Hair Transplant From Another Person: Is it possible?

For a hair transplant, usually, hair is taken out from the donor area of the scalp. Unfortunately, those who don’t have enough hair in the donor area, people with severe baldness, have only two options left. 

Either they have to use body hair for hair transplants. Or, they can go for a synthetic hair transplant.

You may ask: Can you use hair from another person for a hair transplant? Is a hair transplant from another person possible? Keep reading to find the answer.

Why hair transplant using another person’s hair is not possible?

A hair transplant from another person is not possible. You cannot use another person’s hair for a hair transplant.

Reason?

Our body has an immune system, which attacks bacteria or foreign bodies, preventing them from harming the body. It is a protective mechanism that keeps us safe from disease. 

The immune system can recognize the body’s tissue and foreign tissue. It does not cause any harm to its own body. It can easily recognizes and fight foreign tissue or bacterias and eliminate them from the body.

Hair from another person is a foreign tissue to our body. So, the Immune system gets activated when a hair transplant is done using the hair of another person. It immediately invades it and kills foreign hair leading to a hair transplant failure.

That’s why a hair transplant from another person is not possible.

What about family members? Can they donate hair for your hair transplant? Is it possible to have a hair transplant using the hair of your father and mother?

Answer: you cannot use the hair of your family members, not even your father and mother, for a hair transplant.

Hair transplant between identical twins

Hair transplant is possible only between identical twins. They have the same DNA structure and genetic markers, as they are developed from a single embryo, which later divides to become two different bodies.

Hair transplant in monozygotic twins has been done to repair marked congenital non-progressive alopecia. And, it was successful.

A hair transplant from another is not practical

Hair transplant using another person’s hair is possible. But it is not practical. 

You see, it is possible to transplant organs from one person to another. Since hair is also part of an organ, skin, this means that it is possible to transplant hair from one person to another.

But, like other organ transplants, to prevent the immune system from rejecting the organ, you have to use immunosuppressant drugs, which have many side effects. 

Organ transplant is done only to save a life. There is no point in taking immunosuppressant drugs and struggling with their side effect by doing a hair transplant from another person. After all, your life matter most than your hair.

What to do if you don’t have enough hair in your donor area?

One of the solutions for not having enough donor’s hair is a stem cell hair transplant. It is a very new and innovative technique that is not yet being practiced.

n this technique, a few hair samples are taken from the scalp, and then many hair follicles are grown from it in the laboratory. These lab-grown hair follicles are then transplanted back into the scalp.

Another solution is to use body hair. But body hair and scalp hair have different textures and cycles. They don’t look natural on the scalp.

Next, you can use a toupee, which covers only the area with hair loss or wear a wig to cover the whole scalp.

There is also the possibility of doing a synthetic hair transplant using biofiber. It does not grow like natural hair. Also, sometimes, it shows severe reactions to the tissue of the scalp. 

Can you donate hair for transplant?

No, you cannot donate hair for a hair transplant. Neither, you can use the hair of another person for a hair transplant on your scalp. 

Is Hair from a Dead Person Can Be Transplanted?

The short answer is no; hair from a dead person cannot be used for a hair transplant.

There are a couple of reasons why this isn’t possible, which we’ll discuss in the next section.

Why Hair Transplant Using Hair from a Dead Person is Not Possible?

There are two primary reasons why using hair from a deceased individual for a hair transplant is not possible:

• After a person’s death, soft tissues and hair follicles also die. While it may appear as if the hair continues to grow after death due to the shrinkage of body tissue, this is not the case. The hair is not actually growing, and using dead hair follicles for a hair transplant would be ineffective.

• Hair transplants using hair from another person, even if they are alive, are not successful. The recipient’s immune system would attack the newly transplanted hair, leading to rejection of the foreign hair follicles.

The bottom line

Is a hair transplant from another person possible?

Due to immune system activation, a hair transplant using the hair of another person is not possible. If it is done, then an immunosuppression drug should be used, which has many side effects. So it is not practical as a hair transplant is not a life-saving procedure like another vital organ transplant.