This is an interesting early development for those who are balding and have the cash to do a hair transpant.
If this article is anything to go by, a new US study holds a good option to treat male pattern baldness using leg hair.
The New York Times reported on Feb 21 that the procedure “has the potential to restore the hairlines of millions of men with male pattern baldness, the most common cause of hair loss and often an enormous source of stress”.
It quoted a study on two cases published in The Archives of Dermatology and University of California associate instructor of dermatology Dr Sanusi Umar, who observed the transplanting of leg hair follicles from two patients' legs to their heads.
In each case, the report said that Dr Umar “extracted about 1,000 leg hair follicles and grafted them to the patients' hairlines” and that almost 80% of the transplanted leg hair “grew successfully”.
Student Muhammad Iqbal Ismail, 24, and James Lim, a research assistant, both experiencing early signs of male pattern baldness, said they were open to the procedure.
“If I can afford it, I might go for it,” both enthused.
The price tag for the procedure may, however, be daunting.
According to the Malaysian Society for Hair Sciences president Dr Steven Chow, follicular hair transplants costs about RM20,000 to RM30,000 per session.
For most men, only one session is required to see results while others may need two or three sessions.
“There are qualified surgeons who can perform this in Malaysia but no centre is doing it on a full-time basis,” said Dr Chow.
Furthermore, Dr Chow said the procedure might not work well with local men because it is only suitable for those who have “massive, thick hair growth on their legs” (with enough hair follicles to harvest).
Dr Chow said common first-line treatments available are oral medications and lotions.
He also stressed that transplants must be done by trained doctors.
So, there you have it, hope for the hopelessly hairless.
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