What is hair carboxytherapy?
Hair carboxytherapy is the application of micro-injections of medical CO2 just beneath the skin of the scalp. The gas triggers a local response: the body reads it as a transient lack of oxygen and reacts by increasing blood flow to the area (the so-called Bohr effect). More perfusion means more oxygen and more nutrients available around the follicle.
The rationale is microcirculation. The follicle is a heavily vascularised organ, and in hair loss the blood supply around miniaturised follicles is often impoverished. By driving a controlled increase in blood flow, carboxytherapy aims to improve the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to that area and to create a more favourable environment for the hair that is still working. A local stimulating effect on the tissue is also attributed to it, though the available evidence is limited and does not allow results to be promised.
It is important to be clear about what it is not. Carboxytherapy does not reverse androgenetic alopecia nor recover follicles that are already lost, and it does not replace medical therapy or a transplant where those are indicated. Its role is to support the follicle’s environment: it improves the conditions in which the hair you still have works, which is why it makes more sense inside a plan than as a stand-alone treatment. Honesty matters here: it is a complementary tool, not a promise. Results may vary from patient to patient.
Techniques used by Dr. Arístides Arellano
Carboxytherapy is not prescribed blindly: here it forms part of a hair plan that begins by measuring and deciding what suits each case.
- Diagnosis first — the type of loss is studied with HairMetrix digital trichoscopy before any session is proposed, because not every kind of loss benefits from the same thing.
- Applied in sessions — micro-injections distributed across the scalp zones of interest, in spaced series, with reassessment throughout the plan.
- Combined when appropriate — it can be added to platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and to the supportive medical therapy prescribed and supervised in consultation; and, when the case calls for it, to a hair transplant or a robot-assisted ARTAS iX transplant.
How is it performed?
The session takes a few minutes. Superficial micro-injections of medical CO2 are placed with a very fine needle over the scalp zones defined at diagnosis. It is normal to feel a sensation of pressure, a slight crackle under the skin, or a passing tingle as the gas spreads; it is usually well tolerated and rarely requires anaesthesia, though a topical anaesthetic can be used in sensitive patients. There are no incisions and no recovery time: normal activity resumes the same day. Treatment is planned in series, because the effect is cumulative and gradual, and it is reassessed with the hair study to confirm whether it is adding value.
All surgery carries risk and requires a prior medical assessment. Results may vary according to each patient, their anatomy and their individual healing process.
Who is a good candidate?
- People with early or moderate androgenetic alopecia already following a hair plan who want additional support for the follicular environment.
- Patients who want to accompany supportive medical therapy or PRP, not replace them.
- Those preparing or consolidating a hair transplant who want to care for the microcirculation of the area.
- It is not suitable, on the other hand, when the loss has not been diagnosed, when there is a cicatricial alopecia or active alopecia areata, or in the presence of infection, dermatosis or a scalp wound; it is always decided at the consultation.
Recommended aftercare treatments
After each session the scalp may be slightly red or tender for a few hours; it is advisable to avoid rubbing it hard and to wait before applying irritating products. Dr. Arístides usually combines carboxytherapy with supportive medical therapy and, where appropriate, with PRP, so that each session adds up within the plan rather than in isolation. See the full guide: Post-surgical recovery and care.
Before and after
Most patients want to see before-and-after photographs before deciding. Out of respect for each person’s privacy, Dr. Arístides Arellano shows real cases —always with documented consent— during your in-person consultation, where you can review results from patients with a starting point similar to yours. Results may vary from patient to patient.
Approximate price
Hair carboxytherapy is charged per session, with a reference cost of $700 MXN per session, and a package of 10 sessions at $6,000 MXN. Approximate price — the definitive cost is set at your private consultation with Dr. Arístides Arellano. How many sessions are worthwhile depends on the type of loss and on whether it is combined with other treatments, and that is defined at your consultation after diagnosis. See the price list.
About Dr. Arístides Arellano
Dr. Arístides Arellano is a plastic surgeon holding a specialty licence: he practises under a Mexican medical licence (D.G.P. 1125959) and a specialty licence in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery (0002008), both issued by the Directorate General of Professions (DGP), which reissued his certificate of professional standing in 2025. His career began before Mexico’s present-day specialty-board system existed: he belongs to the founding generation of plastic surgery in Puebla, the second generation of a surgical tradition started in 1971 by Dr. Francisco Arellano Ocampo. Trust is verified, not promised: both licences are public and anyone can look them up in the DGP’s National Registry of Professionals.
Related patient guide
If you are weighing the surgical route alongside medical support, read How many grafts do I need? A guide to hair transplantation: it explains how coverage is calculated and why a graft is planned on top of loss that is already controlled.
Trust is verified, not promised. All 210 scanned documents —degree, licences, diplomas, publications and certificates, from 1977 to 2025— are open in Dr. Arístides Arellano’s credential archive, alongside an explanation of the difference between a specialty licence and a board certification.
Recovery · step by step
- Same dayNormal activity resumes immediately. The scalp may be slightly red or tender for a few hours.
- First 24 hoursAvoid rubbing the area hard or applying irritating products; gentle routine washing is fine unless told otherwise.
- Between sessionsSessions are spaced according to the plan. The effect is gradual and cumulative: it is not judged on a single session.
- At 3–6 monthsReassessed with the hair study (HairMetrix) to compare against baseline and confirm, with data, whether the plan is working.
- MaintenanceAndrogenetic alopecia is controlled, not cured: support and periodic review continue for as long as there is an indication.
Frequently asked questions
Does hair carboxytherapy grow new hair?
Not on its own. Carboxytherapy improves scalp microcirculation and oxygenation, which supports the follicular environment, but it does not reverse androgenetic alopecia or recover follicles that are already lost. It pays off as part of a plan that includes diagnosis and medical therapy, not as a stand-alone treatment. Results may vary.
Does hair carboxytherapy hurt?
It is usually well tolerated. You feel superficial micro-injections with a very fine needle, and it is normal to notice pressure, a slight crackle under the skin, or a passing tingle as the gas spreads. It rarely requires anaesthesia, though a topical anaesthetic can be used in sensitive patients.
How many sessions are needed?
It depends on the type of loss and on whether it is combined with other treatments, so it is defined at the consultation after diagnosis. It is generally worked in spaced series, because the effect is gradual and cumulative, and it is reassessed throughout the plan to confirm whether it adds value.
Is there recovery or downtime?
No. There are no incisions and no downtime: normal activity resumes the same day. The scalp may be slightly red or tender for a few hours, and it is advisable not to rub it hard that day.
Can it be combined with PRP or a hair transplant?
Yes. It can be added to platelet-rich plasma and to supportive medical therapy, and it can also accompany the preparation or consolidation of a hair transplant when the case calls for it. The combination is decided in consultation based on the diagnosis.
Is it suitable for any kind of hair loss?
No. Not every kind of loss benefits from the same thing. Carboxytherapy is not indicated when the loss has not been diagnosed, in the presence of cicatricial alopecia or active alopecia areata, or when there is infection or a wound on the scalp. That is why the loss is measured and diagnosed first, and the decision comes second.
When are results seen?
The effect is gradual and is not judged on a single session. The honest approach is to compare against baseline at three to six months using the hair study, which shows with objective data whether the plan is working, instead of relying on the impression in the mirror.
Every case is different. Discuss yours in a personal consultation.
Book a consultation on WhatsAppEvery figure published on this site is approximate and is not a quote. Any procedure or treatment first requires a private assessment consultation with Dr. Arístides Arellano —$800 MXN, charged separately— and it is at that consultation that the definitive cost of your case is determined.
Educational content; it does not replace a medical consultation. Results may vary from person to person.