Name: Ali
Question: I've heard that mesotherapy hair loss treatment can be good for thinning hair - can you tell me what it involves and does mesotherapy work well for regrowing hair?
Answer: Hi, Ali. Mesotherapy for
hair loss is a popular topic at the moment thanks to the technique becoming more widely available, though there appears to be little evidence regarding the scalp injections' supposed benefits.
The practice was initially used in 1976 to treat asthma and hearing loss but has since been co-opted into 'treating' a number of other issues. It has not been sanctioned in any way, for the treatment of any condition, by the UK or USA's medical regulatory boards the
MHRA and FDA. The American Center for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC) has recommended: "providers should adhere to recommend standard precautions, follow safe-injection practices with appropriate aseptic techniques, and inject only FDA approved products that are prepared following guidelines to ensure sterility as described in the FDA’s good manufacturing practices."*
Going by a number of names - including biomimetic mesotherapy and nanopeptide mesotherapy - this cosmetic procedure involves a solution, usually featuring ingredients thought to boost blood circulation, being injected into various locations in the scalp. Ingredients used in this mixture tend to include vitamins such as
biotin, amino acids and growth factors though the precise components depend on the brand and practitioner.
The aims of this are widely stated as being promoting hair growth, treating hairloss in cases of thinning, and
preventing baldness - though we are unaware of mesotherapy being recommended in cases of autoimmune disorders such as
alopecia areata.
Generally it is used on men and women with androgenetic alopecia - more commonly known as
male pattern baldness and
female pattern hair loss. These hereditary conditions cause thinning hair in the area of the scalp affected by follicular miniaturisation caused by a genetic sensitivity to
dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This is the vertex area from the hairline to the crown, inclusive.
In men, hair thinning locations tend to be more well defined - for instance, they may develop a
receding hairline or a
thinning crown. Conversely, women's hairloss tends to be more diffuse, causing shedding all along the top of the scalp, frequently noted by an increasing widening of the parting. The reason this is important is that mesotherapy involves scalp injections in the affected areas. So, the larger these are, the more injections will be required and, in some cases at least, the more you will pay.