‘Hair Color Repigmentation in the Recipient Area‘: A Newly Recognized Phenomenon after Hair Transplantation

Abstract

Background: Hair color repigmentation in the recipient area is a newly detected phenomena after hair transplantation. It’s detected especially in patients with gray or white hairs in the donor area, in which transferring these follicles to the recipient area stimulate them to regain their original blackish color, this may occur due to various stimulants that release during wound healing of slits after hair transplantation that trigger melanin production within the melanocyte inside the hair roots and promote hair repigmentation in the recipient area. Aim: The aim of this study was to detect the frequency of hair color repigmentation phenomena in the recipient area after hair transplantation. Patients and Methods: In this retrospective observational study, we detect thirty-four patients that develop hair color restoration phenomena in the recipient area after undergoing hair transplantation throughout a 1-year follow-up period. 1438 patients that undergo hair transplant between August 2021 and May 2023 were enrolled in this study among them 34 patients with white or gray hair in the donor area were vulnerable to hair color restoration phenomena, each patient was assessed both objectively and subjectively to evaluate the frequency of occurrence of this phenomenon and the percentage of hair follicles restore their original blackish color that transplanted to the recipient area. Results: Thirty-four patients with white or gray hair in the donor area were enrolled in this study that completed 1-year follow-up period. The evaluation score includes (percentage of patients show hair color restoration in the recipient area after hair transplantation, percentage of hair follicles show change in their original color, degree of color restoration among transplanted follicles in the recipient area) and patient’s satisfaction score showed greater positive results in which the majority of the patients with white or gray hair in the donor area restore their original blackish color of their hair after transplanted to the recipient area. Conclusion: Hair color repigmentation in the recipient area is a newly detected phenomena after hair transplantation surgery. Most patients with white or gray hair in the donor area show regain their original blackish color of their hair follicles in the recipient area after hair transplantation. We think that detecting this phenomenon will give us insight about how we can restore the original color of our white or gray hair by understanding the mechanism of how the melanocytes within the hair root regain their ability of melanin production after hair transplantation.