The Efficacy of Stem Cell Treatment for Alopecia

If we go on a survey asking people what they would like to change about themselves and their appearance, the chances are high that most people would choose weight loss while other people would want a wardrobe full of the latest clothes and designers. Similarly, there would also be people who wouldn’t mind just having full hair with no worries about hair loss in the future. So, if you, the reader, are in this category of people who would take hair improvement over anything, then you should know there’s a treatment that can give you that result.

As alopecia continues to worry an increasing number of people, causing hair loss and low self-acceptance, there’s been a push to find novel and more effective hair loss treatments. Safe to say that this push has hit a gold mine where stem cell treatment is discovered. Stem cell treatment has proven to be a permanent regenerative strategy for all forms of hair loss.

This article will explore what stem cell treatment is for hair loss and demonstrate its efficacy as a treatment for alopecia.

Defining Stem Cells

In the human body, there are about 50,000 to 200,000 stem cells. These cells are the powerhouses of every organ in our body because they give organs the strength to carry out their functions. In a more technical sense, stem cells are primitive undifferentiated cells that reproduce themselves into daughter cells depending on the body’s demand which may include cardiac cells, blood cells, and nerve cells, to mention a few. This means that they don’t have any function until the body needs cells for specific purposes.

This function goes either way. By this, when the body fails to demand new cells for some parts, older cells lose functionality, and the function of such parts declines. This, essentially, creates the nexus between stem cells and hair loss. As such, it is sufficient to say when stem cells escape the hair follicles, triggered by whatever underlying conditions, the hair loss begins. In other words, when the body fails to regrow damaged hair follicles, they aren’t replaced.

So, it becomes evident that stem cells around the hair follicles could bring follicular stimulating activities that can rejuvenate damaged follicles and grow hair. As such, there’s a rediscovery of formerly full and healthy hair.

Stem Cell Treatment for Hair Loss

The process involved in stem cell treatment can be likened to conventional transplant methods, which take from one place and add to another. However, the difference between stem cell treatment and other transplants is that instead of removing hair strands or stripping hair off a particular area, stem cell treatment only takes stem cells. These stem cells are then combined with “PRP” before injection into the scalp.

Another method of stem cell treatment is the extraction of a skin sample with buoyant hairs. This sample is evaluated, and if suitable, it is reproduced and subsequently implanted in the area suffering hair loss. The extraction and implant area naturally propagates hair after the whole process.

Where are Stem Cells for Treatment Derived?

The following are the harvest areas of stem cells for stem cell treatment:

• Extraction from tissues fats
• Extraction from bone marrow
• Extraction from blood draw

Extraction from Tissue Fats

This involves the removal of Adipose tissue from any part of the body. This tissue is commonly found under the skin and contains so many stem cells.

Extraction from Bone Marrow

Extraction from bone marrow involves the collection of stem cells from a soft area of the bone – marrow. It is done by inserting a needle cannula into such an area for extraction.

Extraction from Blood Draw

This extraction is done in the same process blood is extracted from the body using cannulas. The only difference is in the aim, which is to extract stem cells and not just blood.

Can a Patient Use Other People’s Stem Cells?

Even though this is a possibility, it’s usually unsafe and unwise because more harm the donor blood or tissue could cause the host. For instance, if the donor has some transmissible ailments, it could affect the person receiving the blood. So, it is usually advisable to use the patient’s blood or stem cells for stem cell treatment.

Except there’s an underlying autoimmune disorder in the patient which may counteract the potency of the stem cell treatment, extracting the patient’s cell is safer and more clinical.

How Stem Cell Treatment Work

The following are the processes involved in stem cell treatment:

• Extraction of stem cells, whether from fat, blood draw, or bone marrow
• Separation of extracted stem cells from the samples
• Removal of some hair follicles
• Duplication of hair follicles
• Injection of stem cells for growth stimulation of hair follicles
• Injection of stem cells into existing follicles to improve growth rate

The processes involved in stem cell treatment are pain-free, so there’s no need for anesthesia which is a major requirement for other hair transplants.

What’s the Efficacy Level of Stem Cell Treatment for Alopecia?

So far, you’ll have noticed how efficient the stem cell treatment will turn out. However, to ground the submissions of this article deeper, the success of stem cell treatment depends highly on the procedure chosen and the surgeon in charge. A report also claims that within 23weeks, there’s a 29% increase in hair after stem cell treatment. This stat shows that stem cell treatment would be ideal for treating alopecia in patients suffering the condition.

Stem cell treatment service costs could be around $3,000 – $10,000 depending on the surgeon or the extent of the patient’s hair loss. In addition to this, it may also depend on the length of treatment, which usually ranges from 2-6 treatments before results begin to show. Also, subsequent appointments after the transplant should be factored in the cost.

Conclusion

Anyone can benefit from the efficacy of stem cell treatment in treating any form of alopecia condition they have. Hair loss would soon become obsolete, and if it’s seen in some people, it’ll be a matter of choice.