Understanding hair loss treatment through injection therapy: Lee Moon-won's herbal acupuncture treatment and exosome injection

Hair loss treatment can be more effective when combined with injection therapy, which activates hair follicles by injecting active ingredients directly into the scalp, in addition to oral medications or applied products. I also use this injection treatment for hair loss treatment. I call this herbal medicine. It is called herbal acupuncture therapy because the medicine is injected with a syringe into the acupuncture point. I have been using this method for 20 years. As time goes by, various injection ingredients are being introduced to the world, and recently, as interest in ‘exosome injection’ has increased, more and more people are curious about what the difference is from existing injection treatments. So, I would like to tell you about the principles and characteristics of the two treatments.

1. Oriental medicine herbal acupuncture treatment: fundamentally improving the scalp environment

The herbal acupuncture therapy that I practice is an oriental medicine treatment that directly injects a medicinal solution made of natural ingredients into the area where hair loss has occurred. This goes beyond simply providing nutrition and aims to fundamentally improve the environment of the scalp where hair loss occurs.

Main effects:

• Inflammation improvement:It suppresses chronic inflammation of the scalp and prevents hair follicles from being damaged.
• Promotes new blood vessel formation and blood circulation:It helps create new blood vessels around hair follicles and increases blood supply, ensuring smooth delivery of oxygen and nutrients needed for hair growth.
• Promotes growth factor supply:It creates an environment in which the growth factors necessary for hair growth can be well supplied.

Treatment methods and precautions:

It is a method of providing direct therapeutic stimulation and vitality to weakened hair follicles, and it is recommended to receive treatment consistently for more than 6 months, usually once every 2 to 4 weeks. This is a process of gradually changing the scalp environment to a healthier one. It is recommended not to shampoo for 2 hours after the injection. There may be temporary swelling or pain at the injection site after the procedure, but it will soon disappear. For reference, the ingredients LMW-19 and LMW-20, for which I applied for a patent in 2024, are also herbal medicine ingredients that promote hair growth by activating stem cells in hair follicles.

2. Exosome injection: ‘Smart delivery box’ that awakens cells

Recently, many patients are asking about exosome injection. In conclusion, exosomes themselves are not a hair loss treatment ingredient, and their effectiveness varies depending on the ingredient combined with exosomes. In other words, to use an easy-to-understand analogy, exosomes are like a ‘smart delivery box’ inside our body.

What are exosomes?

Exosomes themselves are very small sacs (extracellular vesicles) that transmit signals and transport substances between cells. What is important is not the ‘delivery box’ itself called exosomes, but ‘what is contained in this box’ that determines the success or failure of treatment.

Principles of hair loss treatment

Exosomes used to treat hair loss are mainly extracts of effective ingredients from stem cell culture fluid. This ‘delivery box’ contains various growth factors and proteins that activate hair follicle cells, promote cell division, and suppress inflammation. The principle is that these active ingredients are delivered directly to the hair follicle cells of the scalp in exosomes, awakening sleeping or weakened hair follicles and helping healthy hair grow.

Treatment intervals and precautions:

Multiple treatments at 2-4 week intervals are usually recommended. However, it is difficult to completely cure hair loss with exosome injection alone, and it is better to understand it as an ‘auxiliary treatment method’ that creates synergy when combined with other treatments. In addition, exosome treatment has the disadvantage that standardized protocols have not yet been fully established and that it is expensive. It is very important to check which stem cell the exosome is derived from and whether the purity and quality of the product have been verified.

Conclusion: Find the treatment that’s right for you

Both herbal acupuncture treatment and exosome injection are effective methods that can help improve hair loss by directly revitalizing weakened hair follicles. While herbal acupuncture treatment focuses on improving the overall environment of the scalp and consolidating the soil where hair can grow, exosome injection can be seen as more specialized in sending direct growth signals to hair follicle cells. Rather than assuming which treatment is more effective, the most important thing is to consult with a specialist based on the individual's cause of hair loss, scalp condition, and treatment goals to create a treatment plan that suits you.