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How many years away is hair cloning? [2021 Update]

This an update on the quest for hair cloning technology in 2021.

The article is a transcript of my video on the subject.

So it’s fair to say, when hair cloning is finally here, hair loss will be history.

The question is, when is it going to be here? To answer this question?,

I looked at the biggest companies doing hair cloning research today to find out exactly where they at, and from all that research,

I’ve been able to estimate roughly how many years before hair cloning is available on the market. 

How does hair cloning work?

So let’s explain how hair cloning works. It’s really, really very simple.

It’s actually very similar to the hair transplant procedure itself with the one major difference.

So just like with hair transplants, you start by taking a strip of hair, usually from the back of the head.

And from these hairs, you take special types of cells that are able to replicate themselves, and you replicate them in a dish just like this.

This happens all in the lab.

And then you take your brand new hair that has been cloned and grown, and you transplant it back into the client or a patient’s scalp.

It’s really as simple as that.

Advantages of hair cloning

So let’s kick things off by talking about why hair cloning is so exciting.

What are the advantages of hair cloning? The first advantage is that it’s a source of limitless supply.

So at the moment, if your donor area is kind of weak, you can maybe afford to have one, maybe two hair transplants before you run out.

With hair cloning, you just have a limitless supply. You just clone some more hair every time you need a hair transplant.

So you can have as many hair transplanted as you want. The second advantage is that the hair is biologically identical to your own hair.

So there’s no worries about rejection or anything like that. And it’s suitable for even the severely bald.

So even if you have very, very weak, minimal donor area, then hair cloning is going to make a full head of hair possible for you.

The main advantage of hair cloning is the possibility of limitless supply of donor hair.
Summary

Now let’s have a quick look at some of the big companies that have been doing hair cloning research, and exactly where they’re at today.

So let me take you back about 10, 15 years. So back in the 2000s and the early 2010s, universities were leading the research.

So there was lots of universities participating in the research to get this hair cloning science all set up, but all the universities have slowly scaled back the operation.

Now, all the research, almost all of it is led by private companies. Now it’s a really interesting question why the universities are pulled out.

Was it getting too expensive? Did they realize that …

It can’t be because they think there’s no market for it, because let’s be honest, whoever cracks hair cloning is going to be an overnight billionaire.

So it can’t be because of a lack of market. Possibly they might’ve thought the technical difficulties are just too much, and this is beyond them financially.

I think that’s the most likely reason. But anyway, now all the research is done by private companies.

Japan, which is the leading country at the moment in terms of hair cloning research have a partnership of a company called Shiseido and RepliCel,

which was really, really promising, because we’re using a specific technique called the dermal sheath cup.

They were getting cells with this dermal sheath cup and cloning them in massive numbers.

And they published their phase two trial in March this year, but the results were very disappointing, very underwhelming.

And some people said that the results were barely better than what you get with Regaine, the spray solution for hair loss that’s been around for 20 years.

So very disappointing results so far.

Now let’s have a quick look at some of the big companies that have been doing hair cloning research, and exactly where they’re at today.

So let me take you back about 10, 15 years. So back in the 2000s and the early 2010s, universities were leading the research.

There were lots of universities participating in the research to get this hair cloning science all set up, but all the universities have slowly scaled back the operation.

Now, all the research, almost all of it is led by private companies. Now it’s a really interesting question why the universities are pulled out.

Was it getting too expensive? Did they realize that …

It can’t be because they think there’s no market for it, because let’s be honest, whoever cracks hair cloning is going to be an overnight billionaire.

So it can’t be because of a lack of market. Possibly they might’ve thought the technical difficulties are just too much, and this is beyond them financially.

I think that’s the most likely reason. But anyway, now all the research is done by private companies.

Japanese companies have been leading the search to crack hair cloning technology
Summary

Dr Tsuji and Riken

The next company is a company called Riken, which partnered with an electronics giant in Japan, led by a chap called Dr. Tsuji.

And in 2018, they announced that they aim to have a product in the market by 2020, but so far no news.

But they’ve just made an announcement, I think in August this year, so last month. The way I found out this news is bit of a long-winded way.

And that guy, that’s Dr. Tsuji apparently, and this is a Japanese YouTuber who does the hair transplant videos like this channel.

And apparently he met with Dr. Tsuji last month in August, 2020.

And Dr. Tsuji told him apparently that they found a product that has outperformed minoxidil, or Regaine,

and they hope to have this product in the market to start testing this product very, very soon.

So it seems they’ve made a breakthrough, but it’s not been widely announced-

Stemson

Next company is in the good old USA. That should say Stemson, with an M.

Apologies for that spelling error. So Stemson is a very new company, only two years old, and let’s have a quick look at their website.

I couldn’t really see any kind of breakthrough news or anything like that.

They just educate you about the way they’re working and their aim to have this technology cracked.

But nothing, no breakthroughs as yet. And they were planning to launch trials in early 2021.

That’s probably not going to happen because of the current climate.

There’s probably been delays with their plans anyway, so I totally think this is going to happen.

The HASCI method

Now, there’s a really exciting method already available in the market that blends the principles of hair transplantation and hair cloning.

Let’s have a look. I couldn’t really do this video without mentioning this. The HASCI method.

So there’s already a hair cloning type of procedure available, and it hasn’t been available for many years,

and it’s available in the Netherlands, the UK, and Indonesia.

I think possibly also France, but I’ll have to double check that.

So this is the HASCI method, and the idea behind it is very similar to hair transplants.

You kind of get the hair and transplants it from the donor area into the bald area.

But the difference is you actually take apart of the hair and you leave the growing part in the scalp,

so that in a few months time, the hair regrows and then you can go back and harvest it again.

So basically you leave the hair growing. That means you don’t deplete your donor area.

Very, very clever methods. To be honest, I haven’t come across any clients who’ve had this work. So this is something …

I might actually do a review of it. It’s very exciting.

So the obvious advantage is that you can do repeat harvesting of the same donor area, especially good for people who have weak donor areas.

The HASCI method claims to use hair cloning technology; and it is available now.
Summary

Why is hair cloning proving difficult to master?

So why has it proven so difficult to clone hair? Because hair, if you think about it, is just a strand of keratin.

So why is it so difficult? From what I understand, the first challenge is that it’s proven quite difficult to get a good number of germinative cells.

So these are the cells that can actually replicate. So it’s proven quite difficult to get a good number of this.

Poor survival after implantation, so this is after you’ve implanted the cloned hair, the survival has not been good.

And finally, it has been difficult to control the growth direction. So they found that the hair, the way the hair grows,

instead of growing upward, some hair were growing sideways, and some hair were actually growing into the scalp, causing ingrown hair and possibly infections.

So this has proven a challenge as well.

How many years away is hair cloning?

So how many years is it going to take? So back in 2010 people were saying that this is going to take Five to seven years,

And then five to seven years came.

They said, “Oh, it’s going to be another five years, and then another five years, and it’s just being carrying on ever since.

Realistically, looking at the data that I’ve seen so far, I think we are a minimum of 10 years away from having hair cloning on the market.

It’s disappointing but I think the challenge has proven a lot more difficult than anyone realized.

 

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Can Hair Transplants Fall Out?

Hair transplants can seem like a lot of trouble and a costly antidote to baldness, and that’s because they are.

The good news is when they work, they can work wonders and the technology and price point is getting better.

The bad news is when they don’t, it can all unravel – almost literally, as your hair transplants fall out.

That said, while stress and other factors can cause hair transplants to fall out,

it doesn’t have to be that way so to avoid a bad hair day (and thousands of dollars down the drain),

let’s talk transplant longevity and healthy scalps.

In this article, we will answer the interesting question; can hair transplants fall out?

can hair transplants fall out?

Shock loss

Shock loss can cause hair transplants to fall out, although this is entirely normal and expected.

Firstly, it must be said that most hair transplants do indeed stay in place for a long time, if not permanently.

Your mileage may vary depending on the type of transplant and professionalism of the doctor but with a modern hair transplant performed by a qualified surgeon.

You shouldn’t be afraid that it’ll be an all too “temporary” investment.

Hair transplants can fall out temporarily, usually very shortly after the hair transplant procedure.

Shock Hair Loss is the most common culprit here.

This typically occurs between two to eight weeks after the initial hair graft in an FUE or FUT transplant and involves “shedding” of the transplanted hairs.

However, this isn’t nearly as bad as it sounds as it simply means that your grafts have entered “a resting phase,” which means that they’re healthy, and have taken root, and can grow fresh follicles.

That said, when hair transplants do go bad, cheapness and unprofessional work are often to blame.

In contrast to more natural FUE and FUT hair grafts, hair plugs can pop out more easily.

While it’s normal for natural hair to shed a bit and hair transplants will shed slightly as new follicles push out the initial planted ones, you should not be losing a ton of transplanted hair.

If you are, then consider that scarring, poor grafts, stress, and trauma can all make a hair transplant go bad.

Loss of non-permeant hair

Another way transplanted hair can be lost is the loss of non-permeant hair.

If the surgeon had taken donor hair from an area of the scalp that was bound to thin, then it is inevitable that hair will eventually be lost.

This is why most quality surgeons chose hair from the back and sides of the scalp, because this is likely to be permeant hair.

Hair from top of the head or crown is usually very risky in terms of donor hair.

How Long Do Hair Transplants Last?

Given the fact that a FUT hair transplant can cost hundreds of dollars in Greece or Turkey and thousands in the US, UK, and Canada, you might naturally wonder about the lifetime of the treatment.

Thankfully, when done properly, hair transplants can last the rest of your life.

The reason for that is that when it comes to hair loss, the fault resides in your follicles and genetics, not your scalp.

Think of hair follicles as seeds and your scalp as fertile soil.

Even if a seed or the stalk that’s grown from it has died off, new seeds can grow anew as long as the soil remains fertile.

The same holds true for your scalp: as long as it’s healthy, transplanting new hair follicles when done properly, should function the same as planting seeds.

That’s why hair transplants don’t just give you a temporary new head of hair but help you naturally regrow hair after a while, hence why you “shed” that initial shock of hair.

 

factors that mke hair transplants expensive

Tips on protecting transplanted hair

Of course, you naturally want to do everything that you can to preserve your hair follicles and maintain the integrity of your hair transplant.

One of the most important steps you can take is to use medication to stimulate growth, produce extra DHT, heal graft wounds, or otherwise bolster your hair transplant.

Minoxidil and Finasteride are popular examples of medications used for this effect.

The timing of your hair transplant can also have a major impact on how well it minimizes hair loss and maximizes the effect.

Tempting as it may be to have a hair transplant the instant your hair starts to thin or fall out, it is actually better to wait until the rate of hair loss stabilizes.

Doing so can allow the graft to be done with greater care, ensuring that you’re covering every area that’s necessary so you don’t have some areas “fixed” while others continue to “shed.”

Finally, volumizers and similar products can help give some depth and color to your transplants.

By heeding these hair transplant tips, you can get the most out of them and make them last longer.

Shock loss and the loss of non-permeant hair are the two main ways hair transplants can be lost. But both can be managed and avoided.
Summary
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Can Hair Transplants Be Covered by Insurance?

Health insurance cover for hair transplants | US, UK and Australia

When it comes to searching for insurance for hair transplants, you’d better make sure it’s private insurance you’re searching for.

From ACA-approved programs in the United States to the NHS in the UK,  to Canadian plans such as the Ontario Health Insurance Plan, public healthcare systems will not cover your hair transplant.

In Australia, health insurance won’t cover hair transplants at all.

Instead, you’ll need to look to private insurance, or as the case is in Australia, to eschew insurance altogether and look into private loans to secure the funds necessary for a hair transplant.

The reason for all of these countries’ health insurance systems denying coverage for hair transplants is the same – with a few exceptions, is because hair transplants are considered a “cosmetic” choice, and are thus not covered by government health care.

Either way, these options provide coverage for hair transplants that standard government health care simply cannot.

For example, while NHS does not supply coverage for “cosmetic” procedures, private health insurance in the UK can indeed cover you for treatment.

Here are some of the companies which provide private health insurance for hair transplants:

  • BUPA and BUPA International
  • Axa
  • CIGNA
  • Axa
  • Allianz
  • Henner
  • Vitality Health
  • Simply Health
  • International SOS
In UK, North America and Australia, hair transplants are considered cosmetic procedures and are therefore not covered by government health schemes. But there is an alternative as discussed in previous section
Summary
Can Hair Transplants Be Covered by Insurance?-img

When are hair transplants covered by government health insurance?

Hair loss has the unique, and awful ability to rob us of our confidence and leave us feeling weaker than we could ever imagine.

We’ve known that since the story of Samson and Delilah, or even “Simpson and Delilah,” an early episode of The Simpsons where Homer regrows his hair with a special prescription and reaps all the societal and workplace awards that come with a full head of hair.

The trouble is, then as now, hair regrowth formulas and treatments can be expensive, which is why Homer puts the bill on his health insurance.

However, if you’re thinking that sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is.

In addition to the fact hair transplants are typically seen as a cosmetic procedure, baldness itself doesn’t constitute a life-threatening condition.

Unfortunately, as you and Homer know too well, it can be a lifestyle-threatening one.

As such, you’re faced with a basic choice.

Homer took the former route in the episode, putting down on his healthcare form that he was buying the hair growth formula “to stop my brain from freezing.”

Needless to say, that doesn’t fool people for long, and Homer soon finds himself staring down the possibility of answering for healthcare fraud – something you definitely don’t want to experience yourself.

As such, you find yourself faced with two possible choices – find a way to declare that you need your hair transplant for non-cosmetic means, or look at other means of covering the procedure.

However, the former may not be worth it, since typically, if you’re pursuing a hair transplant for non-cosmetic means,

it’s the result of a pretty serious accident or condition. This can include your scalp being ripped open by an auto accident or the loss of hair due to chemo.

Again, these are extremely serious, genuinely life-threatening conditions, and obviously not worth having (or faking) just so you can get a hair transplant.

There a handful of scenarios where hair transplants can be covered by government health schemes
Summary

Finding Insurance Coverage | Your options

That said, some health insurance plans include coverage for wigs for these and other medical conditions, such as hair loss due to thyroid or kidney issues, alopecia, or severe stress.

Some may do the same for hair transplants, though this is rarer as these procedures tend to cost more, albeit with permanent, realistic results.

Short of suffering a medical condition or severe accident, therefore, your best bet of finding a way to have your health insurance cover your hair transplant is to find a plan that offers protections for those highly-specific conditions.

Needless to say, that’s easier said than done, and it might honestly be easier to go with the aforementioned method of simply finding a private loan or other service that can cover the cost.

Taking out insurance after your hair transplant

Let’s say you’ve either found coverage or taken out a loan and have finally gotten your hair transplant.

You’ve already spent four if not five figures on this operation, so you don’t want an accident ruining your hair transplant and making all that spending in vain.

What should you do?

Everyone knows Regina George in Mean Girls has her hair insured for $10,000 (that’s the rumor, anyway), so your best bet might be to try and do the same.

This isn’t just relegated to the world of Tina Fey comedies, either – Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu had his hair insured (and for more than Regina, $1,000,000!), so it is possible.

Odd as it may seem to insure your hair, when you’re spending that much on something, it makes sense to protect it.

Contact a property insurance provider and see what they recommend as to the best way to insure your hair against long-term damage.

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Are Hair Transplants Worth it?

What Are the Expectations?

If you’re experiencing hair loss, it’s natural to want to prevent it from going further or even to reverse the effects.

Hair transplants are a great way to get back the look of a full head of hair.

When we say a “full head of hair”, we don’t mean the hair you had at 18!

That’s never going to happen.

The treatment is essentially moving the hair follicles you already have to different places in your scalp to cover up any thinning or bald spots.

You are not making new hair!

A hair transplant can yield sensational result

But you are giving the illusion of more hair – and if done well, the results can be sensational.

It’s possible for this movement of follicles to visibly thin out places on your scalp that were previously thicker.

This procedure works best with scalps that have select areas of thinning hair, such as on the top or back of your head.

It doesn’t work as well for diffusely thinned scalp.

Having a full head of hair like in your teen years is impossible with a hair transplant, but eliminating obvious hair loss is entirely possible.
Summary

The Impact of Hair Loss | Can a hair transplant reverse it?

Hair loss, while normal, can have a significant impact on your self-esteem and confidence.

This is especially true if you start losing hair at a younger age than you had expected to.

While losing hair itself probably won’t have an impact on your career, the loss of confidence you might have due to hair loss will.

Losing confidence has a strong impact on how you present yourself and communicate with others, both in your work and social settings.

With less confidence, you might perform worse at your job or not do as well in interviews.

It also might make it harder to go out and meet new people.

Depending on the severity of your loss of confidence and self esteem, it might even make it harder to do things that used to seem easy and mundane,

such as a trip to the grocery store or going out with a friend.

It’s important to deal with this loss of self-esteem and confidence before it has a strong impact on your quality of life.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to get a hair transplant and remove the source of the problem.

From the client’s feedback, a hair transplant has often proved to be a huge self-esteem boost.

are hair transplants worth it?

The pros and cons of a hair transplanr

Having hair would give you your confidence back.

While regaining a full head of hair isn’t the only way to rebuild confidence after hair loss, it’s a great way to get back to the way you were before you started to lose hair.

Recovery Time

Hair transplants are a surgical procedure and therefore have a recovery time is associated with them.

The average recovery time for a hair transplant has three different stages.

You will probably be able to return to work after about two to five days after your surgery. 

But most people will probably not do this because the scalp still appears red and raw.

After about two to three weeks, the transplanted hair will fall out.

Don’t worry, because this is something that is expected to happen and will regrow in time.

The final stage is the growth phase.

 

Results

Another factor is that results require patience.

This is not an overnight fix.

Once the transplanted hair falls out, new hair will regrow in those follicles and you will begin to see the full results of your treatment.

Most of the hair will be visible again within six to nine months.

Hair growth is a process that takes time.

Risk of Complications

Hair transplants are surgical procedures so there are always risks and complications that can arise.

The following are a few of the most common complications and side effects.

You will most likely have pain due to the nature of the procedure.

 

Your scalp will be cut into and your head has a lot of nerves in it.

Over time, the pain will fade.

Scarring is one of the most common side effects of this procedure.

Depending on which type of procedure you have opted for, you might have one long scar down your head or several smaller scars where follicles were added.

It’s also possible that your results will be asymmetrical.

Make sure that you are careful about the lines drawn on the area that will receive the transplant so the application is even.

If you have any kind of trauma to your head soon after the procedure, it could dislodge the transplants.

Make sure that you deal with this issue immediately or else it won’t be repairable.

Cost

Hair transplants aren’t cheap!

Since hair transplants are a cosmetic surgery, most insurance plans will not cover the price of the procedure.

cost of hair transplants
hair transplants can be costly

Depending on how extensive your hair loss is, getting a transplant could cost you anywhere between $4000 to $15,000.

Some procedures will leave scars, which can be permanent.

Hair loss as you age is inevitable for both men and women.

As you continue to age, your hair will naturally get thinner.

You may need to get another hair transplant to cover the scars or else they will be visible.

There is also a social stigma to consider.

Cosmetic treatments are often looked down on and the recipient of the procedure might be labelled as vain.

Hair transplants will probably be obvious to those who know you so make sure that you are okay with others knowing that you got the procedure.

Cost, recovery time and the variation in results are all important factors in a hair transplant decision
Summary

Should You Get a Hair Transplant?

Getting a hair transplant would be the most beneficial if you have insurance that would cover the cosmetic surgery or if you have enough money to be able to easily afford it.

Because there are other methods at your disposal to help you regain your confidence, hair transplant procedures are not always the best option.

If the cost of the procedure is something that is going to make a significant impact on your finances, you should explore other options before getting a hair transplant.

However, the longer you wait before getting a hair transplant, the more your hair thinning will progress.

As you lose more hair, the cost of the procedure will likely only get higher and it will be more difficult to create very noticeable results.

Getting a hair transplant should be something that you take time to think over before getting the procedure;

however, if you wait too long, it could harm your chances of having a successful procedure.

Talk to your doctor for some professional advice on whether or not you would be a good candidate for a hair transplant procedure.

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How to Safely Sleep After a Hair Transplant [Easy method]

Few thoughts are more hair-raising to people who have recently had a hair transplant than the thought of those newly implanted hair follicles falling right out again.

You need to be extremely gentle and careful with your scalp in the days after your surgery, which means avoiding extreme temperatures and pressure on your scalp.

This is one reason why it is extremely important to make sure that you don’t wear tight hats, motorcycle helmets, or other headgear that could dislodge these follicles or stunt their growth.

The same goes for sleeping. You may not think it is a major problem, but it’s one of the sneakiest causes of accidental post-op hair loss.

That’s why you’ll want to pay attention to these sleep tips for protecting your hair after an FUT or FUE operation.

Sleeping tips | Keep Your Sheets and Pillowcases Clean

One of the biggest threats to your sensitive scalp post-op is the threat of a buildup of dirt and sweat, both of which can be exacerbated by a dirty pillowcase. 

If you keep sleeping on the same dirty or sweat-soaked pillowcase, your scalp will be one of the first things to suffer. 

That’s why you’ll want to clean your sheets and pillowcases regularly. 

In addition, you should make sure that you clean them without detergents that can irritate your scalp.

Sleeping with tight hats,in hot/cold bedrooms or on dirty pillows can pose a threat after a recent hair transplant
Summary

Sleeping tips | Place a Towel on Your Pillow

Don’t be freaked out at the sight of a few loose follicles – that’s normal shortly after a hair transplant.

However, you don’t want it to stick to your sheets and get stuck back onto your scalp with sweat because of the issues mentioned above. 

Besides, this kind of leakage can stain your sheets. 

For this reason, you’ll want to place a towel atop your pillow that can catch this leakage and those loose follicles.

Sleep on Your Back

How to sleep after a hair transplant ?| On Your Back

If you sleep on your stomach, you can rub the sides of your head and move back and forth while you sleep. 

Needless to say, this is not a good idea. Instead, you’ll want to sleep on your back.

In addition, you’ll want to sleep with your head in an elevated position. 

This is once again designed to help keep your head from rubbing back and forth across the pillow or otherwise brushing up against your bed in such a way as to shake those hair follicles loose. 

Whenever possible, keep your head propped up on pillows at a 45-degree angle, especially in the first three or four days after your operation. 

Not only does this help control the amount of shedding and leakage, but it can also help cut down on swelling and make the healing process go that much faster.

That said, while you want to sleep with your head reclined at such an angle, you don’t want it to hit your headboard, as this too can shake loose some follicles. 

An easy fix here is to place a pillow between your head and your headboard. 

Something little like that might not seem like much, but it can make a big difference in helping ensure that you don’t get patchy spots in your new head of hair 

from extra follicles being shaken loose and thus achieving a more satisfying result overall.

Keeping your head elevated and at a 45 degree angle is preferred while sleeping.
Summary

FUE VS FUT | Impact on sleeping

FUT hair transplants are technically more invasive and traumatic.  

 

The healing times tend to be longer with FUT, so naturally you have take extra care with your sleeping arrangement after an FUT.

Particularly at the donor site, where the grafts are taken from.

So, avoid sleeping on your back (as FUT grafts are usually from the back of the head).

Also expect a longer healing time after an FUT. so your sleeping arrangement will face a more prolonged change.

 

Sleep Regularly

You have just had an operation, which means you need to rest. 

The more you rest, the faster your recovery will be. 

That being said, quality counts as much as quantity when it comes to sleep, and that means making sure that you maintain a good sleep pattern. 

This is especially true in those all-important three or four days after your hair transplant.

Take it Easy

In keeping with the tips above, you’ll want to make sure that you take it easy in the hours leading up to bedtime.

Do not engage in any especially strenuous activities, and refrain from alcohol.

Doing this can lessen the amount of sweat you have on your scalp when you go to bed, and can likewise lessen the overall strain you face, thereby enabling you to heal that much easier.

In the immediate aftermath of your surgery, little things such as respecting sleep patterns and keeping yourself clean can make a big difference in your recovery time.

Follow these tips, sleep easy, and enjoy your new head of hair.