Hair today, client-specific therapies tomorrow

Staff members at Harmony Aesthetics invite you to put yourself on ice.

The boutique clinic in Winnipeg’s Charleswood neighbourhood, which specializes in skincare and aesthetic treatments, now offers stem cell banking. Clients who have their stem cells collected can use them for skincare treatments at the clinic and keep them preserved for future cell-based treatments.

Brian Foster and Rukhsana Foster, the husband-and-wife duo who lead Harmony, say they’re the first clinic in Manitoba to offer this form of stem cell banking. They partnered with Acorn Biolabs, a bio-technology company in Toronto, to offer the service.

“It’s so exciting to me to have your stem cells on file permanently, cryogenically preserved … because I will never be younger and healthier than I was yesterday,” said Brian Foster. “So having that yesterday version of me on file can be incredibly beneficial in the future when new technologies are developed.”

Rukhsana Foster, a family physician and medical aesthetics specialist, says she was skeptical at first.

“(It) might sound really science fiction-y, but this research has been going on for decades,” she said. “It’s pretty exciting.”

The 20- to 45-minute collection process is non-invasive and painless, according to Niki Beales, lead aesthetician.

She tweezes 50 to 65 hair follicles — a potent source of stem cells — and then puts them in a vial. She places the vial into a refrigerated box that is sent to Acorn’s offices, where it arrives within 48 hours.

“(It) might sound really science fiction-y, but this research has been going on for decades… It’s pretty exciting.”

Acorn staff use a proprietary platform to preserve the hair follicle stem cells. The cells are preserved at -190 C in two separate tanks in a facility at Toronto General Hospital, keeping them viable for future use.

Acorn staff can also use them to create a client-specific secretome serum for skin and hair rejuvenation treatments, such as microneedling.

Harmony charges $1,150 for the collection, Brian Foster said, adding the clinic will waive the fee for clients who purchase the secretome serums for treatments. The serums range in price from $2,000 to $3,000.

The cost of storing the stem cells in Acorn’s facility is $160 a year, or $350 annually for families with up to six members.

Drew Taylor, a former pitcher in the Toronto Blue Jays farm system with a PhD in biomedical engineering, started Acorn in 2017. The serum Acorn produces is a mixture of proteins, peptides, growth factors and exosomes, he said.

“This is a very high-quality product made just for you,” he said. “You’re the only version of yourself, so it’s a complete match as well. You’re not going to reject this material. You’re going to accept it fully and completely.”

The serum is available for topical treatments. Acorn is currently testing injectable treatments in two Phase 3 clinical studies — one for hair rejuvenation and another for skin rejuvenation, said Kate Kotyleva, the company’s head of Canadian sales.

The use of stem cells for regenerative medicine is gaining traction, said Brian Doble, Bihler Chair in Stem Cell Research at the University of Manitoba.

Blood stem cells are commonly used to treat a number of diseases, he said, and in recent years, stem cells have been used to treat other afflictions, such as corneal injuries.

Doble questions the long-term efficacy of microneedling, but adds it’s generally just as safe as other treatments, such as Botox injections. Preserving one’s stem cells has “some validity,” he added.

“Saving up your stem cells for future therapies is not really a ridiculous thing,” Doble said. “If you can afford it, it might be useful in the future.”

Acorn launched its stem cell banking service in 2021, and started offering the secretome serum at the end of 2024. Taylor declined to say exactly how many people’s stem cells Acorn has on file, but said it’s in the thousands.

Harmony started offering the service in December.

“Saving up your stem cells for future therapies is not really a ridiculous thing.”

Local uptake has been slow, Brian Foster said. The clinic has made internal collections from staff members, their friends and family. Several clients have expressed interest in the procedure, he added, but no one’s “(pulled) the trigger yet.”

“I think for a lot of Manitobans, this still sounds far-fetched,” he said. “And that’s a bit of a shame, because I really hope people do take advantage of this.”

Located at 3532 Roblin Blvd., Harmony was known as L.N. Aesthetically Yours until the Fosters purchased, renovated and rebranded the business in 2023.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca