an allergy risk, it should be implanted with intervals at least 1 month to see whether the patient will react beforehand.
  • Since a synthetic hair is replaced under the tissue, it can lead to infection, cyst formation and inflammation.
  • It was first banned in 1983 by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This prohibition was nearly followed by 20 countries.
  • Because of the fact that the transplanted hairs are synthetic, they cannot be fully integrated with the tissue and infection can often be seen at the junction points of the skin and synthetic hair.
  • Since the knots of the hair strands do not have a 100% adhesion to the skin, due to the effects of environmental factors will cause loss and the hair will lose its density over time.
  • Life time varies from person to person, but is between 8-10 years.
  • Since hot air and hair styling products are chemical, it is very difficult to do the maintenance of the artificial hair.
  • The hair follicles that are unacceptable by body can cause permanent damage to the skin.
  • After synthetic hair transplantation, it is not possible to transplant hair to the people who have infection problems.
  • Since synthetic hair has a lifetime and will be shed over time, hair transplantation should be done again after a certain period of time.

What is hair clonation?

The cloning process of hair grafts is the process by which certain cells found in the follicles taken from the patient are separated and replicated in the laboratory to be then transplanted onto the bald areas of the same patient. The hair follicles taken from a patient are reproduced and made to grow with the help of stem cells in the laboratory environment and then used for transplantation. The implantation of cloned follicles is usually performed onto patients who need a high number of grafts, who have or risk having in the future a weak or unsuitable donor area.
  • Laboratory studies and research are underway and hair clonation is still at an experimental stage.
  • It is therefore not possible to make any assumption on its ultimate cost to the patients.
  • Before the cloned graft hair transplantation becomes feasible, further studies and research are needed to also investigate the possible side effects. This will require clinical tests for years to come.
  • Once these sides effects are found and clearly identified, the research will then be focused on finding the solutions and the timing for this all cannot be known at present.
  • Being hair clonation at an experimental stage, it is not possible to say today for which type of hair loss or patients it'll be more suitable.
  • It will take years for these studies to turn into a practice available to the public and even more years to become available also at affordable prices for everyone.
  • At the present moment, seeing the results of this treatment is not suitable for patients who want to see results in the short term as it will take many years in the light of the studies.
  • It is scientifically discussed as well that the cells used in the hair cloning process to regenerate the hair follicles, can mutate other cells of the patients thus increasing the risk of cancer.
  • With this method, as the hair follicles encoded on the basis of DNA grow, the direction and angle of growth will depend entirely on external factors, so the result will be uncertain.