Both stem cell hair restoration and traditional hair transplant procedures are designed to achieve permanent hair restoration.
The difference between the two is that instead of removing a substantial number of hairs to transplant in the site of hair loss, a stem cell hair transplant removes a very small skin sample from which hair follicles are harvested.
Subsequently, the follicles are replicated in a laboratory and implanted back into the scalp in the sites of hair loss. This enables hair to grow in the area where the follicles were sourced from as well as in the area where they are transplanted.
Modern Body Contouring & Laser Center, led by board certified plastic surgeons Dr. Burton M. Sundin and Dr. Reps B. Sundin, provides Restoration Stem Cell Therapy for hair loss to patients in Northern Virginia, Washington DC, Vienna, McLean, Loudoun, Ashburn, Tysons Corner, Reston, Arlington, Chevy Chase, Richmond, Fredericksburg, and surrounding communities.
What are Stem Cells?
Stem cells refer to cells that can potentially develop into various types of cells found in the body. These cells are unspecialized and are not able to perform specific tasks in the body.
But they can divide and renew themselves to remain either as stem cells or develop into other kinds of cells. They are capable of repairing specific tissues in the body by dividing and replacing compromised tissues.
The Procedure
The stem cell hair restoration treatment commences with a punch biopsy to excise stem cells from the patient. This biopsy involves using a tool with a circular blade. This instrument is rotated into the skin to extract a cylindrical tissue sample.
The stem cells and tissue are segregated in a special machine known as a centrifuge. This leaves a cell suspension that is injected back into the scalp in the sites of hair loss.
Various research teams are working on stem cell hair loss treatments. The procedures may be slightly different, but they are all based on developing new hair follicles in a lab using a small sample of skin from the patient.
At present, there are some clinics that offer a version of stem cell hair transplants to patients. These are not US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved and are considered investigational.
The FDA issued a warning on stem cell treatments in 2017 advising anyone seeking these treatments to choose procedures that are either FDA-approved or being researched under an Investigational New Drug Application (which the FDA authorizes).
Patients can undergo these procedures in the provider’s office as outpatients. The procedures involve the removal of fat cells from the patient’s hip or abdomen using liposuction under local anesthesia. The stem cells are extracted from the fat using a special process. These stem cells are then injected into the scalp. The time taken for this procedure is around three hours.
Clinics offering this procedure cannot presently offer a guarantee for the procedure results. The outcomes, if any, differ between patients. To see superior results, the patient may require multiple treatments over several months.
Some studies indicate that stem cell hair transplants may be effective in the treatment of various hair loss conditions, which include:
- Male androgenetic alopecia (male pattern baldness)
- Androgenetic alopecia (female pattern baldness)
- Cicatricial alopecia (hair follicles are destroyed, and scar tissue replaces these follicles)
Stem Cell Hair Restoration Recovery
Patients can expect some pain after the procedure, but it should subside within one week. While there is no specific recovery period, patients should not perform excessive exercise for a week.
Some degree of scarring at the site of the fat removal is expected. The patient should ask someone to drive them back home after the procedure as they will be under the effects of local anesthesia.
Plastic surgeons at MBody receive patients from Northern Virginia, Washington DC, Vienna, McLean, Loudoun, Ashburn, Tysons Corner, Reston, Arlington, Chevy Chase, Richmond, Fredericksburg, and nearby areas for Restoration Stem Cell Therapy for hair loss.
For more information on the surgical and non-surgical procedures and treatments by Board Certified Cosmetic Plastic Surgeons Dr. Reps Sundin and Dr. Burton Sundin please visit
Serving Northern Virginia, Washington DC, Vienna, McLean, Fairfax, Loudoun County, Ashburn, Tysons Corner, Reston, Arlington, Fredricksburg, Chevy Chase, Potomac, Maryland Richmond, VA and surrounding communities.
