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Kylie Jenner is the latest A-lister hopping on the stem cell therapy bandwagon.
The 28-year-old mom of two revealed that she recently underwent the procedure in the hopes of easing the “bad chronic back pain” that’s plagued her for three years, since giving birth to son Aire.
“Nothing I tried seemed to help,” Kylie wrote in a Dec. 4 Instagram Story, saying she was inspired to explore stem cell therapy after hearing that sister Kim Kardashian found major relief from a similar treatment.
Kim shared her own stem cell journey in August, telling her Instagram followers that she was in “debilitating pain” after tearing her shoulder while weightlifting in 2023.
Like her sister, the Skims mogul said she “tried everything to find relief” before turning to stem cell therapy.
Kim traveled to Mexico to be treated by Dr. Adeel Khan at one of his Eterna Health facilities, noting that stem cells “aren’t yet accessible” in the US.
The 45-year-old reported that the results were “immediate,” saying she’d “regained full range of motion, and my shoulder has felt completely normal ever since.”
“Hearing how much relief Kim got gave me confidence to look into stem cell therapy,” Kylie said.
She also traveled to Mexico to see Khan and undergo the procedure, writing that she was “so grateful for the opportunity and resources.”
“Everyone’s body is different, but this has been a huge step in my healing journey,” the reality TV star added.
Kylie and Kim’s sister, Khloé Kardashian, has also used stem cell therapy to help with “recovery, inflammation and overall wellness.”
And they’re hardly alone. Pro athletes like Alex Rodriguez, Peyton Manning and Rafael Nadal, along with actors such as Mel Gibson and Adam Devine, are among the growing number of celebrities who say they’ve seen benefits after traveling overseas for the treatment.
Here’s everything you need to know about the procedure — including why it isn’t available in the US.
But first: What are stem cells?
They are the building blocks of the body, found in many different tissues, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Stem cells are unique because they can self-renew, making identical copies of themselves, and differentiate, transforming into specialized cells that perform specific functions, such as nerve, muscle or blood cells.
These capabilities allow them to repair or replace cells that have been damaged or lost due to normal wear and tear, injury or disease.
Stem cells come from several sources, including human embryos and, in smaller numbers, most adult tissues. Adult stem cells are more limited in their ability to differentiate compared to embryonic stem cells, but they play an important role in the body’s natural tissue repair.
What is stem cell therapy?
It’s a form of regenerative medicine that uses the unique properties of stem cells to help heal injuries and treat disease, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The process involves harvesting stem cells — either from the patient’s body, commonly from bone marrow or fat tissue, or from a donor — and processing them in a lab.
These concentrated cells are injected into the injured area, where they can potentially help repair damaged tissue, reduce inflammation and even stimulate the body’s immune system to promote healing.
Why is stem cell therapy hard to access in the US?
Stem cell therapy is still a relatively new treatment.
The only stem cell–based therapies approved by the US Food and Drug Administration are for blood and immune system disorders, including blood cancers like leukemia, according to the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF).
That could change in the future. Clinical trials are underway to explore whether stem cells might one day help treat conditions ranging from Type 1 diabetes, heart failure and hearing loss to Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis.
What is ‘stem cell tourism’ — and why is it risky?
Frustrated by the slow pace of research translating into approved treatments, many Americans have traveled abroad to receive stem cell–based therapies that haven’t been approved by the FDA.
These treatments are often marketed to vulnerable patients at high costs, promising relief for a wide range of health problems, including hair loss, back pain, arthritis and cancer. Experts say, however, that many of these procedures are unproven and carry serious risks.
“Unproven stem cell procedures can lead to many harmful complications that can worsen your condition or introduce new ones,” NYSCF warns on its website.
“For example, a stroke patient who received an unproven procedure ended up with a tumor, and several patients who underwent an unproven procedure for age-related macular degeneration lost their vision entirely.”
The problem isn’t just overseas. Many clinics in the US also offer unapproved stem cell treatments, despite FDA warnings and regulatory crackdowns.
“I would be very wary,” Dr. Jeffrey Karp, chair of the anesthesiology department at Mass General Brigham and Harvard Medical School, told The New York Times.
“These clinics often make exaggerated claims and skip crucial safety protocols,” he continued, stressing that the unproven treatments pose a “serious possibility of injury.”
