Stem Cells

Stem Cells

You all must be wondering what are stem cells? Well stem cells is a new discovery in the field of science. A discovery which could revolutionize the entire world. If stem cells came into use then there would simply be a cure for almost every single disease in this world whether it's cancer, brain tumour or another disease no one would die due to these diseases. Stem Cells are still being studied by different scientists and would soon come into normal use. 

 

What Actually are stem cells?

Well stem cells are a kind of cells which could transform or differentiate into other cells such as ( skin, muscle, bone, etc) Well stem cells basically come from two main sources:

1:Adult or somatic stem cells

2:  Embryonic stem cells

What are Adult stem Cells?

Adult stem cells or somatic stem cells exist in our body and they mostly found in tissues. Especially in tissues like the brain, bone marrow, blood, blood vessels, skeletal muscles, skin, and the liver. Stem cells have the ability to divide in time of an tissue injury or any sort of disease. These stem cells can renew or can divide unlimitedly,  which enables them to create a range of cell types from the organ generating cells or they could even generate the whole organ as well. It has been heard from various sources that adult stem cells have a limited ability to differentiate due to their tissue of organ but again there is some proof that shows that they can differentiate to other types of cell.

Embryonic stem cells

Embryonic stem cells are derived from a four-five year old baby in which the stem cells are present in the blastocyst (the mass of a cell) phase of development.

Sexual reproduction begins when  the sperm of a male fertilizes a women's ovum ( e.g egg) which forms or creates a single cell of zygote. After that the single cell zygote begins to divide into 2,816, etc cells. 

The use of stem cells in Hair Re-growth

The stem cells are used in basically to remove all the diseases by just taking an injection. What the doctors do is that they take the stem cells from any part of your body and injects them in your body where there is a need of it. After that the stem cells divide themselves and transform into other cells which are required at that part of the body. The same is with the Hair Re-growth. The cells which reproduce or regrow your hair when become weak or become unable to regrow your hair then you get bald and only a hair transplant or a cloning hair transplant could bring back your hairs. But now the doctors just take the stem cells from your body and injects them onto your head and the stem cells do their work and they divide and they differentiate into different cells which bring back your hair. Not like an hair transplant where you have to get a cut and  you have to take several injections but in stem cells you just need a couple of injections injected on your head and you get your hair back and your happiness as well.

Hair Transplant

Hair transplantation is a surgical technique that involves moving individual hair follicles from one part of the body (the donor site) to bald or balding parts (the recipient site). It is primarily used to treat male pattern baldness, whereby grafts containing hair follicles that are genetically resistant to balding are transplanted to bald scalp. However, it is also used to restore eyelashes, eyebrows, beard hair, chest hair, and pubic hair and to fill in scars caused by accidents or surgery such as face-lifts and previous hair transplants. Hair transplantation differs from skin grafting in that grafts contain almost all of the epidermis and dermis surrounding the hair follicle, and many tiny grafts are transplanted rather than a single strip of skin.

Since hair naturally grows in follicles that contain groupings of 1 to 4 hairs, today’s most advanced techniques transplant these naturally occurring 1–4 hair "follicular units" in their natural groupings. Thus modern hair transplantation can achieve a natural appearance by mimicking nature hair for hair. This hair transplant procedure is called Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT). Donor hair can be harvested in two very different ways;

1. Strip Harvesting - a strip of scalp is removed under local anesthesia, the wound is then sutured back together and this piece of scalp tissue is then cut in to small pieces of tissue called grafts which are then transplanted back in to the thinning area of the patients head. This method will leave a linear scar in the donor area, which should be covered by a patients hair (if long). The recovery period is around 2 weeks and will require the stitches to be removed by medical personnel.

2. Follicular Unit Extraction or FUE Harvesting - individual follicles of hair are removed under local anesthesia; this micro removal uses tiny punches of between 0.6mm and 1.25mm in diameter. Each follicle is then reinserted back in to the scalp in the thinning area using a micro blade. Because individual follicles are removed, only small, punctate scars remain and any post-surgical pain is minimized. As no suture removal is required, recovery from FUE is within 7 days.

Transplant operations are performed on an outpatient basis, with mild sedation (optional) and injected local anesthesia, which typically last about six hours. The scalp is shampooed and then treated with an antibacterial agent prior to the donor scalp being harvested.

In the usual follicular unit procedure, the surgeon harvests a strip of skin from the posterior scalp, in an area of good hair growth. The excised strip is about 1–1.5 x 15–30 cm in size. While closing the resulting wound, assistants begin to dissect individual follicular unit grafts from the strip. Working with binocular Stereo-microscopes, they carefully remove excess fibrous and fatty tissue while trying to avoid damage to the follicular cells that will be used for grafting. The latest method of closure is called 'Trichophytic closure' which results in much finer scars at the donor area.

FUE harvesting negates the need for large areas of scalp tissue to be harvested and can give very natural results with little or no scarring.

The surgeon then uses very small micro blades or fine needles to puncture the sites for receiving the grafts, placing them in a predetermined density and pattern, and angling the wounds in a consistent fashion to promote a realistic hair pattern. The technicians generally do the final part of the procedure, inserting the individual grafts in place.

Hair thinning, known as "shock loss", is a common side effect that is usually temporary. Bald patches are also common, as fifty to a hundred hairs can be lost each day.

Other side effects include swelling of areas such as the scalp and forehead. If this becomes uncomfortable, medication may ease the swelling. Additionally, the patient must be careful if his scalp starts itching, as scratching will make it worse and cause scabs to form. A moisturizer or massage shampoo may be used in order to relieve the itching.

Several years after the surgery, more hair loss can occur, with the transplanted patches staying in place. This results in odd patches of hair, unless they are removed, or unless more hair is transplanted.

Cloning Hair Transplant

Well you all must have heard of Hair Transplant where they take the hairs from the back of your head but it's a difficult process as they have to give you a cut on the back and take hairs well that's the bad part. Nowadays new type of Hair Transplant has came which is known as Cloning Hair Transplant. In this surgery they just take a few hairs from your head without giving you even a single cut and just clone it and as in the simple Hair Transplant there are a minimum of hairs in your skin from where they cut you but in Cloning transplant you can get unlimited amount of hairs on your head within a single surgery that means that you will not require a second hair transplant to fully hide your baldness. Cloning Hair Transplant has been used in some parts of Australia but the surgery is very expensive as it has just been started but soon it will be very common and the prices will certainly fall down where as now it is $1 for one hair so it will take like $50,000 - $100,00 for just one surgery depending on the amount of hair you want. And trust me my brother has just got a hair transplant and the first 10days are very difficult just because of the cut. Whereas cloning is a very good way to fully cover your head and get maximum amount of hair you want just in one surgery.

Hair Loss
Hair loss is common nowadays in people wether they are young or old. There are many companies that claim that their prodcuts can reduce the hair loss or even completely stop it. But most of them don't work. They just cost money and do nothing. However, there are two products which are FD approved and they have proven to reduce the hair loss. Those two products are:
1: Minoxidil
2: Propecia

Minoxidil:




Minoxidil (mi-NOX-i-dil) applied to the scalp is used to stimulate hair growth in adult men and women with a certain type of baldness. The exact way that this medicine works is not known.

If hair growth is going to occur with the use of minoxidil, it usually occurs after the medicine has been used for several months and lasts only as long as the medicine continues to be used. Hair loss will begin again within a few months after minoxidil treatment is stopped.

In the U.S., this medicine is available without a prescription. In Canada, this medicine is available only with your physician's prescription. It is available in the following dosage form:

Topical minoxidil for men and women
Topical solution (U.S. and Canada)
Before Using This Medicine minoxidil rogaine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of using the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your physician will make. For topical minoxidil, the following should be considered:

Allergies—Tell your physician if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to minoxidil or propylene glycol (nonactive product in medicine). Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as preservatives or dyes.

Pregnancy—Topical minoxidil has not been studied in pregnant women. However, some studies in animals have shown that minoxidil, when given by mouth, causes problems during pregnancy, although the studies have not shown that the medicine causes birth defects. Before using this medicine, make sure your physician knows if you are pregnant or if you may become pregnant.

Breast-feeding—It is not known whether topical minoxidil passes into breast milk. However, minoxidil, taken by mouth, does pass into breast milk. Minoxidil is not recommended during breast-feeding, because it may cause problems in nursing babies.

Children—Studies of this medicine have been done only in adult patients, and there is no specific information comparing use of topical minoxidil in children up to 18 years of age with use in other age groups. Use in infants and children is not recommended. If you think your child has hair loss, discuss it with the physician.

Older adults—This medicine has been tested in a limited number of older patients up to 65 years of age and has not been shown to cause different side effects or problems in this age group than it does in younger adults. However, studies have shown that the medicine works best in younger patients who have a short history of hair loss. Minoxidil has not been studied in patients older than 65 years of age.

Propecia :
Propecia (Generic: Finasteride) is a product developed for men, that help stopping hair loss (and in about 42% of patient even help increasing hair growth). Finasteride is the active ingredient of Propecia, it blocks the formation of DHT, and gives the hair follicles a chance to recover and grow. Propecia can prevent further male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia). Finasteride is a synthetic antiandrogen which acts by inhibiting type II 5-alpha reductase, the enzyme that converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). In clinical studies, finasteride (Propecia) 1mg was shown to work on both the crown area and the hairline, but is most successful in the crown area.
Finasteride (Generic Propecia) works by blocking the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT (dihydrotestosterone) is the primary contributing factor in male pattern baldness (hair loss) and Finasteride help reducing the DHT (dihydrotestosterone). Propecia works on the hormonal source which causing hair loss. dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is attacking the hair and is the main cause of men hair loss. Propecia reduce significantly the amount of DHT in the body.



All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. No COMMON side effects have been reported with Propecia. Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur when using Propecia:

Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); breast enlargement, lumps, pain, or tenderness; depression; nipple discharge; testicular pain.