Hair Cloning News: The Dream Is Out There in 2020
If you’re seeing some male pattern hair loss in the mirror, it doesn’t take a lifelong appreciation for science fiction for you to want to turn to futuristic treatments like hair cloning.
The idea is so simple when you’ve spent your life watching futuristic movies: a quick scan from a robot, you can identify bald scalp patches, grab a couple of hair follicles from a donor area and 3D print yourself a whole head of hair in minutes.
Unfortunately, that’s not how things work. Not yet, anyway…
Today, a receding hairline or bald spot can’t be fixed in minutes — in fact, there’s no “cure” for hair loss yet. There are, however, a variety of treatment options available. Hair cloning procedures might not be on the list yet, but they may one day soon join the ranks of proven methods.
Want to know more? Below, we’ve explained hair cloning, the latest research and how realistic this science fiction could be in the future. We’ve also shared some current science-backed ways to treat hair loss until the future becomes now.
What Is Hair Cloning? How Does It Work?
Hair cloning, hair multiplication or whatever else you want to call it is very much an in-development treatment, so put the visuals from your favorite movies aside for a minute.
The hair cloning process creates new hairs from donor hair follicles in a sort of multiplication process.
Research has been ongoing for decades, and you might keep hearing that the procedure is weeks away — that someone is on the verge of making a successful hair cloning process not just possible, but a reality patients can depend on.
Now, it’s important to understand that hair cloning is very different from treatments like hair regeneration or hair restoration surgery, also known as hair transplant surgery.
Regeneration is about making existing follicles start to regrow hair again, while hair transplants, like follicular unit transplantation, move hair follicles from other parts of your body to balding areas.
Cloning, meanwhile, is really about taking one hair, growing a hundred just like it in a petri dish or a test tube and then surgically implanting them on your head.
There are also some procedures like cell therapy, which involves stem cells, that are similar, but not identical.
So does this cloning procedure work yet? Well, no — no it doesn’t. But it’s getting closer.
Hair Cloning 2023 Update
Let’s get one thing clear straight away: there are no pending release dates, no timelines and no products awaiting their elevation to the same famed status as Rogaine.
At this moment, clinical trials are years away and most of the data we have so far is based on animal testing, meaning that human hair isn’t the current standard.
But there are still companies like HairClone, which are trying to capture the market whenever it becomes available. This company’s model focuses on storing your follicular units in cryopreservation for the day when someone can take them and create new hair follicle cells for you.
As for the research into cloning itself, we’ve definitely come a long way in the last decade or so.
Consider the progress:
A 2011 study revealed that it wasn’t a lack of stem cells in hair follicles that led to baldness, but a lack of progenitor cells (which are similar to stem cells). Unlike permanent forms of alopecia, researchers determined that androgenetic alopecia may be reversible because it does not destroy hair follicle stem cells.
In 2013, researchers improved cloning by reshaping the petri dishes they used, which changed the in vitro environment the cells grew in; cells retained their ability to induce hair growth.
In 2019, Stemson Therapeutics announced that they had perfected their approach to growing new hair follicles from human dermal papillae cells (the cells at the bottom of hair follicles) after implantation in mice.
But there hasn’t been much more added to the collective knowledge base since this last study.
When Will Hair Cloning Be Available?
Sadly, science can’t always move quickly — research is trial and error, and until the trials yield many more successes, we’re going to be waiting.
In reality, it may be a while before the hair cloning procedure becomes an FDA-approved, commonplace solution. What’s out there right now simply isn’t proven, and while many researchers have shown it can work, there hasn’t been a lot of consensus on how to make it work every time.
Hair cloning is obviously an interesting idea — and interesting ideas get a lot of attention and research funding — but even what we’ve outlined above represents just a small fraction of what’s needed to get to the “yes it’s ready” stage.
In the meantime, you can prevent hair loss and regrow hair using existing and FDA-approved hair loss treatments like those we’ve listed below.
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Hair Loss Treatments Available Today
So, what can help you today? It depends on what you want to achieve, and how much help your hair needs.
At the moment, the FDA has two approved treatments for hair loss:
Minoxidil, a medication that increases blood flow to the scalp and helps regrow hair.
Finasteride, a medication that reduces the amount of a hormone called DHT in your system, which is thought to kill hair follicles.
Both treatments have been proven to be very effective on their own, but you may want to use both together. In a study published in the journal Dermatologic Therapy, more than 94 percent of men with hair loss who used both treatments showed improvements, versus just 59 percent of men who used minoxidil on its own. We offer a topical finasteride and minoxidil spray, which features both medications to target hair loss from multiple angles.
As for your other options, there are plenty to explore:
Hair care products can help you improve the health of your hair and encourage some extra growth. You may want to consider employing biotin gummies, volumizing shampoo or volumizing conditioner, or even a thickening shampoo with saw palmetto.
Non-surgical hair loss procedures can help you without significant recovery times. Some, like laser hair growth treatments or platelet-rich plasma (PRP) can encourage new hair growth, while others like scalp micropigmentation and microneedling can be used to mask bald spots and thinning hair.
Hair transplant surgery involves grafting DHT-resistant hairs (donor grafts) from the other areas of your scalp and relocating them to your hairline or elsewhere. There are several types of transplant — FUT & FUE hair transplants and NeoGraft each work slightly differently.
Shop by treatment options
No matter the treatment plan, the best place to start is somewhere. Early action is the best hair loss prevention.
Hair Hybrids by Hims
The Combination Hair Loss Spray
From £26/month
This spray treatment combines two active ingredients used for treating hair loss and hair regrowth.
Important Safety Information
Hair Hybrids by Hims
The Combination Hair Loss Serum
From £26/month
This serum treatment combines two active ingredients used for treating hair loss and hair regrowth.
Important Safety Information
Generic Treatment
Finasteride & Minoxidil Combo Kit
From £30/month
This combo kit includes two treatments. The once-daily tablet is clinically proven to stop hair loss. The alcohol-free topical serum, applied twice daily, is used for hair regrowth.
Important Safety Information
Generic Treatment
Finasteride
From £23/month
This once-daily tablet is clinically proven to stop hair loss.
Important Safety Information
Hair Hybrids by Hims
Alcohol-free Minoxidil Serum
From £21/month
This alcohol-free topical serum, applied twice daily, is used for hair regrowth
Important Safety Information
Important safety information for Topical Finasteride & Minoxidil Spray, Topical Finasteride & Minoxidil Solution, Finasteride & Minoxidil, Finasteride, or Minoxidil.
The Final Word on Hair Cloning
Cloning hair isn’t a widely available hair loss treatment yet. While mice and people from a few studies in Japan may be getting all of the perks, right now we know way too little about the potential benefits of hair regrowth with this method — and almost nothing about potential side effects.
If you want healthy hair, you’ll need to turn to proven treatments.
Here are some important facts to know about hair loss, while we wait for the science to catch up with fiction:
There is currently no cure for baldness.
Male pattern baldness is genetic, but other factors can either cause or contribute to hair loss. Some health issues — such as chronic stress, nutritional issues, hormonal health issues or illnesses that cause fever — can cause a form of temporary hair shedding called telogen effluvium.
Hair loss can also develop as a result of autoimmune disease, inflammation or physical tension that’s placed on your hair follicles by a tight hairstyle or harsh styling product.
Hair loss is common, but it can still cause low self-confidence and affect your quality of life. Hair loss may even cause anxiety, especially if it has a sudden, significant impact on your appearance.
Worried about losing your hair now or in the future? Our guide to the best treatments for thinning hair can help you plan for what’s to come. It provides information about how to treat and prevent hair loss using today’s technology, without having to wait for cloning or other treatments.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment or medication.
