The world's first hair follicle bank opens for "making hair loss a thing of the past"

This is something that many people fear over the years, but hair loss could be a thing of the past thanks to a new start-up in the biotechnology sector.

HairClone has launched the world's first hair follicle bank in the UK, where men and women can store frozen hair follicles.

The banking process begins with a consultation in which a surgeon decides whether a patient is fit to do banking.

If the technique is considered appropriate, approximately 100 hair follicles will be removed from the back of the patient's head using a basic surgical procedure.

These follicles are then cryopreserved and stored in a storage facility at -180 ° C.

As its name suggests, HairClone then multiplies the cells of these follicles, restoring their thickness and length, before re-implanting them in the patient's head.

Dr. Paul Kemp, CEO of HairClone, explained, "Hair is a mini-organ in natural regeneration. It goes through periods of growth, then rest, loss and regeneration.

"This process is controlled by a specific group of highly specialized cells located at the base of the hair follicle, called dermal papilla cells, that determine the thickness and length of the hair shaft produced.

"Hair loss is the result of a decrease in the number of these critical dermal papilla cells from affected follicles. As a result, the hair stems become thinner and shorter, ultimately giving the appearance of hair loss.

"HairClone aims to replace dermal papilla cells and restore these miniaturizing follicles to their original thickness and length.

"By multiplying these cells from the patient's banked follicles, we hope to be able to reconstruct thousands of miniaturizing hairs from a few banked follicles. Our goal is to maintain the patient's hair density while preventing the future miniaturization of this treated hair. "

The hair follicle bank will be open to all adults and will cost around £ 2,000.

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In comparison, a hair transplant in the UK can cost between £ 1,000 and £ 30,000, depending on the extent of hair loss, according to the NHS.

In the future, HairClone also plans to use banked follicle cells to create thousands of new hair follicles, a process called the "neogenic follicle."

This could help patients who do not have enough hair to be cashed and rebuilt.

Dr. Kemp added, "There is a lot of interest in creating new hair, but it will be easier and probably more aesthetically pleasing to reconstitute the patient's natural hair that is miniaturized rather than generating new hair."