Hair as a filler material for reconstructive or cosmetic surgery

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible use of hair as a filler material for reconstructive or cosmetic surgery. Many implant materials tested so far have proved to be of limited usefulness due to a lack of staying power or to fears of a host immune response, among other problems. In this study, pellets of rat hair were placed subcutaneously or beneath the pectoral muscle of Lewis rats (10 rats per group). A thin vascularized fibrous pouch containing inflammatory cells had formed around the hair pellet at 4 months. By 8 to 12 months, the hair had compacted, and the fibrous matrix of the pouch showed very few inflammatory cells surrounding the embedded hairs. There was no evidence of implant rejection, granuloma formation, or hair degradation up to 12 months after implantation. The results indicate that hair merits further study as a surgical implant material.