Hair loss can cause significant distress to the 85% of men [1] and 55% of women [2] who experience it during their lifetime. That is why the cosmetic industry is always searching for new and improved hair restoration options.
Stem cell treatment for hair is one of the most recent solutions proposed by the scientific community. Early clinical trials show some promising results against androgenetic alopecia [3] and alopecia areata [4].
But new therapies can be quite expensive. So what do stem cell hair treatments cost and are they worth the investment? This article will tell you all you need to know about:
To perform regenerative stem cell therapy for hair loss, the doctor will first harvest a few of your hair follicles or some fat tissue from your stomach. Then they will use specialised technology to extract, cultivate and process mesenchymal stem cells, or MSCs, from the follicles or tissue. Your doctor will then inject the cultivated cells into the thinning areas of your scalp [5][6].
Since stem cells can develop into many other kinds of cells [7], they play an important role in healing and regenerating damaged tissues and structures. This includes hair follicles affected by alopecia and the small blood vessels that support them. So stem cell hair treatments are used to help heal, nourish and stimulate your hair follicles for hair growth [3][9].
The cost of stem cell hair treatments varies widely in the UK, depending on factors such as:
On average, stem cell hair treatments cost approximately £500 to £1,500 in the UK. You may require between 3 and 6 sessions for a full course of treatment. This means you can expect to pay between £1500 and £9000 to get this kind of therapy. And since the results are temporary, you will have to get refresher sessions after a few months to a year.
Stem cell hair transplants involve a technology that is still in development, so they are not presently commercially available anywhere in the world, including in the UK. So there are no prices available for a stem cell hair transplant.
Some companies advertise stem cell hair treatments as hair transplants. This is misleading, as they refer to two different procedures.
While regenerative therapy simply helps repair your hair follicles and stimulate them to produce more hair, the stem cell hair transplant (also known as hair cloning) aims to build entirely new hair follicles from stem cells [9]. Given the fact it has not yet undergone human trials, this procedure is unlikely to become commercially available in the near future.
Here are the average UK prices of some other, scientifically proven therapies and treatments that can help stimulate hair growth.
In the UK, PRP hair treatments cost, on average, between £250 to £500 per session (although PRP hair treatments in London can cost up to £850). For example, the Wimpole Clinic offers a starting price of £295 per session, which offers a great price-quality ratio. Some clinics also offer discounts to clients who opt for several sessions.
Considering that patients need at least 3 sessions spaced 5-6 weeks apart for a full course of treatment, you can expect to pay a total of £750 – £1500 in total. However, since the results of this therapy are not permanent, you will also likely need a refresher session every 4-6 months. This raises your annual PRP costs to at least £1000-£2000.
A red light therapy for hair growth session is significantly less expensive than PRP or stem cell hair treatments, averaging around £45. However, depending on how advanced your hair loss is, you may need 20-30 sessions or more before you will be able to see significant hair growth [10]. This can bring total treatment costs up to around £1125. Constant refreshers will be needed, as the effects are temporary.
Buying a laser hair growth cap for home use can significantly reduce your spending over time. Good-quality caps have been proven to yield satisfying results in improving hair density [11].
While the price depends on many factors, such as brand, features or power, on average, a home red light therapy device costs approximately £1,000 – £1500. This is about the same as 20-30 sessions and you can use the device for years and share it with family if you so choose.
There are many factors that can influence hair transplant costs in the UK, such as your choice of surgeon and clinic, the number of hair grafts you need and the type of procedure you opt for. However, on average, hair restoration for a patient with Norwood stage 2 to 3 male pattern baldness, requiring about 1600 grafts, costs £4,820.
While not everyone is a good candidate for a hair transplant, they’re often more financially viable than stem cell hair treatment and other hair loss techniques. That is because, unlike all other available hair loss treatments, a hair transplant is permanent.
This means you may be able to enjoy your hair transplant for 10 years or more with no further financial investment needed. Moreover, the best hair transplant clinics in the UK have a >97% success rate for both FUT and FUE surgeries.
While more research is needed, regenerative stem cell therapy for hair has promising results in improving the symptoms of androgenetic alopecia and alopecia areata. Here are some of the main research findings [3][4][12][13]:
See the studies below for more details:
More evidence is needed to determine the safety profile of regenerative stem cell therapy for hair. However, research conducted so far shows only minor potential side effects, such as mild pain, bruising or bleeding at the injection site, some local swelling, and some scalp itching [5][14].
While researchers point out that using stem cells may increase the long-term risk of developing cancers [9], no such cases have been reported so far, so the scientific community remains cautiously optimistic.
There is no universal answer to this question, as it very much depends on your personal preferences and circumstances. If you are unsure whether investing in a stem cell hair treatment would be beneficial for you, book a consultation with one of our experienced trichologists. They will be happy to walk you through all the effective treatment options that you are eligible for and help you make an informed decision that best serves your interest.
If you would like to find out more about stem cell hair treatment costs, check out the answers to these common questions.
Yes, you should always be wary of too good to be true offers, because they usually come with a catch. The clinic that performs the procedure may not be monitored by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), or they may be using insufficiently trained and/or unskilled cosmetic technicians to perform this procedure. They may also disguise simple PRP hair treatment as stem cell therapy.
Always find out everything you can about the clinic you are interested in, the professional performing your treatment and the procedure they use before placing your scalp in their hands. Patient reviews on trusted third-party sites (such as Trustpilot) can also help you get a better idea of the quality of service you can expect.
Reputable hair clinics will always be transparent about their pricing. They will give you an accurate idea of how much each service costs, and what you can expect to get in exchange for your money.
However, certain unethical businesses may try to take advantage of you by inflating your bill with additional fees or services you were not informed of and did not consent to. To avoid this, choose a clinic with a good reputation and ask them to provide a fully detailed price offer to you in writing before your procedure.
No, stem cell hair treatment is not currently approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). However, this does not mean that this therapy is unsafe or ineffective; it just means that since it is new and clinical trials are lengthy processes, more evidence is needed to ascertain its effectiveness.
You can still get this treatment legally in the UK if you think you can benefit from it, but the regulatory bodies do not vouch for its safety or results.
No, unfortunately, you cannot get stem cell hair treatment on the NHS at this time. That’s because it’s not an approved hair loss treatment, and even if it were, it is considered a cosmetic procedure. The NHS will not subsidise any kind of cosmetic hair loss treatment for the same reason.
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