A hair expert claims POO transplants could be used to treat alopecia.

So-called faecal microbiota transplantation involves faeces being collected from a donor then swapped into the bowel of a recipient patient.

Designed to restore gut bacteria to healthy levels, it's sometimes used to treat gastrointestinal conditions like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Now leading Manchester hair restoration surgeon Dr Bessam Farjo says faecal transplants could also be a bizarre solution for certain types of alopecia too.

Studies into the links between faecal transplants and hair growth are limited.

But Dr Farjo pointed to research carried out in 2017 by scientists at the Center for Women’s Gastrointestinal Medicine in Providence, America.

Published evidence saw author Dr Colleen Kelly explain how hair growth was observed in two patients with alopecia areata, which causes patches of baldness about the size of a large coin, who received faecal transplants to treat bacterial infection Clostridium difficile, also known as C. diff.

Dr Farjo, founder of the Farjo Hair Institute in Manchester, said: "There is a unique interplay between hair growth and your overall health, with things like stress, trauma and dietary disorders all playing a role.

"And however controversial and off-putting, faecal transplants could play a key role in future treatments."

The process, also known as FMT, sees stool passed into a recipient either by being inserted into the stomach via tubes, or through swallowing pills containing freeze-dried material.

Dr Kelly, in her conclusions, said: "We present two case reports where notable improvement in alopecia areata was observed after FMT was performed for recurrent C. diff infection.

Hair surgeon Dr Bessam Farjo

"Further study of gut microbiota in patients with autoimmune alopecia may elucidate disease mechanisms and provide evidence to support clinical trials of FMT in this population for whom treatment options are currently limited."

One patient was a 38-year-old man who had suffered from a type of alopecia areata leading to total hair loss on both the head and body for 10 years.

Dr Kelly said: "At follow-up eight weeks later, he reported new hair growth on his head, face, and arms. His alopecia had previously been refractory to steroid injections, and he was on no other therapies for alopecia at that time."

Dr Farjo, who carried out hair transplants on ex-Manchester United footballer Wayne Rooney and City legend Peter Reid, said the study was extremely promising.

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"Hair loss can cause real emotional difficulties for those affected," he said.

"And alopecia areata is particularly problematic. Unlike typical alopecia, or pattern baldness, it’s not just caused by hormones or genetic disposition - though that's often a factor - but it's also an auto-immune inflammatory condition of the hair follicle.

"This means that, currently, options are limited when it comes to treatment.

"A hair transplant - where follicles are moved from one area of the head to another to reverse hair loss - is rarely recommended for alopecia areata patients, as the immune system is likely to attack any of the newly transplanted follicles in the same way as the ones previously destroyed.

"Instead, alopecia areata patients are usually treated with steroids or topical lotions like minoxidil, which works by helping blood flow to the hair follicles and stimulating prolonging the hair growth phase.

"For some patients, the bald patch will regrow naturally after a short period of time.

"But for others, particularly who’ve lost all of their hair through alopecia universalis, there’s often nothing they can do.

"And that’s why studies into faecal transplants are so intriguing. They could offer hope where there is none for a desperate patients."