Exosome therapy is one of the newest regenerative treatments being explored for hair loss. Supporters believe it could help stimulate hair growth and stop or prevent male pattern baldness.
But what exactly are exosomes, and is the science strong enough to support the claims?
What are exosomes?
An exosome is basically DPD for your cells. They are naturally produced by nearly every cell in your body – in fact, scientists used to think they were waste material and didn’t serve any particular purpose. Now we know that they act like messengers between cells, by carrying proteins, lipids or genetic code to other cells, which act like instructions telling other cells how to grow or change.
Exosomes can be isolated from a variety of sources, including stem cell cultures, blood, saliva, and even plants. In regenerative medicine, researchers are particularly interested in exosomes produced by mesenchymal stem cells because of their ability to influence tissue repair and regeneration.
How might exosomes help hair growth?
The theory behind exosome therapy is signaling molecules carried by exosomes could influence and create a favourable environment for hair growth. They have demonstrated the potential to promote hair growth and regulate the hair growth cycle.
Exosome therapy is thought to be beneficial through various mechanisms, including:
- Helping to regulate inflammatory pathways around hair follicles
- Stimulate growth factors involved in follicle development
- Encourage the formation of new blood vessels
- Activate hair follicle stem cells
- Promote the transition of follicles into the anagen (growth) phase
Most of these effects have been found by studying the impact of exosomes on hair follicles under laboratory conditions, so in animal models or cell cultures, rather than in humans themselves.
What does the research say?
Data from human trials is somewhat limited currently.
One recent systematic review identified 11 clinical studies investigating exosome therapy for hair loss. However, study quality varied considerably, and only two were randomised controlled trials (RCTs), the gold standard for evaluating medical treatments.
In one RCT involving 85 men with androgenetic alopecia (male pattern baldness), participants received exosome injections alongside microneedling sessions over a 12-week period. Researchers reported positive outcomes, including an increase in hair density of approximately 35 hairs/cm2, along with significant improvements in hair thickness.
Another smaller RCT involved 20 patients. Ten participants received exosome injections every two weeks for four treatment sessions, while the remaining ten received a placebo treatment. The exosome group experienced a significantly greater increase in hair count, with a median increase of 9.5 hairs compared with 1.5 hairs in the placebo group.
These early findings are encouraging, but the studies were small, used inconsistent treatment protocols (like exosomes derived from different sources or combining with other treatments like microneedling), and generally followed patients for short periods. Larger trials with standardised methods and longer follow-up periods are still needed before firm conclusions can be made.
Should you consider exosome therapy?
Specialised clinics across the UK currently offer exosome therapy for hair regeneration. Serums containing exosomes are inserted into the scalp using microneedling or micro-injections, with clinics typically recommending approximately 6 sessions a few weeks apart.
In the human trials that have taken place so far, exosome therapy was generally shown to be safe, with no serious side effects reported. Adverse events were often mild and temporary, such as scalp irritation, redness, swelling, itching or occasional headaches.
While exosome therapy appears to be a promising area of regenerative medicine, it is not considered a proven or licensed treatment for male pattern baldness in the same way as Finasteride or Minoxidil Spray. The evidence base remains relatively thin, with lots of questions around optimal dosing, timing of sessions and long-term effectiveness still remaining.
You could find it beneficial if you’ve got the cash to spare, but until these important questions are answered, we recommend sticking to the tried-and-tested treatments.
All of our blog articles are reviewed by our Medical Director before publication.
