by Zanita Careem

“Many women with hair loss suffer in silence altering their hair style to hide thinning or patches. The sooner you take care of it, the better the chances of treating it,” says Dr. Shanika Aresecularatne, leading Medical Cosmetology expert in Sri Lanka at the Christell Skin Clinic and Durdans Hospital Cosmetic Care Unit.

She speaks about her passion for making women more beautiful with aesthetic medicine and cosmetic care therapy. She says many popular figures in the world like celebrities and models have undoubtedly done aesthetic therapy to look gorgeous.

What are the most common form of female hair loss?

Female pattern of hair loss usually has a strong genetic component that can be inherited.

How do you fund aesthetic solution to answer every hair and scalp dilemma?

This is the first time in Sri Lanka. We have adopted a non-invasive AAPE stem cell for hair growth.

What is AAPE?

It is advanced adipose derived stem cell protein extract treatment for hair skin and body. This method addresses hair loss. The products strengthens and nourishes hair follicles and surrounding tissues to make hair grow.

Where is the new ‘Christell’ crown centre situated?

The new centre is at one Galle Face Shopping Mall.

What are the other kinds of treatment you offer?

Our well trained medical doctors and trained professionals give the best hair and tissue mineral scans, stem cells, hair growth, scalp rejuvenation and circulation boosters.

Are there any side effects?

Not at all. The success rate is very promising. The cost depends on the type and extent of the hair. This method is painless and very effective. The women will have a full hair growth in no time.

How Do Stem Cells Help?

In order to understand how stem cells help address hair loss, its necessary to understand what stem cells are.

Essentially, a stem cell is a cell that is capable of numerous divisions (in some cases, indefinite divisions). It is also capable of making new cells that the body doesn’t normally produce on its own. This includes nerve cells, cardiac cells, mature blood cells and many others. When dead or damaged hair follicles stop growing, the body does not always replace them.

There is evidence that stem cells may help by retriggering the growth and reproduction of cells in an area of the body that was formerly too old or damaged. By reintroducing such cells to the scalp, physicians and aestheticians can help clients rediscover their formerly thick, lustrous hair.

What is Stem Cell Transplant for Hair Loss?

The process of stem cell transplant for hair is similar to the traditional methods of stem cell treatment. Instead of removing a number of hair strands to transplant to the hair loss areas, a stem cell transplant for hair is performed. The procedure starts by removing a skin sample where the hair follicles are obtained. The sample is then reproduced and implanted in the area with hair loss. This allows the hair to grow and propagate in the parts where hair has thinned or is absent, and where the follicles were taken from.

Whose Stem Cells Do You Use?

In many cases involving regenerative medicine, it is dangerous or unwise to use one’s own stem cells. That’s because, in the event that the patient has cancer or another transmissible disease and is trying to combat or cure it, the person’s own stem cells may introduce the very disease the patient otherwise wants to address.

However, in the case of hair loss, the problem is a natural one and not the product of a deadly ailment. That makes it much safer to use one’s own tissue. Moreover, there is no risk of graft-versus-host disease (in which a donor’s cells will attack the patient’s body to which they are introduced, causing a range of symptoms or even death). For obvious reasons, except in the case of an autoimmune disorder (which, again, likely isn’t present), the patient’s own cells will not attack their body.

That makes harvesting the patient’s own cells relatively safe and effective according to the Hair Science Institute, stem cell transplant is painless and effective.

The steps include:

1. Removing blood or fat

2. Isolating stem cells from the sample

3. Removing part of the hair follicle (and leaving a part in place)

4. Stimulating and duplicating hair follicles in the lab to create more of them

5. Injecting existing donor follicles with stem cells to stimulate regrowth

6. Inserting new follicles on bare parts of the scalp, along with stem cells to stimulate their growth as well

The stem cell injection and hair implants are relatively painless and most likely once the patient has done a round of treatments (discussed below), they won’t have to undergo them again.

Stem Cell Transplant for Hair Recovery and Side Effects

There’s no recovery time required for stem cell transplant for hair loss. The patient may experience pain after the procedure but this should decrease within a week post-treatment. The patient may also expect scarring on the areas where the tissue sample was removed. Excessive exercise must be avoided in a week following the procedure.

Success Rate and Cost of Stem Cell Transplant

While the success rate of stem cell transplants can vary by procedure, in a well-known study published June 2017, Italian researchers documented a 29% increase in hair density for 23 weeks after stem cell therapy.

These researchers developed a method for isolating human adult stem cells using centrifugation after collecting a biopsy from human hair follicles. Summarizing their findings, the researchers conclude, ‘we have shown that the isolated cells are capable to improve the hair density in patients affected by androgenetic alopecia (AGAL).

It normally requires between two and six treatments to see results, and even then a patient may need more to get the look they want. Also, results are never guaranteed, so even the patient is willing to pay for as many as possible, the returns may diminish over time. If, knowing these facts, the patient wishes to proceed, there is a good chance they’ll like the results.

Who will benefit from this stem cell treatment for hair loss?

The short answer is (potentially) anyone. Stem cells harvested from one’s own body are very safe, and the process carries a low risk of infection or reaction.

Although there’s a potentially high success rate for stem cell transplant for hair loss, research about its medical procedure is still ongoing. If interested, it’s advisable to seek a stem cell transplant for hair from clinics approved by the FDA. For the time being, seeking more knowledge about stem cell transplant for hair is a stepping stone for understanding the therapeutic benefits of stem cells for hair loss.

Developed by the world-renowned dermatologist, Dr. Byung-soon Park, AAPE stem cell therapy for hair and skin maladies is a result of over 17 years of research, proven by multiple published studies. Furthermore, AAPE is the first product based on stem cell described in SCI journals with clinical results in humans, having been conducted on over 600,000 clinical treatments and used by over 3,000 dermatologists in more than 30 countries worldwide.

“At Christell Skin Clinic, we only offer US FDA-approved alternatives to invasive dermatological surgeries that would otherwise be painful, have numerous side effects, or are just not as effective in the long term,” said Dr. Shanika Arsecularatne, Medical Director of Christell Skin Clinic. “We are proud to bring many firsts to Sri Lanka and yet again with the launch of Christell Crown, we are excited to be the first to introduce’ the many possibilities of AAPE, and are certain that as with all of the other products and therapies we have pioneered, this offering too will significantly change the lives of many.”

Funded in 2014 by established aesthetician Prof. Ramani Arsecularatne, the Christell Skin Clinic has over the years offered a personalized and non-invasive approach to dermatology, helping clients get the very best out of their skin, hair, and body. From humble beginnings, the cosmetology centre has expanded its services, reach, and international standing, and now boasts two state-of-the-art facilities in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, with over 50 full-time employees, including specialized cosmetologists, medical doctors, and nursing staff. The centre has served more than 35,000 clients to date, including heads of state, VIPs, ambassadors, expatriates, and residents.