Hair restoration is a thriving field with many innovations and techniques being introduced everyday. Hair cloning is one such revolutionary breakthrough. This blog is a detailed guide to hair cloning, its methods, and potential benefits that may be the answer to the ever growing demand for hair loss therapies.
What is Hair Cloning?
When an exact replication of a cell, tissue, organ, or organism is performed in a laboratory setting, it is known as cloning. Replicating hair follicles in the lab and implanting them in areas of hair loss or bald spots is known as hair cloning.
Traditional methods of hair restoration currently in practice include various forms of hair transplants, hair growth medications, and other supportive lifestyle modifications. Each of these treatment options have their specific limitations. Hair cloning is proposed as a hair restoration technique that will have favorable results irrespective of the types of hair loss.
How is the Cloning of Hair Performed?
Cloning of hair centers around two types of hair follicle cells:
- Growth Stimulating Hair Cells – Dermal Papilla
- Structural Support Hair Cells – Keratinocytes
To perform hair cloning, most labs take normal functioning hair follicles from the scalp. Both growth stimulating dermal papilla cells and structural support cells or keratinocytes are isolated from this hair follicle sample. These cells undergo various processes to increase them in number. Hair cloning techniques aim to inject or implant these versatile cells into the areas of the scalp suffering from hair loss.
Once the hair cells are injected, they naturally grow to cover the bald patches or thinning hair. The process carries a lot of promise and research is still ongoing to improve the outcome, stability, and orientation of the new hair follicles.
Are Hair Cloning and Hair Multiplication the Same?
Although, at times the two terms are used to refer to the process of cloning of hair, they are not the same. During hair cloning, cells from the hair follicle (dermal papilla and keratinocytes) are replicated in a laboratory. Once these cells multiply, they are injected into the areas suffering from loss of hair or bald patches.
Hair multiplication, on the other hand, is a process that involves taking a sample of the hair follicle itself or attempts to multiply the existing hair follicles in the scalp. The easiest way to understand the two hair restoration techniques is that one aims to replicate hair follicles while the other increases the available hair follicles for better implantation.
What are Concerns of Hair Cloning Technologies?
Hair cloning is the up and coming technique in hair restoration. It gives a lot of hope to individuals suffering from irreversible hair loss and thinning. However, like any other new technology, hair cloning technology has its concerns. These include:
Long-term Safety
Cloning procedures always raise concerns of long-term safety and the possibility of unforeseen side-effects.
Ethical Questions
The ethics of cloning of any kind, particularly for cosmetic restoration, is up for debate.
Cost
Like any experimental treatment, the affordability of hair cloning for a regular patient is a legitimate concern.
Oversight
Control and oversight of a process that may have potential ethical and safety implications is a challenge for regulatory authorities of hair restoration procedures.
What is Happening in Hair Cloning Progress?
Researchers have been able to achieve some success in hair cloning. There have been positive improvements in replication and multiplication of hair follicle cells in lab settings. Trials by several labs or companies are continuing with promising outcomes. Work is being done in stem cell related hair regrowth, 3D follicular generation, and culturing hair growth stimulating cells or dermal papilla.If the progress of this research continues at this rate, the technology will be available for widespread clinical use in the next 5 to 10 years.
Which is Better, Hair Cloning or Hair Transplantation?
At this point, hair transplantation procedures appear to be the more viable choice in terms of hair loss. Hair transplantation is easily accessible, affordable, and the risk of scarring is low with newer techniques. However, hair transplantation requires healthy donor hairs, a stable hair loss pattern, and the number of hair follicles remains the same.
It is still experimental and its full hair cloning results have yet to be explored. It has the potential to provide an unlimited supply of hair follicles without the need for healthy donor hair or a stable hair loss pattern. Due to its nature, hair cloning will be an expensive hair transplantation procedure initially.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is an ideal candidate for hair cloning?
Individuals with low supply of healthy donor hair, alopecia (scarring), and severe hair loss are ideal for hair cloning.
Is hair cloning treatment available to patients?
Hair cloning is still not available for widespread and public use.
Are hair cloning results better than transplantation?
Currently, hair transplantation provides better ending compared to the hair cloning results.
Is hair cloning affordable?
No. Once it becomes available, the early hair cloning treatment will probably be expensive.
Is hair cloning safe?
Early studies show a good safety profile, however, the results of human trials are still pending.
