Recent years have brought significant innovations to the field of hair restoration, giving hope to the 85% of men [1] and 55% of women [2] who experience hair loss at some point in life. However, not all hair growth treatments are equally effective. One of the trending new therapies offered by some hair clinics uses stem cells to stimulate hair follicles for hair growth. But does stem cell hair treatment really work? And if it does, how safe is it? This article will tell you all you need to know about:
Stem cells are special cells that can develop into various other kinds of cells, as needed. They also replicate many times, which makes it easier to multiply and cultivate them in a laboratory setting [3].
Due to their unique ability to transform into different types of cells, your body uses stem cells to heal, regenerate and grow tissues. In recent years, scientists have been working on harnessing these qualities for treating different conditions. This is called regenerative stem cell therapy [4].
This process involves harvesting stem cells from the human body (or perinatal tissues), processing them and then injecting them into the part of the patient’s body where cellular regeneration is needed. Some treatments based on this principle have been successfully tested and approved, leading to advancements in medicine. However, many others — including stem cells for hair restoration — are still in development.
Small studies performed so far on the use of regenerative stem cell treatment in restoring hair growth in patients with alopecia show very promising results. Let’s take a look at some of the research.
Patient with male pattern baldness
Most stem cell hair treatment clinical trials have been conducted for treating androgenetic alopecia. This is the most common cause of hair loss and scientists believe it can respond well to this treatment. Here are some of the main findings of recent studies that speak to the effectiveness of this treatment:
Only a few studies have been conducted so far researching the effectiveness of regenerative stem cell therapy against alopecia areata. Here are some of their findings:
All these studies were small, and used various methods of preparing and administering the treatment. Further research is needed to ascertain the safety and efficacy of stem cell hair therapy.
Stem cell hair treatment aims to use this versatile type of cells to help regenerate your hair follicles and stimulate them to start producing hair.
The most common type of stem cells used for regenerative therapy are mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) [11]. They can be harvested from various tissues in your own body (or, more rarely, a donor’s body), such as:
When used for hair treatment, stem cells are normally extracted from the bulge of your healthy hair follicles (e.g. dermal papillae) or from a small sample of your fat tissue, as this process is the least invasive.
After being extracted, there are two main ways stem cells can be used to stimulate hair growth in patients with androgenetic alopecia (and sometimes, other kinds of hair loss, such as alopecia areata) [12]:
In both kinds of therapies, the stem cells are extracted from the patient’s (or, rarely, the donor’s) tissue, processed and injected into the balding areas of their scalp. They work by repairing damaged hair follicles and stimulating them to produce new hair. At the same time, they help repair or build more of the small blood vessels that supply the hair follicles with nutrients.
More clinical trials are needed to confirm the effectiveness of stem cell hair treatment for different types of alopecia under different conditions. However, at this time, there is indication that the following people may benefit from this form of therapy [8][10][14]:
However, keep in mind that stem cell hair treatments are not presently authorised for large-scale commercial use and their potential long-term side effects are still insufficiently studied. If you would like a similar kind of therapy with more evidence of effectiveness in all these conditions, you can try platelet-rich plasma (PRP) hair treatments [15].
At this time, insufficient data has been collected regarding the potential long- and short-term side effects of stem cell hair treatment. However, like any injection, it is expected to produce minor adverse reactions in some patients, such as bleeding, bruising, swelling and, rarely, infection at the injection site [13]. One study performed on 50 patients revealed the following reported reactions [8]:
The few and minor reported side effects have led some scientists to deem this kind of therapy quite safe [13]. However, other researchers point out that unlike other treatments such as PRP, stem cells may have the potential to cause cancerous tumours in the long term, as they are at a higher risk of accumulating genetic mutations as they multiply.
Since research into regenerative stem cell therapy for hair is relatively young, it’s important to be cautious about using it on a large scale before its long-term safety can be studied [16]. However, no cancer cases have been reported in relation to stem cell hair treatments so far.
No. In its present-day form, stem cell hair treatment is not permanent. Its effects wear out as early as 3 months post-treatment [12] and patients need to undergo a refresher course. In fact, out of all currently available hair loss treatments, only hair transplants are permanent.
There is a significant difference between regenerative stem cell therapy and a stem cell hair transplant. Commonly known as hair cloning, this therapy is still in its development stage. It has promising results in animal testing, but no human trials have been performed up to the present day. That means you cannot have a stem cell hair transplant at this time or in the near future.
The procedure involves harvesting stem cells from healthy hair follicles with lower sensitivity to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), multiplying them in a lab, and then implanting them into the balding areas of the scalp. Theoretically, these cells will then grow into new, healthy hair follicles. Alternatively, the cultivated stem cells would be grown into hair follicles that produce very small hairs. These grafts would then be implanted in the scalp, in a manner similar to traditional hair restoration surgery [16].
However, while some good results have been obtained when testing stem cell hair transplant on mice, their overall anatomy and hair and skin properties are considerably different from those of humans. Successful human trials are vital in proving that hair cloning is a safe and effective way to restore hair growth in people.
It could be a decade or more before stem cell hair transplant will be available commercially. That’s because human clinical trials are yet to be performed to test this treatment. Once positive results are published, a thorough review and approval process will begin before hair cloning can become commercially available, which could also take years. Even then, for most people, the cost of this procedure may be prohibitively expensive for at least a decade.
Keep in mind that the most common cause of hair loss, androgenetic alopecia, is a progressive condition. That means it will get worse with time unless properly treated. So be sure to see a trichologist and ask them to recommend the best hair loss treatment for men or the most effective hair loss treatment for women available today.
Not yet. As of November 2024, stem cell hair treatments are not approved for commercial use in the UK or the US. In fact, the FDA has issued a consumer alert regarding unfounded claims made by clinics that sell such treatments.
However, this does not necessarily mean that these treatments are dangerous or harmful. What it does mean is that enough evidence has not yet been produced to show their safety and effectiveness. So while some hair clinics offer these innovative therapies, you would be getting stem cell hair treatments at your own risk.
If you would feel more comfortable with a tried and tested treatment for your hair loss, here are some scientifically proven alternatives.
PRP therapy for hair loss is very similar in principle to stem cell hair treatments. It involves drawing a small amount of blood from your arm, separating the PRP from the other blood fractions and injecting it into the thinning areas of your scalp. Since it is rich in growth factors, PRP helps regenerate your damaged hair follicles and rebuild the small blood vessels that nourish them.
While this therapy is not currently FDA-approved for hair loss, several clinical trials have shown PRP hair treatment to be safe and effective for treating androgenetic alopecia, alopecia areata and other kinds of hair loss [15].
Minoxidil is the most versatile hair growth medication, with proven effectiveness against many types of alopecia. It works by dilating the blood vessels in the scalp to allow more oxygen and nutrients to reach your hair follicles.
This treatment is approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). It can be bought over the counter and used by both men and women. However, it is a good idea to get the recommendation of a hair doctor before using it, as it can have unwanted side effects or interfere with certain medications in some patients.
Finasteride is also approved to treat male pattern baldness in the UK [18]. This treatment works by lowering the DHT levels in your blood and is proven to improve symptoms of androgenetic alopecia. However, while it can sometimes be prescribed off-label to post-menopausal women, it is not recommended for premenopausal women. That is because it can cause hormonal imbalances and foetal malformations. Furthermore, in the UK, you need a prescription to purchase Finasteride.
If you are experiencing alopecia areata or another type of autoimmune hair loss (such as scalp psoriasis), you may need to use a steroid cream to relieve your symptoms. More severe cases may require intralesional steroid injections to improve.
Corticosteroid treatments work by reducing the inflammation in your scalp that makes your hair fall out. This type of medication is normally approved for use in the UK. Some of the commercially available products are sold over the counter, while others require a prescription.
It is always a good idea to get a doctor’s recommendation before using corticosteroids on your scalp, as they can interfere with other treatments or pre-existing health conditions.
A hair transplant is the closest thing you can get to a cure for baldness with today’s technology. This treatment is very safe and fully approved for hair loss in the UK [19]. It involves an outpatient surgical procedure where healthy hair follicles are harvested from the back of your head and reimplanted in your balding areas.
The best hair clinics in the UK have almost 100% success rates for both FUE and FUT procedures. Severe postsurgical complications are extremely rare. And unlike all other currently available treatments (including stem cell hair therapy), a hair transplant is permanent. See the results for yourself in our before and after hair transplant photo gallery.
If you have noticed the first signs of hair thinning and balding and are trying to find the right treatment, you don’t have to do it alone. Book a consultation today with one of our dedicated trichologists and place your hair in the most capable hands. They will use all the necessary diagnostic tests to find the exact cause of your hair thinning and will work together with you to find the best treatment to suit your personal needs and preferences.
If you are curious to discover more about stem cell hair treatments, be sure to read the answers to these frequently asked questions:
Yes, if you want to enhance the results of your PRP hair treatment, you can also get stem cell hair treatment in the same session. Preliminary research shows that combining these two therapies leads to improvements in hair density and thickness, as well as better results compared to PRP treatment alone [20].
At this point, there is no evidence to suggest that stem cell hair treatments could reverse scarring alopecia (e.g. lichen planopilaris or frontal-fibrosing alopecia). This type of hair loss occurs when hair follicles get severely damaged or destroyed and it is known for its high resistance to treatment.
A successful stem cell hair transplant might be able to treat some forms of stable scarring hair loss, but this therapy will not be widely available for the foreseeable future. If you are experiencing scarring alopecia, a trichologist can help you find the best treatment options.
No, stem cells for hair treatments are normally obtained from your own hair follicles or fat tissue. Using stem cells from human embryos poses significant ethical dilemmas and higher potential health risks. They are not currently used for cosmetic treatments (and their use is generally restricted for medical treatments or research purposes as well, unless special approval is received from the overseeing ethical committees).
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