As technology continues to advance and new breakthroughs in medical science are discovered all the time, sometimes it’s hard to keep up with all the new developments that can help improve our lives.

As hair loss specialists it’s our job to keep up with these trends and breakthroughs and determine if they are worth bringing to our patients. One recent discovery in the world of hair loss and hair transplants has piqued our interest enough that that we’re testing it out now and going to be offering it to our patients in the near future.

Regenera Activa is a new form of hair loss treatment that uses cells within your own body to help stimulate the hair follicles in your scalp and promote hair growth. This new technique is not a hair transplant procedure, but rather a non-invasive treatment technique that harvests health stem cells and progenitor cells from healthy hairs in your own scalp that are then introduced into areas of your scalp where hair is growing weaker and thinning. Like a hair transplant, it does require removal of some hairs from the back of the head but only a few tiny samples of good hair to create a serum for injection into the areas that need help.

There are other hair loss treatments, such as PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma), that use cells from a patients’ own blood to help stimulate hair growth, but Regenera Activa uses a very different technique.

What is Regenera Activa?

Regenera Activa is a method that uses your own stem cells and progenitor cells to help activate the body’s own regenerative properties. By injecting these cells into the scalp, researchers have shown an increase in hair growth in areas affected by hair loss.

While other methods used to treat hair loss, like hair transplants, move healthy hair follicles to the thinning areas to replace hair that is lost, Regenera Activa focuses on reviving the unhealthy or miniaturizing hair follicles so that they begin to grow hair again.

The goal with Regenera Activa is to have an alternative to hair transplantation that doesn’t require moving of healthy hair follicles from one area of the scalp to another while also providing the results our patients are expecting. It would also be, an adjuvant therapy to hair transplant; one that helps preserve the native hair that is thinning around the hair transplant.

How is the Procedure Performed?

The Regenera Activa treatment for hair loss is done in a similar way to other non-invasive treatments like PRP, but instead of extracting blood from the patient, it uses small skin samples that contain health terminal hairs and mature adipose tissue (fat cells).

To start, 3 tiny punch biopsies (skin/hair/adipose samples) are taken from the patient’s scalp in an area where hair growth is thick and healthy and will not be visible – usually behind the ear. These skin samples go through a process to isolate the stem cells and progenitor cells, which help with regeneration.

The progenitor cells are then injected back into the scalp in the areas where the patient is experiencing hair loss or thinning. These progenitor cells should help regenerate the miniaturized hair follicles and help stimulate them into producing stronger, thicker hair again.

The pain associated with this procedure is relatively minimal as there are no incisions or sutures required. The skin samples that are taken from the healthy areas of the scalp measure around 2.5mm in diameter and are small enough that they will heal on their own without the need for intervention. There will be no visible scarring either.

The injections are quick and should take less than 3 minutes to perform.  There is minimal to no pain in the areas that are injected with progenitor cell fluid either immediately following the treatment or the next day.  Patients resume all normal activities the next day as well, so virtually no downtime.

Does Regenera Activa Work for Hair Loss?

Now that you know the idea behind Regenera Activa and how it is supposed to help with hair loss, does it actually work?

Doctors and researchers have seen significant hair growth in patients who have received Regenera Activa treatments for their hair loss, however, there are no large trials with hard data at this point.  Like all hair loss treatments and hair transplants, results take between 3-6 months to begin appearing, because the new follicles have to start regrowing again.

So far, based on the results of small studies and anecdotal experience from trusted colleagues, we are optimistic that Regenera Activa does in fact help with hair growth in those patients suffering from hair loss. Are the results as good as those associated with traditional hair transplants? It’s difficult to determine that because everyone reacts to procedures and treatments differently. Plus, hair regeneration is different that hair transplantation.  Transplants are nearly always accompanied by hair growth treatments in order to maintain or improve the thinning hair around a hair transplant and Regenera Activa may be one more tool in our arsenal to keep your hair in its best condition either before, after, or in lieu of surgery.

We don’t believe that Regenera Activa is quite to the point where it’s going to replace the need for hair transplant surgeries, but it’s a great step in the right direction in terms of adding another treatment option to our tool kit.

Is Regenera Activa Right For Me?

As with any surgical or non-surgical procedure of this nature, it is best to consult a hair loss specialist who can advise you on the best course of action when it comes to treating your hair loss.

The doctor will perform some tests as well as ask you some questions about your medical history, family history of hair loss, etc. This will help them determine the underlying cause of your hair loss and whether it meets the criteria for Regenera Activa.

Generally speaking, people suffering from androgenic alopecia, also known as male/female pattern baldness, will be good candidates for Regenera Activa or a hair transplant, but if you’re experiencing hair loss due to other reasons like stress or medical reasons, this would not be the best route to go.

Setting up a consultation with a hair loss specialist will help determine the cause of your hair loss and what the best method for treatment would be.

Contact us today at the Limmer Hair Transplant Center in San Antonio, Texas to setup a consultation to discuss your hair loss and the various treatment options available.

We’re excited to be able to offer the latest technology in hair restoration as well as a number of different treatment options to help you feel like your old self again.