A hair implant suitable for subcutaneous implantation is provided having an anchor comprising an anchor body, and at least one collagen receiving structure selected from the group consisting of at least one tunnel disposed through the anchor body and an external surface feature of the anchor body. The anchor further comprises at least one hair strand projecting from a distal end of the anchor body, wherein the at least one collagen receiving structure is configured to support collagen ligature growth after subcutaneous implantation of the hair implant so as to anchor the anchor to a hair implant recipient, and the collagen receiving structure is free of hair.

Methods and apparatus are provided for affecting an appearance of skin by harvesting small portions of tissue from a donor (first) site and applying them at a recipient (second) site. A plurality of micrografts can be formed from a piece of graft tissue and attached to a dressing material. The dressing material can then be expanded to increase a separation distance between the micrografts, and the dressing material having spaced-apart micrografts attached thereto can be applied to a prepared recipient site. An apparatus can be provided that expands the dressing material using a pressurized fluid. A further method can include providing a suspension of small portions of graft tissue in a solution. The solution can be injected into blisters formed at a recipient (second) site and the tissue portions allowed to attach and proliferate. A method and apparatus can also be provided for forming corresponding blisters at a donor site and at a recipient site. The raised (removed) portions of the blisters can be removed and attached to a dressing material, and the portions from the donor (first) site can be placed onto the exposed blister areas at the recipient site.

Provided are live, artificial, skin substitute products and methods of making and using the same, such as for wound treatment and compound testing, including compound testing for efficacy, toxicity, penetration, irritation and/or metabolism testing of drug candidates or compositions such as cosmetics. Described herein is an artificial mammalian skin substitute product, comprising: (a) optionally, but in some embodiments preferably, a first (“hypodermis-like”) layer comprising live mammalian adipocytes (e.g., induced pre-adipocytes) in a first hydrogel carrier; (b) a second (“dermis-like”) layer contacting or directly contacting the first layer and comprising live mammalian fibroblast cells and' live mammalian follicle dermal papilla cells in combination in a second hydrogel carrier; (c) a third (“epidermis-like”) layer contacting or directly contacting the second layer (i.e., on the opposite side thereof as the first layer, so that the second layer is sandwiched between the first and third layers when the first layer is present), the third layer comprising live mammalian keratinocytes and live mammalian melanocytes in combination in a third hydrogel carrier.

Provided are live, artificial, skin substitute products and methods of making and using the same, such as for wound treatment and compound testing, including compound testing for efficacy, toxicity, penetration, irritation and/or metabolism testing of drug candidates or compositions such as cosmetics. Described herein is an artificial mammalian skin substitute product, comprising: (a) optionally, but in some embodiments preferably, a first (“hypodermis-like”) layer comprising live mammalian adipocytes (e.g., induced pre-adipocytes) in a first hydrogel carrier; (b) a second (“dermis-like”) layer contacting or directly contacting the first layer and comprising live mammalian fibroblast cells and' live mammalian follicle dermal papilla cells in combination in a second hydrogel carrier; (c) a third (“epidermis-like”) layer contacting or directly contacting the second layer (i.e., on the opposite side thereof as the first layer, so that the second layer is sandwiched between the first and third layers when the first layer is present), the third layer comprising live mammalian keratinocytes and live mammalian melanocytes in combination in a third hydrogel carrier.

An elastic strain sensor can be incorporated into an artificial skin that can sense flexing by the underlying support structure of the skin to detect and track motion of the support structure. The uni-directional elastic strain sensor can be formed by filling two or more channels in an elastic substrate material with a conductive liquid. At the ends of the channels, a loop port connects the channels to form a serpentine channel. The channels extend along the direction of strain and the loop portions have sufficiently large cross-sectional area in the direction transverse to the direction of strain that the sensor is unidirectional. The resistance is measured at the ends of the serpentine channel and can be used to determine the strain on the sensor. Additional channels can be added to increase the sensitivity of the sensor. The sensors can be stacked on top of each other to increase the sensitivity of the sensor. In other embodiments, two sensors oriented in different directions can be stacked on top of each other and bonded together to form a bidirectional sensor. A third sensor formed by in the shape of a spiral or concentric rings can be stacked on top and used to sense contact or pressure, forming a three dimensional sensor. The three dimensional sensor can be incorporated into an artificial skin to provide advanced sensing.

A dermal tissue allograft includes a dermal matrix having a profile including first and second vertices, a first imaginary axis extending between the first and second vertices, a first peripheral edge extending along a continuous path from the first vertex to the second vertex on a first side of the first imaginary axis, and a second peripheral edge extending along a continuous path from the first vertex to the second vertex on a second side of the first imaginary axis. The first peripheral edge includes an apogee, a convex portion, and a concave portion. The convex and concave portions meet at a transition point located on the first peripheral edge between its apogee and the second vertex. The second peripheral edge includes an apogee and is convex. The second perpendicular distance is greater than the first perpendicular distance. The dermal matrix has a substantially uniform thickness across its profile.

The present invention aims to provide a tissue regeneration substrate excellent in penetrability to cells as well as capable of effectively preventing cell leakage from the tissue regeneration substrate to accelerate tissue regeneration; and a method of producing the tissue regeneration substrate. The present invention relates to a tissue regeneration substrate including: a nonwoven fabric made of a bioabsorbable material, the tissue regeneration substrate having a laminated structure in which a layer containing a nonwoven fabric having an average pore size of 20 to 50 μm and a layer containing a nonwoven fabric having an average pore size of 5 to 20 μm are integrated.

The present invention provides a scalp protector for use following a hair transplant procedure conducted on a subject including: a cover having a central region and elongated portions extending from the central region for covering the surface of the scalp of the subject, each of the elongated portions provides at least one set of a first part of a snap fasteners closure; a band configured to extend around the periphery of the scalp of the subject, the band includes anchoring regions deployed on the band so as to align with the elongated portions of the cover, each of the anchoring regions providing at least one set of a complementary part of a snap fasteners closure for fastening to the elongated portions.

The present invention provides a scalp protector for use following a hair transplant procedure conducted on a subject including: a cover having a central region and elongated portions extending from the central region for covering the surface of the scalp of the subject, each of the elongated portions provides at least one set of a first part of a snap fasteners closure; a band configured to extend around the periphery of the scalp of the subject, the band includes anchoring regions deployed on the band so as to align with the elongated portions of the cover, each of the anchoring regions providing at least one set of a complementary part of a snap fasteners closure for fastening to the elongated portions.

Systems, instruments, methods, and compositions are described involving removing a portion of the epidermis within a donor site on a subject, and harvesting dermal plugs within the donor site. An injectable filler is formed by mincing the dermal plugs. The injectable filler is configured for injecting into a recipient site on the subject.