If balding is caused due to dying of hair follicle, can a dead follicle be brought to life for hair growth?

Question

I am suffering from male pattern baldness for last 10 years, can my dead follicles be brought back to life using PRP treatment or applying Mintop 5%? Kindly guide me.

John Peter Cole, MD · Answer

Once the area is bald, there is no means to bring the hair back given current technology.  If the hair is there and it is fine, certain medical and cell based therapies can help.  Medical therapies include finasteride, minoxidil, nizoral shampoo, and WNT-act (amazon store).  Cell based therapies include adipose, PRP, Acell, and follicle stem cells currently.  Only a hair transplant can ensure hair growth in bald areas.

Amiya Prasad, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. You have been dealing with male pattern hair loss for the past 10 years, and ask if it is possible for minoxidil or PRP to bring dead follicles back to life.
I can help you understand what the challenges are with your situation as it’s a question that gets asked every day in my practice. A little background: I’m a Board-certified cosmetic surgeon and Fellowship-trained oculofacial plastic and reconstructive surgeon. I have been in practice in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20 years. I am also the founder of TrichoStem™ Hair Regeneration Centers, a system we developed using PRP, Acellular matrix, Vitamin D, and other elements to help patients from around the world for the past 7 years using a system, that we developed from working on hair transplants, as a non-surgical approach to male and female pattern hair loss. The question about dead follicles comes up all day long. 
The challenge we are dealing with is due to the genetics of hair loss which accounts for 95% of hair loss in men and women called androgenetic alopecia. It’s marked by the progression of hair thinning, to the eventual cessation or stopping of hair growth which means the hair follicle is no longer present. 
What we do with the Hair Regeneration treatment is stimulate hair growth for hair follicles that are present. We can’t create hair follicles, or bring back the dead hair follicles, but we can help manage hair loss. Managing hair loss is dealing with a situation which by definition involves the shortening of the hair growth cycle during the active growing phase called the anagen phase, and prolongation of the growth cycle element referred to as telogen, which is the resting phase. If hair is growing for less time, and is resting for longer periods of time, we’re able to accomplish, depending on the patient’s clinical profile, is stimulation of growth. We can stimulate hair that’s not growing, improve the quality and thickness of hair that is thinning, but the limitation is we can't bring back the dead follicles, but we can try to maximize the health and wellness of living hairs that are present. 
Managing hair loss is a strategy that can involve pharmaceuticals, non-surgical approaches such as the Hair Regeneration treatment, and surgical approaches to try to cover areas that have lost hair permanently. Ultimately, the strategy is about hair loss management. 
I think that in terms of your question, again without the benefit of a photo or a physical examination, my advice to my male pattern hair loss patients is we need to do everything to maximize the lifespan of the hair, and maximize coverage for as long as possible. If there are areas you want to have hair, generally speaking the best strategy with surgical solutions is to lean towards covering the front part of the scalp. Hair transplant, in my experience I’ve been doing for 20 years, has always been a better procedure for when there is no hair in the front. The unfortunate reality of transplant is you are not doing anything to stabilize or slow down the progression of hair loss, so you need a dual strategy to maximize coverage and deal with the hardwiring of the DNA. 
It’s important if you are not too far gone in prolonging the lifespan of the hair in your scalp, then meet with a qualified physician to give you some guidance on pharmaceutical management and this regenerative technology of Hair Regeneration. Hair Regeneration can also work in synergy with surgical transplantation. Every hair transplant surgeon, myself included, wants to have the hair transplant look as good as possible, for as long as possible. As long as someone has existing hair, the blending of transplant with existing hair is optimal for the most natural result and appearance. I hope that was helpful, I wish you the best of luck and thank you for your question.

Richard E. Moore, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. PRP is a good treatment for preserving and restoring lost hair but it does have its limitations. Not all patients will respond to this intervention but in many instances it will increase the growth of the remaining follicles and may bring back recently lost follicles. The greater the degree and duration of hair loss, the less response you can expect. We add micronized fat (ALMI) which is rich in regenerative cells such as stem cells to our PRP injections and this gives a more robust response. There are ongoing studies looking for a way to turn dormant follicles back on and hopefully one day we'll be able to fully restore lost hair.I hope this was helpful - Dr. Moore.

Karl Hekimian, MD · Answer

For typical male pattern hair loss, PRP can often "resurrect" follicles that have stopped functioning within the past five years.  If they haven't worked in over five years, PRP probably won't help.

Benjamin C. Paul, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question. There are two main types of alopecia: 1) scarring and 2) non-scarring. Scarring alopecia is not recoverable.  Non-scarring alopecia may be recoverable. In your case, the loss of follicles associated with MPB may be salvagable whereas burnt follicles from chemical dyes may be permanent. You should seek a consult with a doctor to evaluate the health of your scalp and follicles... as well as guide your treatment plan. Best of luck!

If balding is caused due to dying of hair follicle, can a dead follicle be brought to life for hair growth?

Answers (5)

Answer: If balding is caused due to dying of hair follicle, can a dead follicle be brought to life for hair growth?

Answer: If balding is caused due to dying of hair follicle, can a dead follicle be brought to life for hair growth?

Answer: Reversing hair loss.

Answer: Reversing hair loss.

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Everything you need to know about PRP for Hair Loss

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If balding is caused due to dying of hair follicle, can a dead follicle be brought to life for hair growth?

Answers (5)

Answer: If balding is caused due to dying of hair follicle, can a dead follicle be brought to life for hair growth?

Answer: If balding is caused due to dying of hair follicle, can a dead follicle be brought to life for hair growth?

Answer: Reversing hair loss.

Answer: Reversing hair loss.

Browse related questions

Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about PRP for Hair Loss

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.