A Chinese actress has caused a stir after telling fans that she has been having injections to make her greying hair turn black again.
In a video shared on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, 37-year-old actress Guo Tong announced she began a series of injections meant to restore her white hair back to its original color.
Speaking in the video, she told fans that her pigmentation issues were not hereditary but related to her stressful lifestyle.
‘My white hair isn’t due to genetics—it’s the result of an erratic lifestyle, emotional strain, and a period of mental stress, which led to significant hair-related stress.
‘I have now finished my tenth treatment. Many people ask me if it works.
‘Firstly, I was away on a business trip for about three weeks, visiting Beijing and then my hometown, so I missed three sessions.
‘Secondly, because I was filming, I had dyed my hair black, so it’s not very obvious yet.
‘However, the doctor has documented the progress: some new hair roots are slowly emerging, and a few strands have changed from white to black at the base. This makes me really happy.’
Guo Tong has been having the injections—and fans are obsessed with her results
She mentioned feeling driven to pursue treatment because her white hair was causing her ‘anxiety’ due to the expectations and stress of her career as an actress, although she hasn’t revealed the treatment’s cost.
‘I figured it’s better to let professionals handle it instead of worrying daily about my hair turning white while I focus on what I need to do.
‘If it proves effective, I’ll gladly share my experience. If not, I see it as “dead money” or a “wisdom tax”—expenses without tangible results. I’m okay with that.’
According to Yangtse News, the actress was treated at Shanghai Yueyang Hospital.
One of the hospital’s dermatologists told the outlet that the injections use a type of vitamin B12 known as adenosylcobalamin, which is a concept taken from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which believes that B12 stimulates melanin synthesis.
Melanin is a natural pigment made by the body which influences the colour of our hair, skin and eyes.
Going grey is a natural part of ageing, and is due to the gradual age-related decline of melanocytes, the cells which create melanin, the molecule responsible for hair colour.
The treatment consists of regular injections administered once a week for three to six months.
Dr Shirin Lakhani, an aesthetics doctor (left) and Dr Ed Robinson, non-surgical cosmetic expert (right)
But before you start looking for flights to Beijing, Western dermatologists are divided about the treatment.
One consultant dermatologist, Dr Magnus Lynch, explained that when it comes to the procedure, it ‘s difficult to know if the improvement is due to the exosomes or micro needling.
In recent TikTok video that has been viewed more than 70,000 times, Dr Munir Somji, known as Dr Somji Skin, claimed grey hair can be reversed with an injection.
He said it can be done by micro-needling ASCE exosomes—that are thought to promote skin regeneration—into the scalp and even areas of beard.
Dr Somji explained: ‘Looking microscopically at the hair can actually show hairs changing, so white hairs now growing black.’
Then in the video, he showed a before picture of a woman with grey hairs at her roots next to an after picture with none at all. ‘So white hairs now growing black,’ he said.
He continued: ‘Using exosomes you can stimulate melanocyte stem cells within the hair that have become dormant so they can start reproducing melanocytes again.’
These melanocyte cells in the skin produce a pigment called melanin, and ‘are responsible for the pigmentation within your hair’, Dr Somji explained.
Grey hair is seen as a sign of old age
He said ‘even after a couple of treatments’ you can ‘maintain your white hairs’ or those ‘pesky greys’ that are bothering you.
While several social media users commented that they were sceptical, one wrote: ‘I’ve tried this and seen a difference.
‘I had it done in April and May. I would say my hair felt thicker, healthier and I started to think there were less greys, but wasn’t sure.
‘By August I definitely noticed less greys—lots of baby hairs too.’
But when Daily Mail asked top London-based experts, they were quick to explain that evidence is mostly anecdotal rather than scientific.
Dr Shirin Lakhani, an aesthetics doctor told the Daily Mail: ‘It is thought to help re-pigmentation of the hairs by stimulating melanocyte activity in the hair follicles.’
And Dr Ed Robinson, a non-surgical cosmetic expert added: ‘There is thought when exosomes are micro needled into the skin they might stimulate melanocyte stem cells to work harder.
‘However, regarding treating grey hair, there is no solid, peer-reviewed clinical evidence that exosome treatments can reliably reverse generalised grey hair.
‘There have been a couple of highly specific, very limited-use cases suggesting the potential for slight darkening hair, but these do not generalise to broader grey hair reversal.
‘At the moment regulatory agencies remain sceptical about using exosomes for this reason and to market this treatment as a cure for greying hair at this stage is misleading at best.’
