A standard hair transplant and a stem cell hair transplant are comparable procedures. However, in the case of stem cell hair transplant, a hair transplant surgeon in Lahore, Pakistan takes a tiny sample of skin from which hair follicles are accepted, as opposed to removing a significant number of hairs to transplant to the region experiencing hair loss.
In the regions of hair loss, the follicles are then reproduced in a lab and inserted back into the scalp. Due to this reason, hair can grow where the follicles were transplanted from. And then, the follicles can also develop from where the hair was removed.
What are stem cells?
The body’s stem cells can differentiate into a variety of distinct cell types. They are undifferentiated cells that the body cannot use for particular functions.
They may, however, divide and regenerate themselves to either continue as stem cells or change into other kinds of cells. They aid in the restoration of several body tissues by splitting and replacing damaged tissues.
The procedure
Italian researchers completed a stem cell hair transplant successfully in 2017.
An initial punch biopsy is performed on the patient to get stem cells. During a punch biopsy, a cylindrical sample of tissue is removed from the skin by rotating a medical instrument with a circular blade into the skin.
The stem cells are subsequently extracted from the tissue using a specialized centrifuge. In the regions of hair loss, the remaining cell solution is injected back into the scalp.
Several research groups and hair transplant surgeons are pursuing the development of stem cell therapies for hair loss. Although the methods may differ significantly, they are all based on developing new hair follicles in a laboratory using a tiny piece of the patient’s skin.
Currently, a few facilities are providing the general population with a type of stem cell hair transplant. These have not been given the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval (FDA). They are regarded as investigative.
The FDA gave a warning regarding stem cell therapy in 2017. Anyone contemplating stem cell therapy is urged to select ones that have either received FDA approval or are the subject of an INVESTIGATIVE NEW DRUGS APPLICATION (IND) (IND). The FDA grants INDs approval.
These operations are done as outpatients in offices. They comprise performing a liposuction operation while the patient is under local anesthetic to remove fat cells from their hips or abdomen region.
Before being injected into the scalp, the stem cells are separated from the fat using a unique approach.
The facilities that now provide this operation cannot guarantee the procedure’s success. The outcomes, if any, can differ from one individual to the next. Observing effects can take multiple treatments spread out over several months.
Stem cell hair transplants have shown promise in the treatment of a variety of hair loss diseases, including:
- Androgenetic alopecia n males (male pattern baldness)
- Androgenetic alopecia in females (female pattern baldness)
- Cicatricial alopecia (Scar tissue replaces the damaged hair follicles).
Hair transplant recovery using stem cells
You may feel some discomfort after the stem cell hair transplant. It ought to go away after a week. Although you must avoid strenuous activity for a week, no recovery period is necessary.
You can see some scarring effects where the fat has been removed. According to a hair transplant surgeon in Lahore, you cannot go home immediately after surgery due to the impact of the local anesthetic.
Stem cell hair transplant side effects
Almost nothing is known regarding the potential negative consequences of stem cell hair transplants. Like any medical operation, there is always a chance of bleeding or infection at the sample and injection location. Additionally, scarring potential is also present.
Punch biopsy problems are uncommon. However, there is a chance that the nerves or arteries nearby might be harmed. The same risks and adverse effects are possible with liposuction as well.
Stem cell hair transplant success rate
The evidence on the effectiveness of stem cell hair transplants is quite encouraging. Twenty-three weeks after the final treatment, the Italian study’s findings revealed a 29 percent rise in hair density.
The facilities that now provide FDA-unapproved stem cell hair treatments make no assurances about the outcomes or success rates.
What is the price of a stem cell hair transplant?
As this technique is still in its early stages, prices for stem cell hair treatments are currently unknown.
Prices for hair transplants are rarely disclosed on the websites of hair clinics and experts who perform stem cell treatments. Instead, a stem cell hair transplant surgeon in Lahore asks potential patients to get in touch with them to find out how much it would cost.
The takeaway
The general population should be able to access stem cell hair transplant therapies by 2023. People who are ineligible for the existing hair loss therapies have choices thanks to the stem cell transplantation technique.
Even though some clinics provide stem cell hair restoration therapy, the FDA has not yet authorized these procedures.
FAQs
How effective are stem cell hair transplants?
A study investigating stem cell hair transplant techniques was published in the Journal of Stem Cells & Cloning. After 24 weeks of therapy, subjects saw an average hair growth rate of 31 per square centimeter. All individuals saw an additional 23% growth in hair, with up to 53% more hair for six months.
What is the price of a stem cell hair transplant?
The final cost of the treatment is based on the number of follicles required and the type of hair loss involved.
What is the price of a stem cell hair transplant?
The total cost of the procedure is determined by the desired number of follicles and the kind of hair loss.
Can baldness be cured by stem cells?
A novel technique for igniting stem cells in hair follicles and encouraging hair growth has been discovered by UCLA researchers. The research team’s results may lead to the development of novel treatments that can promote hair growth and cure alopecia or baldness brought on by hormonal changes, stress, or drug use.
When will my hair come back following a stem cell transplant?
According to a hair transplant surgeon in Lahore, hair growth should start after three months of stem hair transplant surgery. The new hairs, however, could be of a different texture from the hair around them, and hair loss might return in the future (though this is rare).