What Is Hair Cloning? Is It Different from Hair Transplant?

Several people face hair loss, which can be quite exasperating when dealing with finding an ideal solution. Among many methods of hair cloning and hair transplantation, each works in different fashions.

A hair transplant is merely relocating healthy hair from one part of your scalp, the back or sides, to a spot where you have lost your hair. That is sort of like transplanting the plant from one part of the garden to another; however, the growth of the transplanted hair in its new location explains why the method works for some people.

But cloning is still in the developmental stages. The theory is that it takes a few of your hair cells and replicates them in the lab to generate many, then implants those new cells into your scalp. Unlike hair transplants, of which depend on how much donor hair you have, cloning could theoretically give you an unlimited supply.

Here’s a closer look at the key differences:

• Hair Transplant: This procedure takes your existing hair and moves it.
• Hair Cloning: Creates new hair cells in a lab before placing them into your scalp.

Is Hair Cloning Possible Yet?

Unfortunately, no, hair cloning isn’t available to the public just yet. Researchers are still working at it, and they have come up with some cool progress. While scientists can clone hair cells in a lab, the trick is that those cells need to grow into hair if it gets back to the scalp. This doesn’t produce consistent enough results to offer this option to patients.

For now, hair restoration depends upon either hair transplantation or medicine, but hair cloning may not be as far-fetched as that sounds.

Will Hair Cloning Be Available in 10 Years?

There is a good chance that hair cloning will become available within the next decade. Some predict that in a decade, this technology will have improved enough that hair cloning will be more reliable and accessible to those people who need it. Keep in mind, however, that the sciences often do not progress as quickly as most people would wish, so if the research hits roadblocks, it might take longer than that. For the time being, however, a decade is a decent estimate.

Meanwhile, those desperate enough to regain their hair may continue to look in the direction of transplants or medicines like minoxidil and finasteride as a means of dealing with hair loss.

Is Hair Cloning the Future of Hair Restoration?

It does seem that way. Cloning of hair can overcome some real, significant hurdles of the current restoration techniques. Presently, people that lack enough donor healthy hair may not go through the transplant. That could go away with cloning because it would enable the physician to create as many hair follicles as are desired.

Other treatments involving medicines might only be able to delay hair loss or aid slightly in the regrowth of hair; they cannot promise a full head of hair to all. Hair cloning might provide a permanent solution to people who suffer from hair thinning or baldness.

What Is the Process of Hair Cloning?

Hair cloning is done by first taking a very minute sample of hair follicles from the scalp. These are specialized cells in follicles called dermal papilla cells that provide for hair growth. Scientists will put these cells in a laboratory and multiply them.

Once adequate numbers of hair cells have grown, they are then injected back onto the scalp into areas where the hair is thinning out or has completely vanished. The idea here is for these new cells to start hair growth, giving one new and natural hair.

Here is a breakdown of how the process generally works:

1. Cell harvest: A small sample of your hair follicles is taken from your scalp.
2. Cell multiplication: The taken cells are further cultured in the lab.
3. Cell injection: After sufficient cell growth, they are injected into the scalp.
4. Hair growth: In principle, the new cells begin to produce new hair in the treated regions.

The idea sounds so straightforward, but the catch has been that it’s turning out to be tricky to get these lab-cultured cells to work right when placed in the scalp. Scientists are still ironing out how to get consistent results.

Why Is Hair Cloning So Hard?

Hair cloning sounds like it should be relatively simple, but it is actually highly complex. Hair follicles are more than a conglomerate of cells; they have highly detailed structures and need to interact with the skin and surrounding tissue in very specific ways if they are going to grow properly.

There are a variety of reasons why hair cloning is so difficult:

• Hair Follicle Complexity: While human hair appears to grow from a simple follicle, the real process involves highly complicated interactions between sensitive cell populations and skin-derived cues.
• Maintaining cell viability: most of the new hair cells that grow in a laboratory setting fail to survive or thrive when transplanted onto the scalp.
• Natural look and feel: While growing hair is quite different from making it appear natural, the cloned hair needs to grow in the right direction with the appropriate texture and thickness.

And until scientists can consistently grow natural-looking hair that lives for a long time, hair cloning will not be available as a wide-spread treatment.

Can You Grow Hair Artificially?

For the time being, we cannot really “grow” artificial hair. There are, however, products like wigs and hairpieces that give off the impression of having more hair, though these do not aid in stimulating the growth of one’s hair. Other treatments, such as minoxidil, do work to stimulate hair growth in some people, but again, it is no surefire fix.

As far as actual hair regeneration, hair cloning is closest to making new hair. Till the technology gets fully developed, the other hair restoration methods, hair transplantation being among the most present technology, still remain one of the best options for the regrowth of hair.

Will We Be Able to Regrow Hair?

With new developments, hair cloning and other technologies might just be able to allow us to regrow hair sometime in the future. The present treatments available involve hair transplantation and medications of selective kinds, which can help but don’t work on everyone. If ever hair cloning were to become an actuality, it could open full hair regrowth possibilities for people who thought they had lost their hair forever.

Yet scientists are optimistic, though still a long way off, about being able to offer hair cloning as a reliable treatment option.

Will Baldness Ever Be Cured?

It is in fact a real hope that one day baldness will be curable and hair cloning may be the way to go. As things stand, baldness isn’t fully reversible, though it can be managed through treatments available like hair transplants and medications. Though the dream of a full cure seems yet on the horizon, it is possible that within our lifetime, a solution like hair cloning may finally bring an end to baldness.

The Current Options for Hair Loss:

Well, for now, here is what you must put up with to deal with hair loss:

1. Hair transplantation: Healthy hair is moved from one portion of the scalp to another.
2. Medications: Like minoxidil (Rogaine) and finasteride (Propecia), they slow hair loss and, in some instances, spur growth.
3. Low-level laser light therapy: Several people try using laser devices they say will stimulate hair follicles.
4. Hairs or wigs: These are non-surgical means of creating the appearance of full hair.

Each option has both advantages and disadvantages, and what is most effective is different for each person.

What’s Next for Hair Restoration?

Scientists continue to work on new technologies such as hair cloning, and other areas of research under study include:

• Stem cell treatments: The use of these cells to develop new hair follicles.
• Gene therapy: Targeting specified genes responsible for hair loss.
• 3D printing: Studies have been working on the printing of hair follicles using special materials.

These future treatments are in the experimental stage. However, they are bound to change how we deal with hair loss in the coming years.

Conclusion

Hair cloning is only promising for the future, but it is not quite here. Many researchers are continuing to make progress, and there is hope that this technology may be available within the next decade. For now, hair transplants, medications, and other treatments are still the best options for those in search of dealing with hair loss.

While baldness is not yet curable, the outlook is bright, and one day we may just see hair cloning or some other breakthrough that puts an end to hair loss. Keep your eye on the research, as indeed exciting developments are likely on the horizon!