Crowning Glory
Welcome fabulous tresses with the latest technology in flowering hair.
Flowing manes, pixie cuts, or anything in between—speak of a woman’s personality. However, this quality is threatened by the onset of age, genetics, and stress. Significant hair loss, or alopecia, is also affected by natural hormonal imbalances and continually straining hairstyles. “Asian women over the age of 40 experience more hair thinning than Caucasian women,” renowned trichologist Philip Kingsley warns. “You need to lose at least 15 percent of your hair volume before you even notice it’s thinning.”
Lasers are at the forefront of hair growth science. With Revage 670, laser diodes rotate around the scalp while releasing painless laser energy to stimulate hair follicles into the active growth phase. Priced at SGD 200 (approx. RM600) per session. The Sloane Clinic, Ion Orchard, Singapore. Tel: +65-6509 8108. Or, pull a Kim K, who popularised the vampire facial. Reinjecting your own platelets into the scalp will stimulate hair follicles. The active production of new tissue will give you a healthier scalp, too. Priced at RM2,000 per session. Premier Clinic, Jalan Wan Kadir 2, Taman Tun Dr Ismail. Tel: 012-662 5552.
Of course, there are also the clinical procedures of the future that may just be the most painless and effective solutions. RepliCel has successfully grown complex skin tissues with hair follicles which can be injected into a person’s scalp. Approved trials are in progress this year.
With Follica’s patented technology, hair follicles are addressed through researching the manipulation of pathways following skin injuries. Co-founder Dr. George Cotsarelis implores, “When cells close a wound, they are trying to make a decision: Should I make epidermis or hair? There is a window of opportunity in which we can push them to create hair.”
Entirely put off by the idea of stem cells and transplants? Enter Histogen’s Hair Stimulating Complex, an injectable serum derived from cells grown under an embryonic-like environment that stimulates the growth of new and existing hair follicles. The appeal lies in its ease of application and promised minimal downtime. Its use is still awaiting approval. The Sonic Hedgehog Gene is responsible for embryonic development of the body’s tissues, and scientists have discovered that this gene, usually used to treat damaged hearts, can bring dormant hair follicles back to life.
Right in the fray of hair growth science is the whole idea of stem cell growth, but scientists are already looking beyond, deeper into the roots, and other parts of the body. Quorum sensing is the regeneration response when coordinated organ behaviour causes cells to collectively regrow. Plucking specifically arranged hairs purportedly triggers a stem cell revival of follicles up to five times more than unplucked surrounding hairs. However, there is still more research in the works.