Exosomes for hair loss

Likha Aesthetic’s Dr Juliah Tbarani looks at how exosomes can provide a non-surgical treatment for hair loss

DR JULIAH TBARANI

DrJuliah Tbarani is the founder and managing director of Likha Aesthetic Clinic. She won the Exocobio Speaker Award at RAES 2023 in Seoul, and has also spoken at AMI 2023 and IMCAS Paris 2023. She is a key opinion leader for Relife Definisse, a Fiberlift specialist and a Gouri trainer in UK/IRE.

Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles that play a role in cell-to-cell communication.

They contain high amounts of proteins, growth factors, and anti-inflammatory and immune modulators which have been studied for their potential therapeutic applications in various medical fields, including regenerative medicine.

I’m thrilled to share my experiences and some clinical cases where exosomes derived from rose stem cells were used and delivered with micro-needling techniques to treat hair loss in my practice.

HOW DO THESE EXOSOMES WORK?

Growth factors and signalling molecules in exosomes stimulate hair follicle cells, promoting their proliferation and differentiation. The anti-inflammatory properties of exosomes are very helpful to help reduce inflammation, which is often associated with hair loss conditions, in turn maintaining a healthy environment for hair growth.

Exosomes facilitate tissue regeneration and repair, aiding in the regeneration of hair follicles. They also stimulate angiogenesis and improve blood circulation to the scalp, stimulating hair health and growth.

Exosomes modulate stimulatory or suppressive effects on the innate immune system through exosome-mediated intercellular communications. They are crucial in immune regulation, including antigen presentation, immune activation, immune suppression, and immune tolerance. These properties are the essence of treating autoimmune scalp conditions such as dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema, frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA), as well as alopecia areata.

Here are case studies purely with exosomes as a standalone treatment in different age groups, and sexes, with underlying inflammatory and autoimmune conditions. It is important to note that hair follicles need to be present (even if dormant) for hair regrowth to be possible. A man who has a shiny, bald head is not suddenly going to be able to re-grow hair using exosomes, but if he’s thinning with follicles still present, an improvement is possible.

FRONTAL FIBROSING ALOPECIA

A 60-year-old was diagnosed with FFA 10 years ago. She was treated with steroid injections by her dermatologist and subsequently discharged with topical steroids. Her hair is still thinning and the skin on her upper forehead has become paper-thin.

ANDROGENETIC ALOPECIA (FEMALE PATTERN BALDNESS)

A 65-year-old patient before and five months later, after receiving four treatments four weeks apart.

ANDROGENETIC ALOPECIA (MALE PATTERN BALDNESS)

A 65-year-old patient before and five months later, after receiving four treatments four weeks apart.

SCALP PSORIASIS WITH SECONDARY HAIR LOSS

A 56-year-old patient had two sessions of the treatment. Before: inflamed scalp with thinning and unhealthy hair strands. After: taken eight weeks after the first treatment. The scalp has calmed and significant hair growth was noted, with improvement in the colour and texture of existing hair.

SCALP PSORIASIS WITH SECONDARY HAIR LOSS

A 30-year-old patient with known scalp psoriasis and secondary hair loss responded well after three sessions.

People always compare the number of exosomes in products. The bottom line is the purity of the exosomes is as important as the numbers. You can have 20, 40, or even 50 billion exosomes but if they are poor purity, you won’t get great results. Exosomes have become very handy in treating a wide range of inflammatory conditions, especially for those living in Ireland, where the gene pool for such conditions is large. I believe exosomes can be the best alternative to steroids when treating this group of patients, which, in turn, can help minimise the long-term negative effects of steroid use.

As a provider, I aim to ensure treatment is safe, effective, and affordable, with low or no risk of contamination or infection, and minimal or no downtime. I strive for evidence-based medicine that gives back my patients’ quality of life.

I believe this is the beginning of a revolutionary advance in regenerative medicine. I’m sure exosomes have a lot more to offer in aesthetic and general medicine as well as in surgery. I believe that exosomes are the future.

For more case studies follow @likha_aesthetic on Instagram or visit likhaaesthetic.ie.

***Products used: Exocobio ASCE+ HRLV ***Results may be variable from patient to patient and depend on patients’ underlying conditions, as well as the technique and skills of the providers.