One of the hottest beauty trends of the hour is polynucleotides, better known as the salmon sperm injections. It’s been hailed for boosting glow, hydration and reducing signs of ageing, but now one expert says salmon sperm isn’t just for your face, it could work wonders on your hair too.
Dr Gizem Seymenoglu, an independent medical aesthetician and hair loss specialist, recommends salmon sperm injections for the scalp as a way of stimulating follicle activity and speeding up the hair growth process.
She said: “Just like platelet-rich plasma injections, salmon sperm injections can be used on the scalp, and, in fact, salmon DNA injections work in a manner similar to PRP.
Essentially, salmon sperm injections are biostimulators. They won’t hydrate or volumise your hair, but they will stimulate your body’s own cells to regenerate tissue wherever they are injected.
So, when these are used correctly on the scalp, they can stimulate hair follicles, accelerate the hair growth cycle and promote the growth of healthier hair. Though unlike PRP, these injections won’t improve the thickness of your hair shaft.”
Nevertheless, the aesthetician stressed that the right technique is necessary to reap the benefits of these injections. “A shallow injection (of 1mm depth) will rejuvenate the scalp by boosting collagen production, but it will not reach the hair follicles or activate them.
For salmon sperm injections to be truly effective for your hair, they need to be injected at a depth of 3 to 4 mm. Of course, adjustments might be necessary depending on the thickness of a person’s scalp.
But because of these intricacies, you need to find a facilitator who has a good knowledge of the anatomy and is experienced in administering these injections,” said the expert, who is also a GDC-registered dentist.
As for who can benefit from these injections, Dr Gizem remarked that these injections can work well for male and female pattern hair loss, “but only in the early stages.” Additionally, they might help with mild hair thinning and shedding. However, they won’t be effective in addressing advanced baldness.
For a complete course of treatment, about 3 to 4 sessions are recommended every 2 to 4 weeks — each session lasts approximately 30 minutes. Side effects can include minor bleeding, bruising, discomfort or a headache, but they’re typically mild and temporary, according to the aesthetician.
Regarding the safety profile of the treatment, Dr Gizem said: “Salmon sperm injections for the scalp are generally safe. There are no exact risks, but people should still take certain precautions.
Seeing as how they’re biostimulators, these injections should be avoided in patients with a history of cancer or precancerous lesions, especially on the scalp. For example, if someone has previously had skin cancer, moles or skin tags, injecting a biostimulator could potentially trigger abnormal cell growth in that area.”
Dr Gizem
Dr. Gizem is a facial aesthetics practitioner at Dr Giz Aesthetics, a Medical Aesthetics Clinic in London. She specialises in platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, as well as a wide range of non-surgical rejuvenation treatments for the skin, hair, and body. With experience treating over 500 patients, Dr. Gizem is fluent in both English and Turkish.
