Stem Cells

What Is Stem Cell Hair Treatment?

Stem cell therapy is one of the four non-surgical treatments for hair loss. It is considered within the realm of regenerative medicine, a field of medicine that treats diseases, heals damaged tissue, promotes wellness, and turns back the clock on aging. Stem cells have been used to regrow lost hair for over a decade.

Naïve stem cells can multiply and differentiate into any type of tissue in the human body. Naïve stem cells are not legal to use in America. When used to treat hair loss, generally, the more differentiated mesenchymal stem cells are used, which are derived from the lining of umbilical cords after live births. These stem cells are harvested, isolated and screened for diseases and are then flash-frozen and placed in a liquid nitrogen freezing vault for later use.

Prior to a stem cell treatment for hair loss, the cells are shipped to the medical office in a cooler of dry ice, thawed, and immediately injected into the scalp after it has been properly numbed and microneedled. Microneedling must be used for proper procedure protocol because it causes an inflammation in the treated area that allows the stem cells to remain localized (a process called sequestering). There they reduce inflammation, activate existing stem cells within the follicular stem cell bulge, and repair damaged hair follicles.

At one point in time, this was the best and most cost-effective non-surgical hair loss treatment. Stem cells used to be allowed to be harvested from the patient’s own fat by liposuction, run through a processing machine (that included the addition of enzymes to lyse the adipose cells), and be recaptured in large quantities to be injected into the scalp. Unfortunately, however, the FDA put a halt to this method when they decided that adding an enzyme to the patient’s own fat cells and then reinjecting them constituted the creation of a new “drug,” which was their domain. Now we are left with treatments of smaller numbers of cells collected from other humans at a higher cost. Thus, they have become less affordable and less effective than before the FDA halted the previous method of harvest.

There are clinics that offer cheap knockoffs of “stem cell therapies,” that use plant-based stem cells, which offer absolutely no benefit to hair growth. Other clinics offer treatments using dried human stem cells in a vial which are reconstituted using a saline solution and injected into the scalp. These are also worthless because stem cells which have been dried and later placed in saline have all been killed in the process. Only stem cells flash-frozen and kept at a temperature around -196 degrees centigrade and then slowly thawed before injection are living stem cells that are effective for hair loss treatments.

Stem Cell Treatment FAQs

How Effective Is Stem Cell Treatment for Hair Loss?

Stem cell therapies have the potential to treat a wide variety of hair loss causes and have a moderate to high rate of effectiveness. Individuals who may benefit from stem cell treatments include those with thinning hair, many remaining miniaturized hairs, those with autoimmune-induced hair loss, and women experiencing hair loss following pregnancy, menopause, or stress-induced shock loss of hair.

How Long Does Stem Cell Treatment for Hair Loss Last?

Results from stem cell treatments for hair restoration usually last between one to three years, with some individuals seeing benefits for up to five years. Most patients will require maintenance treatments to maintain hair growth, unless the original cause of the hair loss has been removed. Results vary based on the type and severity of hair loss.

Leveraging Your Body’s Power to Regrow Hair

At La Mesa Medical Hair Restoration, we are happy to answer any questions you have about stem cell hair restoration and other treatments that can help you achieve a thicker, fuller head of hair. To learn more or to set up a consultation, call us at (619) 832-4885 or contact us online. We look forward to hearing from you.

Stem Cells

What Is Stem Cell Hair Treatment?

Stem Cell Treatment FAQs

Leveraging Your Body’s Power to Regrow Hair

Helpful Links

Contact