What is hair stem cell therapy (AAPE)?
Hair "stem cell" therapy (AAPE) is a non-surgical hair treatment: an extract of proteins and growth factors obtained from cultured stem cells derived from fat tissue is applied to the scalp. It is not a transplant and not surgery; it is a supportive treatment for a follicle that is still alive but weakening.
The name needs clarifying, because it misleads: what is applied are not living cells but the extract of the signals those cells produce —the growth factors (AAPE, adipose-derived stem cell protein extract)—. That distinction defines what the treatment really does and does not do: it can stimulate miniaturised follicles that still work; it cannot revive follicles that have already died. That is why AAPE is a complement to hair treatment, not a substitute for a transplant when a transplant is what the case calls for. The scientific evidence for its efficacy is still preliminary and emerging, and it is explained to you that way at the consultation: without promises.
Techniques used by Dr. Arístides Arellano
Dr. Arístides Arellano does not offer AAPE up front or to everyone: the loss is measured and its cause defined first, and only then is it decided whether this treatment adds anything to your case. In practice, AAPE fits in these ways:
- Diagnosis first — before any session a HairMetrix hair study is performed to confirm there are living follicles to stimulate and to rule out causes AAPE does not resolve.
- Delivery by microneedling or micro-injection — the extract is introduced into the dermis of the scalp with microneedles or mesotherapy, where the follicles are; it is an in-office procedure, with no operating room.
- On a course of sessions — it is worked in cycles, with several spaced sessions and later maintenance, because a follicle responds to a sustained stimulus over time, not to a single application.
- Combined, not isolated — in active androgenetic alopecia, AAPE is added to the supportive medical therapy prescribed in consultation; as reinforcement after a hair transplant it can accompany the grafted follicles in their early phase, and when a graft is what is indicated, extraction may be performed with the ARTAS iX robot.
How is it performed?
The session is done in the office and lasts, on average, 30 to 60 minutes. The scalp is cleaned first; depending on the case a topical anaesthetic is applied for comfort. The AAPE extract is then distributed over the thinning areas by microneedling or superficial micro-injections. It needs no operating room, there are no incisions, and you return to your day the same day, with simple aftercare instructions. Even so, it is a medical procedure: it is performed after an assessment and with a diagnosis confirming it is what your case needs.
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, with miniaturised follicles that still produce hair — the scenario where a supportive stimulus makes sense.
- Hair that is thinning diffusely, without a frank bald patch yet, when the goal is to preserve and strengthen what is there.
- Patients recovering from telogen effluvium (diffuse shedding after childbirth, illness, surgery or stress), as support while the hair cycle normalises.
- As reinforcement after a hair transplant or within a plan combined with medical therapy — never as a substitute for either, nor as an option once baldness is already established.
Recommended aftercare
After each session the care is simple: avoid washing the scalp for the first few hours, keep it out of direct sun and intense heat that day, and resume your routine normally. The result is not immediate: the follicle responds over time, so consistency with the course of sessions and with the supportive therapy is what sustains any improvement. 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
A session starts at $6,000 MXN and the course of 3 sessions at $15,000 MXN, approximate figures depending on the area treated and how many sessions your response calls for. Approximate price — the definitive cost is set at your private consultation with Dr. Arístides Arellano.
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 a supportive treatment like AAPE against a transplant —or how they combine—, this guide helps you size up your case before the consultation: How many grafts do I need? A guide to hair transplantation.
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 dayYou leave the office and resume normal life. There may be mild redness or scalp tenderness for a few hours. That day you avoid washing the area and direct sun or heat.
- First few daysAny discomfort or redness settles within a day or two. There are no scabs and no scars: microneedling leaves microchannels the skin closes on its own.
- Between sessions (2–4 weeks)The application is repeated on the defined schedule. No visible change is expected yet; this phase is about cumulative stimulus, not result.
- Months 3–6This is the first point at which stronger hair or reduced shedding may start to show. It is assessed at a review and, if a baseline hair study was done, by comparing against it rather than against the mirror.
- MaintenanceAndrogenetic alopecia is progressive: to keep what has been gained, maintenance is usually indicated and, almost always, the underlying supportive medical therapy. Without continuity, the loss resumes its course.
Frequently asked questions
Does AAPE therapy contain living stem cells?
No. Despite the name, what is applied is an extract of proteins and growth factors produced by stem cells derived from fat tissue, not living cells. That extract aims to stimulate the follicles that still work; that is why it acts as a supportive treatment and not as a replacement for hair that is already lost.
Will AAPE bring back the hair I have already lost?
Not in areas where the follicle has already died. AAPE can strengthen and stimulate miniaturised follicles that still produce hair, but it does not regenerate follicles that are gone. Once baldness is established, what is called for is a hair transplant, not a stimulus.
How many sessions will I need?
It depends on your case, and it is defined at the consultation after the diagnosis. In general it is worked in cycles of several sessions spaced a few weeks apart, followed by maintenance. A follicle responds to a sustained stimulus over time, not to a single application.
Does it hurt? Do I need time off?
It is a well-tolerated in-office procedure. A topical anaesthetic can be used for comfort and mild redness may remain for a few hours. There are no incisions and no recovery: you return to your day the same day.
Does AAPE replace a hair transplant?
No. They are different things for different moments. AAPE is a supportive treatment for hair that is weakening; a transplant relocates follicles into areas that are already bald. In many cases they complement each other, and the hair study is what defines what each person needs.
Does it actually work?
The scientific evidence for AAPE is still preliminary and emerging, and it is explained that way, plainly, at the consultation. It can help as support in well-selected cases of early loss, but it is not a miracle treatment and does not guarantee results. Results may vary from one person to another.
Can I have AAPE without a prior diagnosis?
It is not advisable. Applying a stimulus without knowing what kind of loss you have can mean treating something that does not respond to AAPE, such as a cicatricial alopecia, an underlying medical cause, or an effluvium that was going to recover on its own. That is why the loss is measured and diagnosed first, and the decision comes after.
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.