*Sponsored post: AQ Skin Solutions Africa. The content herein is based on Dr Stanton Sanlaville’s professional experience and opinion.*
Hair loss affects millions of people and, for many, it’s more than a cosmetic concern; it’s a deeply personal experience. In this article, Dr Stanton Sanlaville unpacks the science of hair growth, the biological variability of traditional therapies such as PRP, and why precision regenerative medicine using growth factors has enhanced his approach. With both clinical studies and personal insight, he explains how AQ Advanced Hair Complex+ is helping patients reclaim healthier, fuller hair.
Living with hair loss: A personal perspective
As an aesthetic doctor, I regularly consult patients who feel deeply affected by hair thinning or balding. This is a topic close to my heart because I have been fighting hair loss since the age of 25.
Over the years, I’ve tried almost every evidence-based option available: low-level laser therapy (LLLT) with FDA-approved lasers to stimulate hair follicles and improve blood flow to the scalp, the Laser Helmet, a biomedically designed device for targeted scalp therapy, as well as a consistent regimen of minoxidil and finasteride. For the past three years, I’ve also committed to six-monthly platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatments.
I don’t smoke, drink alcohol, or consume refined sugar, and I exercise more than I’m proud to admit. Despite all of this, my hair continued to shed relentlessly like a Persian cat in summer. Being a millennial, I believed that the solution would lie in scientific innovation, so I began researching obsessively. That’s when I discovered AQ Advanced Hair Complex+, a targeted growth factor-based system that would change the course of my treatment approach.
How hair grows and why it stops
To understand how any therapy works, it’s important to return to the basics. In order to understand hair loss, we must first understand how hair grows.
The hair follicle is a remarkably complex structure, composed of skin, connective tissue, blood vessels, and stem cells located in the dermal papilla.
Hair grows in a cycle that includes three phases:
- Anagen (growth)
- Catagen (regression)
- Telogen (rest)
During the anagen phase, lasting up to six years, the follicle actively produces hair, pushing out the old strand. It then enters the catagen phase, a short transitional period during which growth stops and the follicle detaches from its blood supply. Finally, it moves into the telogen phase, a resting state lasting several months before the strand sheds and a new cycle begins.
These transitions are tightly regulated by biochemical signals.
Growth factors (GFs) stimulate the dermal papilla to initiate anagen, while other signals trigger regression. When this balance is disrupted by ageing, hormones, stress, or inflammation, the anagen phase shortens.
This leads to miniaturisation, a process where the follicle weakens, producing thinner, shorter, less pigmented hair. Eventually, it may stop producing visible hair altogether. Fortunately, these follicles often remain alive and responsive to regenerative therapy.
Effective interventions aim to prolong the anagen phase and restore healthy follicular function, which is precisely the goal of treatments like AQ Advanced Hair Complex+.
The many faces of alopecia
Hair loss, clinically referred to as alopecia, can manifest in various forms, each with its own pattern, cause, and treatment response. The most common is androgenetic alopecia (AGA), a hereditary and hormone-sensitive condition affecting up to 58% of men and a significant number of postmenopausal women. It is driven by dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which progressively miniaturises hair follicles.
In contrast, telogen effluvium (TE) is typically a temporary condition triggered by physical or emotional stress, illness, childbirth, medications, or nutritional deficiencies. It causes a sudden shift of hairs into the telogen phase, resulting in diffuse shedding.
Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disorder where the body mistakenly attacks its own hair follicles, leading to patchy, non-scarring hair loss.
Scarring alopecias (SA), such as lichen planopilaris and central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia, involve irreversible destruction of follicles due to inflammation or trauma.
In addition to these defined types, numerous external factors can influence hair loss, ranging from nutritional imbalances and toxin exposure to certain medications, systemic diseases, skin disorders, smoking, stress, ponytails, weaves, braids and hormonal changes like menopause.
These complexities highlight the importance of a thorough, personalised assessment before selecting a treatment.
The science of growth factors
This is where growth factors come into play. These naturally occurring proteins regulate essential biological processes such as cell proliferation, angiogenesis, inflammation control, and tissue regeneration.
In hair restoration, certain growth factors play a particularly critical role:
- Fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2) promotes follicular stem cell activity
- Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) supports new blood vessel formation
- Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) aids in follicle nourishment
- Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β1, β2, β3) helps modulate the growth cycle
- Interleukins IL-6, IL-7, and IL-8 contribute to immune signalling and support follicular integrity
Why PRP isn’t always predictable
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy has shown excellent results for many patients and remains a widely used treatment in aesthetic and regenerative medicine. It works by delivering a concentration of growth factors derived from the patient’s own blood, stimulating follicular regeneration and improving scalp health.
However, one of the challenges with PRP is biological variability. The quality and quantity of growth factors can differ significantly in patients, depending on factors like the patient’s age, overall health, diet, hydration status, platelet concentration, and even the method of extraction. Additionally, PRP delivers a broad mix of cytokines and proteins, which may not always be ideal for patients with autoimmune sensitivities or specific hair-loss conditions.
AQ Advanced Hair Complex+ offers practitioners an additional tool in their treatment toolbox, especially when consistency and precision are key. Developed in an FDA-registered, GMP-compliant facility, this lab-formulated system uses a highly specialised process to isolate only the most effective regenerative growth factors in optimal concentrations. The result is a precise, pharmaceutical-grade treatment designed to deliver reliable and reproducible outcomes.
Clinical evidence and treatment innovation
One of the most compelling studies supporting AQ’s efficacy comes from Huang et al. (2017), which evaluated the use of AQ growth factors in combination with fractional CO₂ laser therapy in men with AGA.
Results were striking:
- Hair density increased from 114 to 143 hairs/cm²
- Hair shaft diameter expanded from 44.32 μm to 58.39 μm
- 93% of patients experienced visible improvement, as confirmed by blinded dermatologists
These clinical improvements were substantiated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Pre-treatment images revealed dull, tapered hair shafts with rough scaling, typical of follicles in the telogen phase. Post-treatment, the SEM showed long, coiled hair roots with sharp tapering and defined cuticles, consistent with the anagen phase of growth.
Dermastamping: A precise, patient-friendly option
While the study utilised a fractional laser to create micro-injury and facilitate transdermal GF absorption, AQ have adopted dermastamping as a preferred alternative.
This method uses a fine-needle device to create precise microchannels in the skin, triggering a controlled inflammatory cascade that enhances penetration of AQ’s growth factor blend.
Like laser therapy, dermastamping activates key regenerative pathways such as Wnt/β-catenin and VEGF, but with the added benefits of minimal downtime, lower cost, and broader suitability.
It’s a clinically effective and accessible approach for patients seeking hair restoration without surgery or invasive procedures.
The AQ Protocol: Structure and flexibility
AQ Skin Solutions provides a structured 15-week protocol designed to maximise treatment outcomes.
This consists of five weeks of in-clinic treatment, followed by five weeks of rest, and then another five-week treatment cycle.
Each box contains five vials, with each 6 ml vial split into two parts: 3 ml is dermastamped weekly in-practice, while the remaining 3 ml is given for home use, applied every second day. This ensures that the scalp remains continually nourished and activated between appointments.
Once the programme is complete, maintenance is tailored to the individual, ranging from monthly to quarterly treatments, or even repeating the full protocol every six to twelve months based on clinical need.
I’m in my “hair restoration” era
In conclusion, hair restoration has moved beyond one-size-fits-all approaches. There is a bright future in precision regenerative medicine, using targeted growth factors.
By pairing AQ Advanced Hair Complex+ with dermastamping, we can safely help stimulate dormant follicles, prolong the growth phase,