Liposuction and hair growth – the ultimate BOGOF?
If you could walk into a clinic one day and leave an hour or so later with a flatter stomach and the promise of hair growth, with 50% more hairs on your head in a few month’s time, would you do it?
It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it. But according to a piece in the Mail, it might not be far off from becoming reality.
It’s all about the stem cells
Stem cell treatment for hair loss has long been considered to be the ultimate goal. But while research into the subject continues apace, we have yet to see a stem cell hair loss treatment become widely available.
However, a team of researchers in Spain performed a 2017 study using a treatment called Kerastem. This treatment harvests stem cells from fat taken from the patient’s abdomen and uses them to boost hair growth.
The study showed some pretty impressive results, with one patient seeing the number of hairs on his head almost double during the trial. In early 2020, an American doctor performed another trial of the treatment, which also produced promising data.
The treatment is now available in the US (although final trials have not yet been concluded), priced at the equivalent of £8,000.
An unofficial study
Intrigued by the sound of this new treatment, journalists from the Mail on Sunday took it upon themselves to launch their own study. A year ago, it recruited both a male and a female candidate for treatment, both suffering from significant hair thinning.
According to the Mail, three and a half months after treatment, both patients saw their hair volume increase by 20%. After a year, the volume of hair at the crown, temples and back of the head had almost doubled. Pretty impressive stuff!
A few caveats
Before you go beating down the door of your nearest hair loss clinic to demand this new treatment, there are a few things to consider.
The ideal candidate should be at the early stages of hair loss. While it will still work on people whose hair loss is more advanced, it’s not going to provide you with the luscious locks you might hope for.
You also need to be carrying at least a couple of extra pounds around your stomach. Experts advise they need to be able to remove around ‘a coke can’s worth’ of stomach fat in order to harvest the stem cells.
Whilst the treatment does look very promising, it is worth noting that final trials have not yet been concluded. When a procedure involves a degree of surgical intervention, it is always a good idea to be certain that it is safe as well as effective.
If you’d like to explore some hair loss treatment options that are already available, why not contact us today to book a consultation with one of our hair loss experts.
