Published 13 October 2026 · Reviewed by Dr Sin Yong
Autologous micrografting is a regenerative hair loss procedure in which small samples of a patient's own scalp are processed into micrografts and returned to thinning areas within a single session. In Regenera Activa, three 2.5 mm punch biopsies are taken from the occipital and retro-auricular scalp, where follicles are comparatively protected from DHT, then disaggregated and filtered using Rigenera® technology into micrografts of about 80 microns containing progenitor cells, signalling factors and extracellular matrix.
Key facts
Technology
Rigenera® autologous micrografting technology (AMT), used in Regenera Activa
Donor site
Occipital and retro-auricular scalp: comparatively DHT-protected and well vascularised, the same fact that makes transplantation possible
Harvest and processing
Three 2.5 mm punch biopsies under local anaesthetic; mechanical disaggregation and calibrated filtration to ~80 micron micrografts
Not
A hair transplant; not accurately a stem cell treatment, as the suspension contains progenitor cells; not for follicles already lost
Illustrative image, not a patient.
Where autologous micrografting matters on this site
Autologous micrografting is one of three arms in Dr Sin Yong's hair programme, so it is referred to on the regrowth pages and on the diagnosis pages that decide whether a scalp is a candidate.
I do not inject anything into a scalp I have not staged; a follicle that is gone cannot be persuaded back.— Dr Sin Yong
Where follicles are already lost, the honest page is hair transplantation, and the referral is made rather than a regenerative treatment offered.
Not to be confused with
Regenerative hair treatments are marketed under overlapping names. These are the terms micrografting is confused with, and the differences that matter.
Hair transplant: whole follicles moved to a bald zone. Micrografting moves no follicles; it returns processed tissue to areas where follicles are thinning but present.
PRP: platelet concentrate from blood, injected into the scalp. Micrografting is scalp tissue, not blood, and contains progenitor cells and matrix rather than platelets.
Exosomes: vesicles from cultured cells, usually of another person or species. Nothing foreign is introduced in micrografting; see what Singapore allows for the regulatory position.
Stem cell therapy: a term Dr Sin Yong avoids for this procedure, because the suspension contains progenitor cells, signalling factors and matrix, not a cultured stem cell product.
Telogen effluvium and alopecia areata: shedding and autoimmune conditions with their own causes. Micrografting is not the answer to either, which is why the diagnosis comes first.
The test for any of these is simple: ask what is injected, where it came from, and whether a follicle is still there to receive it.
Where it fits
Autologous micrografting acts on the follicular environment of follicles that are miniaturising but still present, which is why Norwood or Ludwig staging and trichoscopy come first: a follicle that has gone cannot respond. Nothing foreign is introduced, and the whole procedure is completed in one visit. In Dr Sin Yong's programme it is one of three arms, sequenced with fractional laser stimulation of the scalp and medical therapy where indicated; transplant referral is considered where follicles are lost. Full page: Regenera Activa in Singapore; the programme on hair regrowth treatment; the procedure it is not on hair transplantation.
Where micrografting sits among the other options is set out under hair restoration.
Frequently Asked Questions
It can be, once the cause is established. Female thinning is staged on the Ludwig scale and examined with trichoscopy, and blood tests exclude causes such as iron deficiency or thyroid disease that need their own treatment. Where miniaturising follicles are still present, micrografting is one of the three arms considered; where the thinning is telogen effluvium, it is not.
No. Micrografting acts on the environment of follicles that are thinning but still present; a follicle that has gone cannot respond, and a smooth bald zone is a transplant question. A patchy bald area that appeared suddenly may be alopecia areata, which is a different diagnosis with different treatment, and is examined before anything is proposed.
No. A transplant moves whole follicles to a bald area. Micrografting processes small scalp samples into a cell and matrix suspension that is injected into thinning areas to support follicles still present; it does not populate a bald zone.
Not accurately. The suspension contains progenitor cells, signalling factors and extracellular matrix derived from the patient's own tissue. Dr Sin Yong describes it as autologous micrografting rather than stem cell therapy.
