Follicular cell implantation: an update on "hair follicle cloning".

Follicular cell implantation has the potential to overcome many of the limitations of current surgical hair restoration, especially the finite supply of donor hair. Years of animal research have demonstrated the soundness of the basic concept, but reports in humans have shown inconsistency and problems with reproducibility. Some of these problems include (1) identifying the ideal cell type or types of the follicle to isolate and culture, (2) determining how to keep the cells inductive throughout the culturing process, and(3) overcoming economic and regulatory hurdles to bringing a safe and effective treatment to the market-place. The prospect of having an unlimited supply of donor hair available to treat hair loss will continue to spur tissue engineering-based research to overcome these hurdles.