What is Hair Cloning?

In many cases of hair loss (alopecia), the hair follicle and dermal papillae have shrunk to the point where new hairs can no longer grow. Dermal papilla cells, however, are quite sturdy, and can survive transplantation into different areas of the scalp. hair. Follicles can produce hair when new, healthy dermal papilla cells are transplanted.

There are four different proposals as to exactly where to introduce these dermal papilla cells.

• The first method injects the dermal papillae cells directly into the second layer of the skin (dermis) of the scalp. This causes the surface skin (epidermis) to change into new hair follicles.

• The second method injects the dermal papillae cells directly into the epidermis of the scalp. Instead of creating new hair follicles, this method would stimulate any older follicles into working again. A major concern with cloning is that the new hair follicles will not follow normal hair growth patterns. This method eliminates this concern because hair will be growing from follicles that were previously intact, meaning the new hair will look natural.

• The third method mixes dermal papillae cells with keratinocytes (cells which produce keratin and cause the hair to mature) in a petri dish. The two cells are cultured and begin to form a hair. The partially-formed hair is transplanted into the designated area of the scalp.

• The final method cultures dermal papillae cells with (or without keratinocytes) as before, but also carefully grows the hair between real or synthetic tissue as a way to control hair direction and growth.

Medical Proof that Cloning will Work

In a breakthrough study called Trans-Gender Induction of Hair Follicles (1999), a researcher named Dr. Colin Jahoda yielded concrete evidence behind the scientific principles of hair cloning. Dr. Colin Jahoda successfully caused hair follicles to grow on laboratory foreskin tissue samples by introducing dermal papillae cells. In doing so, Dr. Jahoda proved that dermal cells can not only cause new hair to grow, but also in areas that were previously genetically unable to do so. This means that patients with no viable donor hair (such as diffuse patterned alopecia), or even no ability to grow hair (such as with Alopecia Universalis), may finally have a way to form fully functioning hair follicles.