154 results about "Hair transplantation" patented technology

A hair transplantation method and apparatus utilizes a stereotactic robot, which includes a robotic arm, having a hair follicle introducer associated with the robotic arm.

Devices and methods for applying tension to an area of skin, in particular for follicular unit removal and implant in a hair transplantation procedure are provided. The devices may include a frame with at least two skin contact members that hold to the skin. Also disclosed are various ways to apply a force displacing the skin contact members apart, thus creating tension in the skin therebetween. The devices and methods may incorporate suction that helps the skin contact members securely hold to the skin. Barbs or microbarbs also may be used to help secure the skin contact members to the skin. The frame may surround the skin area with tensile forces applied outward in multiple directions, or the frame may be a bifurcated pair of fingers that applies tension substantially uni-directionally. Adjusting members and indicators may be provided to control and display the magnitude of tensile force applied to skin. The tensioning devices and methods may be incorporated into a robotic hair transplantation system.

A hair transplantation device can include a generally tubular guide configured to locate a hair follicle bulb by sliding over a hair shaft down to an upper surface of a hair follicle. The guide can have a blunt distal end configured not to transect the hair follicle bulb. The hair transplantation device also includes an outer tubular member sized and configured to be advanced around the guide. The outer tubular member has a dilator and a harvester. The device can be used in a follicle transplantation method in which the guide locates a hair follicle bulb, and the outer tubular member is slid over the guide. Once the outer tubular member is aligned with the guide, the harvesting portion is advanced, cutting dermal tissue surrounding the hair follicle. The outer tubular member is then withdrawn with the hair follicle, relocated in a recipient area, and the hair follicle implanted.

Methods and systems are provided useful in various procedures, including hair harvesting and implantation, and further including computer-implemented and/or robotic hair transplantation. Methodologies are provided which enable a tool, such as a hair harvesting or a hair implantation tool, to proceed at least under a partial computer control in a selected direction of travel along a donor or recipient area of the patient, as well as changing direction of travel based on desired harvesting and/or implantation criteria.

A hair transplant apparatus and a method for placing hair grafts into pre-made wounds capture a hair graft into a hair graft chamber readily aligned for implantation into the human scalp. The hair graft can be placed into the hair graft chamber manually or mechanically (e.g., by vacuum). A hair transplant apparatus includes a housing and a sliding rod within the housing. When the sliding rod is away from an open distal end of the housing in a first position, a hair graft can be placed into the spacing between an end of the rod and the open distal end of the housing. In a second position, the rod is advanced so the end of the rod becomes substantially flush with the distal end of the housing, thereby pushing the hair graft out of the housing and into the pre-made wound. Advantageously, the housing is aligned with the direction of the pre-made wound allowing the hair graft to slide easily into the pre-made wound without damage. Extraneous forces are eliminated by the alignment of the housing to the wound, thus creating a linear path for the hair graft to move without obstruction to finally settle in the scalp wound.

A multiple bladed surgical knife for removing donor strips of hair-laden scalp tissue from a donor for hair graft transplantation to a donor. The knife includes a plurality of blades which are spaced apart by a plurality of spacers. The blades may advantageously shift longitudinally with respect to each other at a surgeon's discretion such that donor strips of consistent depth are obtained. In addition, the number of hair follicles which are destroyed during the removal process is minimized. In one embodiment of the present invention, the blade penetration depth is controlled via selectively sizing and shifting the plurality of spacers. In one particular embodiment, the blades and spacers may be shifted with the assistance of a pin, and in another embodiment, the knife includes a plurality of markings indicating a particular blade angle.

A hair transplant apparatus and method capture a hair graft into a hair graft chamber readily aligned for implantation into the human scalp. The hair graft can be placed into the hair graft chamber manually or mechanically (e.g., by vacuum). A hair transplant apparatus includes a gas-permeable stopper for utilizing gas flow to load and/or implant a hair graft. Another hair transplant apparatus includes a gas-permeable rod inside a housing. Vacuum may be utilized to load a hair graft into the hair graft chamber. The rod may be advanced toward an open distal end of the chamber so the end of the rod becomes substantially flush with the distal end, thereby pushing the hair graft out of the chamber and into the pre-made wound. Advantageously, the chamber is aligned with the direction of the pre-made wound allowing the hair graft to slide easily into the pre-made wound without damage. Extraneous forces are eliminated by the alignment of the chamber to the wound, thus creating a linear path for the hair graft to move without obstruction to finally settle in the scalp wound.

Methods and systems are provided useful in various procedures, including hair harvesting and implantation, and further including computer-implemented and/or robotic hair transplantation. Methodologies are provided which enable selection of follicular unit harvesting or implanting sites. In various cases, such selection may be made using a lowest and closest method, overlap-based methods, position-based methods, pattern-based methods, and/or a combination of these methods. In various combinations of the methods, the output selection from one of the methods may be used as an input for one of the other methods.

A hair implantation instrument herein employs a simple means for capturing a hair graft in a needle in a position for implantation into a scalp and an escapement mechanism for withdrawing the needle in a manner to leave the graft in the scalp. The needle is moved with respect to a rod which positions an implanted graft properly when the needle is withdrawn. The apparatus also defines a sheath over the needle for properly positioning a graft during a graft capture operation. The escapement mechanism is vacuum controlled in one embodiment and spring controlled in a second embodiment.

This multi-bladed scalpel addresses the problem of making many small incisions in very close proximity (as close as 0.030''/0.75 mm) to each other, to facilitate hair transplantation. With this device, it is possible to make multiple incisions in such proximity. With the blades mounted parallel to each other, at the desired spacing, each incision does not intersect neighboring incisions, so the follicles placed in each incision will be surrounded by the maximum amount of undisturbed tissue to promote revascularization-capillary growth to provide a blood supply to each transplanted follicle. CNC machining techniques are used to create the blade holders with blade mounting sites created at the desired proximity. Medical grade epoxy is used to mount the blades, which are mounted parallel to each other. Holes are drilled so the tips of the blade group are located in a plane at an angle with respect to the blade holder for ergonomic reasons

The present invention is directed to methods for readily propagating somatic hair follicle stem cells or melanocyte stem cells. The methods comprise enhancing guanine nucleotide (GNP) biosynthesis, thereby expanding guanine nucleotide pools. This in turn conditionally suppresses asymmetric cell kinetics in the explanted cells. The methods of the invention include pharmacological methods and genetic methods. For example, the resulting cultured somatic hair follicle stem cells can be used for a variety of applications including cell replacement therapies such as hair transplants, gene therapies, and tissue engineering applications, such as the generation of artificial skin and skin regeneration strategies including skin grafts.

A disposable needle hair transplanter includes: a plunger structure having an outer barrel defining a passage, a plunger assembly having at least one push needle movable within the passage of the outer barrel, and a hair transplantation depth controller drivingly connected with the plunger assembly via a link; a needle having a needle seat connected with the outer barrel and at least one needle tube in which a hair follicle is loadable, the hair transplantation depth controller serving to restrict the depth by which the needle tube is thrust into the scalp; and a hair follicle depth controller having a cylindrical structure fitted around the needle seat and a shaft tube connected with the cylindrical structure and coaxially disposed around the needle tube. The hair transplantation depth controller is disposed around the shaft tube and movable along the shaft tube toward or away from the scalp.

Apparatus for implanting single hair grafts in implant sites in a skin is adapted to apply a tiny adhesive dot in a manner to secure the implanted graft to the skin surface. The quick hardening of the adhesive allows the placement of implants in closely spaced, neighboring sites without causing dislodgment of previously implanted grafts. Illustrative apparatus for providing such implants comprises a hollow needle with a coaxial solid rod in a fixed position. The needle is moved along its axis for implanting a graft and a channel in the rod is positioned to deliver the adhesive dot.

A direct hair transplanting device enabling sequential harvesting of single hair follicles from a donor region and implantation of the same at a recipient zone of the scalp comprising a tubular housing (30) with a forwardly projecting tubular needle (2) with an outermost end being formed with a conical obliquely cut knife edge cutting surface. A hair follicle is extracted through rotation of the cutting surface of the needle around a selected hair follicle at the target donor region of the scalp and implantation of the same at a selected recipient locus of the scalp being effected through initiating a forward stroke of a push rod (7) slidable within the interior of tubular needle (2) to implant the hair follicle into the scalp. Appropriate regulation and fine adjustment of the depth of intrusion of needle (2) into the scalp is obtained through differentiated depth of screwing of an internally threaded tubular shaft (35) holding the needle around an externally threaded perimeter of a cylindrical member (34) detachably mounted onto the tubular housing (30).

A device and method for applying tension to an area of skin, in particular for follicular unit removal and/or implantation in a hair transplantation procedure, is provided. The tensioning device comprises at least one body surface grabber capable of engaging the body surface, and the tensioning device is configured to be able to create tension on a body or skin surface by simply displacing the tensioning device as a whole in one general direction. The tensioning device may be secured, for example, to a patient chair.

Compositions containing purified collagen biomaterial derived from tissues, for example, insoluble amnion, soluble amnion, soluble chorion of the human placenta, are provided. The collagen compositions can be used to promote wound healing, promote tissue regeneration, prevent or reduce scarring, reduce local inflammation, minimize tissue rejection, promote graft integration. Methods for using the collagen composition as a biomaterial implant for dermal filling, skin grafting, and hair transplantation are also provided.

This multi-bladed scalpel addresses the problem of making many small incisions in very close proximity to each other, to facilitate hair transplantation. With this device, it is possible to make multiple incisions in such proximity. With the blades mounted parallel to each other, at the desired spacing, each incision does not intersect neighboring incisions, so the follicles placed in each incision will be surrounded by the maximum amount of undisturbed tissue to promote revascularization—capillary growth to provide a blood supply to each transplanted follicle. CNC machining techniques are used to create the blade holders with blade mounting sites created at the desired proximity. Medical grade epoxy is used to mount the blades, which are mounted parallel to each other. Blade mounting holes are drilled so the tips of the blade group form a planar array of interdigitated and offset blades at an angle with respect to the handle.

Provided is a hair transplanter having high precision in hair transplantation which may finely adjust the length of a hair transplantation needle unit, into which a hair root is inserted, according to thicknesses of skin tissue layers within the scalps of individuals during hair transplantation. The hair transplanter includes a central rod including a guide hole, a hair transplantation needle unit inserted into the guide hole of the central rod, a central case body including a conical cover and a waist part having a small diameter, formed at the front end thereof, and a fixing cover and a tuning cover, formed at the rear end thereof, a core shaft configured to push a hair to be transplanted, which is inserted into the hair transplantation needle unit, and a pressing button including an adjustment lever to fix the core shaft and a lock nut to fix the adjustment lever.