The technique of hair cloning is being increasingly funded and researched for the treatment of balding and hair loss in adults. Some experts even predict that, by the time it is available to the public, it will eclipse hair transplants altogether, and more and more people will choose it as the better alternative. Hair cloning could be the easier, safer way to a fuller and thicker head of hair, once any difficulties of development are solved.
What is hair cloning?
The act of cloning hair is when healthy hair follicles are extracted from the patient and then cultivated in vitro to produce hundreds more, which will then be replaced in the scalp of the patient and begin to grow normally. The concept of ‘hair cloning’ however, is a little different to this, and is better described as hair multiplication. The surgeon removed healthy follicles from the patient’s scalp and then implants them straight back in, where they will regenerate. The germinative cells at the base of the hair should generate a new follicle which will begin to produce hair on its own.
Unfortunately, there has been a number of problems with this method during the development process – it has been found that only a small number of germinative cells can be extracted with each piece of hair, which means that it’s difficult for them to generate a new healthy follicle. Researchers are constantly working to find solutions and bring the concept of hair cloning to clinics across the UK, so we can expect that it will become a reality sooner rather than later, regardless of the hurdles still to be overcome.
What are the advantages?
Once the process of hair cloning is perfected, there will be very little side effects, unlike the usage of enzyme inhibitors which can produce side effects of dizziness and rashes. It also won’t leave scarring or require much of a recovery period, unlike hair transplants. The procedure is relatively short, also, which means that there is little time waiting around and less risk of complications due to the ease of the procedure. Finally, the results of hair cloning are permanent if the procedure is successful, so no repeat procedures are required and you can get on with life with a fuller, thicker head of hair which is there to stay.
