Combined DP and DSC Cell Expansion Hair Multiplication Procedure

Update: October 9 , 2026

Medeze hair growth treatment before and after hair scan comparative report.
Medeze hair growth treatment before and after hair scan comparative report for Alvaro.

Reader “Alvaro” Sees Positive Results from Medeze’s Combination DP Cell and DSC Cell Expansion and Injection Hair Loss Treatment

Please read the original version of this post (written in April 2026) underneath this update first. Also read my original post on Medeze (written in February 2026) as well as the reader comments in both these posts. And never entirely trust anecdotal reports such as this one. I am just posting it because it is very interesting. I am not planning to get this unproven treatment as yet, and I am in no way associated with Medeze.

In April 2026, reader “Alvaro” went to Medeze in Thailand to get the company’s “supposed” dermal papilla (DP) cell and dermal sheath cup (DSC) cell hair multiplication treatment. I use the word “supposed” because Medeze has to date not conducted any clinical trials, nor presented any kind of results in a reputable journal as far as I can tell.

Several weeks ago, Alvaro went back to Thailand to assess his hair growth progress. The 5-month results have been quite positive as you can see from the detailed “Hair Scan Comparative Report” image I posted at the top of this section. And in Alvaro’s own words:

“Two weeks ago I traveled back to Thailand to assess the progress of the DSC and DP cell injections I had done at Medeze. A specialist there examined my scalp and pointed out areas where no new hair would grow back. This was to be expected, since, as you know, this technique is only effective when there is still miniaturized hair present. I’ve attached a chart showing growth metrics relative to the injection date. On a personal level (as I mentioned back in the summer) I couldn’t tell if it was working at the time because my hair had turned blonde from sun exposure. However, I can now assure you that I’m in better shape than I was a year ago! My hair has thickened, and I’ve regained density along my hairline and temples. I should also mention that people in Thailand are generally very hardworking and helpful, and the Medeze team has become like family to me in Bangkok. In conclusion, I can confirm that the technique works, though I’d ​​tell anyone considering it that it’s not a miracle cure. If someone has lost a significant amount of hair, they’ll still need to opt for a transplant.”

Note that as I mentioned before (see below), Shiseido (Japan) started offering DSC cell hair multiplication treatment in Japan in 2024 after the successful completion of Phase 3 clinical trials. And HairClone (UK) started offering DP cell hair multiplication treatment in Guatemala in 2026 after many years of testing and improvement. As of right now, I consider both these companies to be more reputable than Medeze.

April 15, 2026

Dermal Papilla and Dermal Sheath Cup Cell Expansion Hair Multiplication Lab.
Dermal papilla and dermal sheath cup cell expansion lab at Medeze Group (Thailand). In the photo, the person on the left is hair loss patient Alvaro (a long-time reader of HLC2020).

Dermal Papilla Cell and Dermal Sheath Cup Cell Expansion and Implantation

The two biggest newly available hair loss treatments that I have covered on this blog during the past few years are as follows:

Prior to its arrival, I followed Shiseido’s progress for well over a decade, including its ex-partner RepliCel (Canada)’s original work. Of most significance, Shiseido’s DSC cell multiplication technology went through all three phases of clinical trials with no reported major side effects. So I have no hesitation in recommending it to those with the wherewithal. Unfortunately, for the time being, it remains almost exclusively limited to Japanese citizens.

I have also followed HairClone’s DP cell expansion work for over a decade (even longer when including past work from Intercytex). In contrast to Shiseido’s procedure, HairClone’s procedure should be available to most people from around the world before the end of 2027. Patients can already get their hair follicles extracted and banked at various HairClone partner clinics around the world. However, they will ultimately need to travel to Guatemala to get the cultured and expanded DP cells injected into their scalps.

Combination DP Cell and DSC Cell Hair Multiplication

Over the years, I have read a few studies in which they mention that a combination of multiplying and transplanting both DP cells and DSC cells to regrow hair is more effective than doing each procedure separately. So I was quite excited to see both the Shiseido and HairClone technologies becoming available. Sooner or later, someone will surely manage to get both treatments.

However, out of the blue, a few months ago I read about and wrote about Medeze Group (Thailand). They started to offer Asia’s first hair follicle banking and cultivation service in 2025. Moreover, they were planning to culture both DP cells and DSC cells for subsequent injections into patient scalps. And they were partnering with Shibuya Company of Japan to implement the world’s first robotic culture system.

Although Medeze Group’s CEO has presented at reputable conferences and given a number of interviews to western publications, I was still skeptical about their progress. I felt like this was yet another hair multiplication related over-promise (in terms of speed of delivery) from an Asian company. Just like we have seen with South Korea’s Epibiotech and Han Bio. So I did not expect to cover Medeze Group again for several years, if ever. And of course the biggest drawback is that they have never conducted any clinical trials.

Alvaro gets his own Expanded DP Cells and DSC Cells Injected into his Scalp at Medeze

Since this blog’s inception in 2013, I have written just a handful of posts that were entirely driven by a reader’s personal experiences. For obvious reasons, I want to avoid anecdotal content. But there are always exceptions to the rule.

Over the last few months, long-time blog reader “Alvaro” went to Switzerland and Thailand to get his hair follicles banked and his loss treated. He made his decision based on the posts I have written about HairClone and Medeze Group. I would urge readers to never make such important decisions based solely on my content!

In any event, I am very excited to see Alvaro’s results in the coming year. Alvaro sent me all the details of his treatment (see below) as well as a bunch of photos, three of which I have added in this post.

On January 26, 2026, Alvaro got his hair follicles banked at HairClone’s Switzerland-based partner Clinique de la Croix d’Or in Geneva. They extracted 100 of his scalp hair follicles and sent them to HairClone’s cryopreservation bank in Guatemala (at their partner Schambach Hair Clinic). This cost him 4,000 Euros.

Thereafter, on February 9, 2026, Alvaro had a video call appointment with Dr. Schambach who was at her clinic in Guatemala. He begged her to let him participate in their “clinical trial”. However, they told him that because he previously received a hair transplant, he wouldn’t be selected as a candidate. So it seems like HairClone’s DP cell hair multiplication procedure is still only available via participation in a trial.

In any event, the persistent Alvaro then contacted the Medeze Clinic in Thailand after reading about it in my blog post. Originally, he was hoping to get his banked cryopreserved hair follicles in Guatemala transferred to Thailand. However, after he contacted HairClone (or the Schambach Clinic) and told them his new plans, they told him that they could now treat him for 9,000 Euros. Please note that I have not verified all of this with the company, and am just posting what Alvaro is claiming.

At this point, Alvaro just decided that it would be cheaper and more logical to get his hair follicles extracted and banked again in Thailand. And then multiplied and injected back into his scalp in Thailand at the same Medeze Clinic. Quote from Alvaro:

“I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever done (I’ll always be grateful to you, administrator). At this clinic, the price is adjusted to the number of cells the patient needs, and they also multiply both DP and DSC cells. When I traveled there, I didn’t know anything about Bangkok, and Anya, the patient relations manager, arranged for cars to take me to the clinic, personally invited me to lunch, and picked me up herself in her car several times. They showed me the laboratory and the cryopreservation bank, and introduced me to all the people who work there. It’s a 100% safe and effective clinic. The medical team, the doctors, have always explained the process to me from the very beginning, and finally, yesterday, I traveled to Thailand for the second time and received the injections. I’d be happy to share photos of my progress throughout the process with the administrator.”

Medeze Hair Multiplication Patient.
Medeze DP and DSC cell hair multiplication patient Alvaro and his doctor.

Alvaro also said the following:

  • In his case, they multiplied his extracted cells to 20 million cells (with each vial contains approximately 10 million cells). But if you have more extensive balding and miniaturized hair, you could receive a larger quantity.
  • He paid around 4,700 Euros (plus two trips to Thailand at 1,000 Euros each). I assume this cost includes follicle storage as well as the expansion and implantation.
  • They don’t shave your head, and the extraction is virtually invisible.
  • They told him that he would start to see results in 3 months and should see the full results in 6 months.
  • They didn’t extract 100 follicles like HairClone. He thinks that they extracted fewer than 50 follicles.
  • The doctor told him that this would be more than enough for at least 5 injections.
  • In both of his extraction procedures (in Switzerland and Thailand), he barely needed any recovery time. The procedures are very simple and painless.
  • If it works, Alvaro plans to repeat the treatment several more times.

Before anyone gets an urge to fly out to Thailand to get their hair multiplication procedure, please note that:

  1. This treatment even if fully effective will almost certainly not grow hair on totally bald regions of the scalp.
  2. Unlike Shiseido (DSC cells) and HairClone (DP cells)’s decade-plus work, Medeze Group is fairly new in this arena. You can forget about them ever going through three phases of clinical trials.

Having said the above, since the procedure is “autologous”, serious side effects are unlikely (though there is never any guarantee). I would not write this post if they were using someone else’s expanded DP cells and DSC cells and injecting them into your scalp. i.e., an allogeneic procedure.

Dermal Papilla Cell and Dermal Sheath Cup Cell Storage Tanks.
Dermal papilla (DP) cell and dermal sheath cup (DSC) cell storage tanks for hair follicle banking.

Rubedo Life Sciences RLS-1496 for Hair Loss

In 2019, I wrote a post about senolytic drugs to slow down ageing and maybe even reverse hair loss. Senolytics are drugs that clear away damaged senescent cells (also known as “zombie” cells). The latter are normal cells that have stopped dividing, but do not die and get cleared away. Instead, they pump out damaging inflammatory chemicals that harm healthy cells throughout the body.

An increasing amount of anti-aging research is focused on the development of new senolytic drugs to help remove senescent cells. Some of these drugs have already been proven to extend mice lifespan substantially and are now in human clinical trials. And just this week, scientists in the US showed that a new topical senolytic drug called ABT-263 reverses skin aging in mice and improves wound healing.

Rubedo Life Sciences RLS-1496 for Hair Loss.
Rubedo Life Sciences RLS-1496 for hair loss.

Rubedo Life Sciences RLS-1496 (GPX4 Modulator) to Treat Hair Loss

Last week, Rubedo Life Sciences (US) announced that it would start a clinical trial in Fall 2026 to test its GPX4 modulator RLS-1496 to treat hair loss. The trial will be led by Dr. David Pariser, a former President of the American Academy of Dermatology. Modulation of GPX4 is thought to clear aged senescent cells, including from the roots of miniaturizing and thinning hair follicles. So RLS-1496 is a senolytic drug.

RLS-1496 has already demonstrated efficacy in clinical trials for treating dermatological conditions such as actinic keratoses, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and skin aging.

Interestingly, Rubedo Life Sciences already tested RLS-1496 in an independent ex vivo human androgenetic alopecia (AGA) model. They used intact human hair follicles from male patients with AGA. The follicles were “challenged with dihydrotestosterone (DHT) to replicate the follicular miniaturization environment seen in AGA patients.”

RLS‑1496 demonstrated a highly statistically significant increase in hair follicle elongation compared to vehicle control after 6 days. In particular, the hair elongation was much greater with RLS-1496 in comparison to finasteride. I pasted the before and after image towards the top of this post.

Note that they do not mention any new hair growth. I am assuming that, if effective, RLS-1496 will rescue miniaturizing wispy hair, but will likely not bring back hair in totally bald areas of the scalp. Moreover, it might make your remaining hair stronger and more resistant to the ravages of dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

“Rubedo Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer Marco Quarta, PhD, will present the ex vivo data, along with additional RLS-1496 data, at the 13th Annual Aging Research & Drug Discovery (ARDD) Meeting at Harvard University, October 1–3, 2026 — the world’s largest dedicated longevity science conference. The presentation marks the first time a GPX4 modulator program in hair loss will be presented at a major longevity science conference.”

Check out this 2025 interview with Mr. Quarta. Also of interest, RLS-1496 uses Rubedo’s proprietary, AI-driven drug discovery platform ALEMBIC™.  It identifies targets within pathologic senescent cells and then develops “selective cellular rejuvenation medicines” for these targets. Yet another AI-driven hair loss drug.

Studies on Hair Loss and Senescent Cells

There are a number of studies that connect hair loss with increasing cellular senescence: