The first hair loss reversing treatment – what to know

Hair loss is an inevitable stage of adult life for many people. Its common in both women and men, but is more obvious in men, where hair loss can lead to baldness. Anyone can experience hair loss, with symptoms usually developing in a person’s late twenties to early thirties. That’s not to say you won’t experience hair loss at a younger age, with some people even noticing a receding hairline in their late teens.

While hair loss is common and not necessarily a problem, it can cause personal self-confidence issues, especially if you have always associated your hair with your overall image. There are a number of treatments that work to prevent hair loss, including the cheaper oils and bottled formulas, to scalp surgery such as micropigmentation. There has never been anything available to reverse hair loss, though – or not until now.

How is hair loss currently treated?

If you have the cash to splash, the most effective treatment for hair loss at the moment is a procedure known as a hair transplant. This won’t enable new hair to grow in any way, but will “artificially” provide a solution to hair loss. You can also get scalp micropigmentation, a non-invasive procedure which involves implanting pigments into the scalp using tattoo needles, to replicate the look of hair follicles. Again, this procedure does not actually treat hair loss, but gives the appearance of hair on the head.

There are also a wide range of products that you can use to prevent hair loss, such as medications that you apply to the scalp, which work to stop hair thinning and stimulate hair growth on the scalp. Even more widely available are the drug store hair loss treatments, such as shampoos and hair masks, which contain hair-healthy ingredients to prevent hair loss. These should be taken with a pinch of salt, as it is unlikely that the product can actually stimulate hair growth, unless you are paying quite a lot of money for it.  

What is stem cell treatment?

Unlike hair transplants and micropigmentation, stem cell treatment provides an active solution to hair loss. It works differently from products that prevent hair loss, instead reversing it altogether.

As reported by The Sun, the treatment works by using a special device that has the power to extract stem cells from fat, skin and hair. Hair loss is genetic, and occurs when testosterone is altered into something called DHT, or dihydrotestosterone (try saying that one three times). This causes hair follicles to shrink down, resulting in thinner, lighter and shorter hair. In the end, the follicles are unable to produce visible hair, leading to baldness.

Wondering why we all seem to go bald in the same place? That’s because the hair follicles found on the very back of the scalp and around the edges of the ears are immune to the power of DHT, so they can still produce hair, giving the slightly bizarre “bald patch” look.

It was discovered that stem cells from these resistant hairs were transplanted into the areas of baldness and thinning, they enabled a whole new crop of healthy follicles to grow. Not only that, but it’s been found that this transplant can even help regenerate follicles that have already been damaged by DHT, resulting in natural, healthy hair growth once more.

How does the treatment work?

The treatment is said to last around 30 minutes, and is performed under local anaesthetic. During the process, the surgeon removes skin containing healthy hair follicles, usually from around the patient’s ear. From this skin, stem cells are carefully extracted and combined with a prepared saline solution, before being injected into the scalp.

If you’re expecting permanent results, you might be disappointed to learn that hair growth from the treatment is only expected to last between two to six years, and the procedure is not yet endorsed by all doctors. It’s still in its new, early days, and more studies need to be carried out to determine the effectiveness of the procedure. Still, though, for anyone who suffers from hair loss or baldness, this may become a common solution at some point in the future. There’s no doubting that it’ll be expensive, but perhaps once the option becomes more widely available, an inevitable price drop will occur.