Allogenic hair transplant in a bone marrow transplant recipient.

BACKGROUND

Autotransplantation of hair normally provides satisfactory correction of baldness. The authors suggest that the allotransplantation of hair can aid patients who have undergone bone marrow transplantation as to correct hematologic disorders. In such patients, autotransplantation of hair may be unsatisfactory because of insufficient donor hair.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether allogeneic hair grafts from bone marrow donors can grow in the bone marrow transplant recipient.

METHODS

The authors performed a standard hair transplant using minigrafts. The patient, who presented a large bald area, had undergone bone marrow transplant due to acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The authors transplanted the patient with hair taken from the same bone marrow donor.

RESULTS

The hair had very good growth and the results, according to the authors, are comparable to those of hair autotransplantation.

CONCLUSION

Chemotherapy and radiation treatments can often lead to widespread, permanent hair loss. Allotransplantation of hair usually proves unsatisfactory, because skin is strongly antigenic. Bone marrow transplant patients can undergo an allotransplant of hair from the same bone marrow donor if their own donor area is inadequate.