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Background: Transplanted hair follicles suffer from various injuries, which are difficult to prevent. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) was reported to be an excellent procedure to promote capillary regeneration and reduce ischemia‐reperfusion injury. Aim: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of HBOT as an adjuvant therapy for hair transplantation surgery. Methods: Thirty‐four patients with II‐IV alopecia were divided into the control group and HBOT group randomly. The control group was treated with routine FUE procedure, while HBOT group combined with HBOT. Patients were treated with 100% oxygen under 2.0 atmospheres absolute pressure for 60 minutes through a facemask during HBOT and take the therapy daily for 7 days continuously after operation. Satisfaction and clinical improvement were evaluated at the fourth week and the sixth month postoperatively. Results: Itching and folliculitis were significantly decreased in HBOT group (11.8% vs 35.3%). In addition, HBOT resulted in a lower postoperative shedding rate (27.6 ± 2.6% vs 69.1 ± 2.4%); nevertheless, the survival rate at 9 months showed no significant difference between HBOT (96.9 ± 0.5%) and control (93.8 ± 0.6%). The early postoperative satisfaction in control group was much lower than HBOT group (52.9% vs 88.2%), whereas all patients showed satisfaction with the final result. Conclusion: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is able to minimize the postsurgical follicle shedding and lead to less folliculitis and itching, which provides evidence for HBOT to act as an adjuvant therapy for hair transplantation surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hair transplantation is the gold standard method for the treatment of alopecia. Recently, demand for the surgery has increased rapidly. However, high demands also require more professional training for the surgeons. With the maturing of hairline design skills, parietal whorl design has become the next challenge and no appropriate training models have yet been reported. Aims: To present an innovative, simple, and appropriate training model for designing the scalp parietal whorl. Methods: Outward divergent arc curves were drawn from the navel of an orange. Recipient sites were created with 23G needles or 1.0‐mm knives or 1.0‐mm blades according to the outward divergent arc curves, then hair shafts were transplanted using forceps. Results: Different densities of hair shafts were transplanted. Transplantation of 10‐20 follicular units (FU)/cm2 was too sparse, 30 FU/cm2 achieved a good appearance, but 40‐50 FU/cm2 was better. Through practicing on the model, excellent results of parietal whorl transplantation on patients can be achieved. Conclusions: This new model can perfectly suit the lines and direction of the parietal whorl and also present different density transplantation practicing. We provide a training method for new surgeons as well as a rehearsal opportunity for previously trained doctors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Androgenic alopecia (AGA) is characterized by progressive hair follicle miniaturization. Novel treatments are needed to intervene in the miniaturization process. The authors aimed to evaluate the efficacy, safety, effectiveness, and effective population of autologous hair follicle mesenchymal stem cell therapy for the treatment of advanced AGA in Chinese individuals., Methods: Fifty patients ranging in age from 25 to 45 years (average, 32 ± 1.24 years) were included. None of them had ever used minoxidil, finasteride, or other drugs to promote hair growth. Healthy hair follicles were extracted from the occipital area and treated to obtain hair follicle mesenchymal stem cell suspensions. The recipient sites were divided into 2 groups. Nine points were injected in a 1-cm 2 area, and 100 µL of solution containing either 1 × 10 5 cells or normal saline was injected at each point. The follow-up duration was 9 months. Observers were blinded to patient groupings and measurements., Results: An increased proportion of terminal hair and hair shaft diameter was observed in the experimental group at 1 month. The effect lasted for 3 months. The hair-thickening effect of advanced miniaturized hair follicles with hair shaft diameter less than 60 µm was more notable than that for above 60 µm. No patient experienced any obvious side effects., Conclusions: Hair follicle mesenchymal stem cells were effective in the treatment of advanced AGA in Chinese individuals. A hair shaft diameter of 60 µm can be used as a key index to predict the effectiveness of the therapy., Clinical Question/level of Evidence: Therapeutic, II., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.)

Wound healing is a dynamic process involving the timely transition of organized phases. However, infected wounds often experience prolonged inflammation due to microbial overload. Thus, addressing the viable treatment needs across different healing stages is a critical challenge in wound management. Herein, a novel core-shell microneedle (CSMN) patch is designed for the sequential delivery of tannic acid-magnesium (TA-Mg) complexes and extracellular vesicles from Lactobacillus druckerii (LDEVs). Upon application to infected sites, CSMN@TA-Mg/LDEV releases TA-Mg first to counteract pathogenic overload and reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS), aiding the transition to proliferative phase. Subsequently, the sustained release of LDEVs enhances the activities of keratinocytes and fibroblasts, promotes vascularization, and modulates the collagen deposition. Notably, dynamic track of microbial composition demonstrates that CSMN@TA-Mg/LDEV can both inhibit the aggressive pathogen and increase the microbial diversity at wound sites. Functional analysis further highlights the potential of CSMN@TA-Mg/LDEV in facilitating wound healing and skin barrier restoration. Moreover, it is confirmed that CSMN@TA-Mg/LDEV can accelerate wound closure and improve post-recovery skin quality in the murine infected wound. Conclusively, this innovative CSMN patch offers a rapid and high-quality alternative treatment for infected wounds and emphasizes the significance of microbial homeostasis., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)