Month: April 2009

i have a question recently i have come in contact with this dr and i would like to know what you think about this new advance treatment.. http://doctorgreco.blogspot.com/

Aside from contributing to advertising the aforementioned site, my opinion are as follows…

The use of platelet rich plasma treatment, to my knowledge, is not FDA approved. Just making claims of hair growth would be a medical claim violation with the FDA. Publishing his results in the Hair Transplant Forum (which is not a peer reviewed journal) is not an endorsement of reputable editors in the academic community, so although it is a sharing forum format, it does not bring any credibility to his research. I would suspect that the claims in the website would be subject to actions by both the FDA (a few isolated cases are not an approved study) and the medical board in the state where the doctors who tried the treatment would be regulated. I am among the first to embrace new technologies, but I want to see science which shows safety and effectiveness… not hype. Human experimentation requires that special approvals be obtained through a hospital type facility under an institutional review board (IRB). What we are seeing on Dr. Greco’s site is not that!

Dr. Rassman what is your personal opinion on the product on this website.

Also, I am 24 years old, just got 500 grafts to fix receding on my sides and thinking about starting minoxidil to maybe thicken the rest of my hair? If I start with generic minoxidil and then switch to rogaine foam or vice versa does that have any negative effect? Also, does the drug work on the newly transplanted hair? I know these hairs are permanent, but is it at all possible to thicken that area up? Or is it as if that area is still bald and has little to no effect on a transplanted area. Thanks so much.

I looked at the A & G Hair Complex product’s website and I am not impressed at all. For starters, there are photography problems (it appears to be one patient, small photos, and no information about what other treatments were being used at the time). Plus, there is no science here to support their claims based on the ingredients they list. I wonder if the FDA was aware of the claims made, would this product still be on the market? From what little information is available, it seems that this is a once a year treatment for $200 (or is it a once a lifetime treatment?). They include a bar graph that is apparently from a study — but who conducted the study, where was it published, and how long was the study? It reeks of snake oil, and as a skeptic, you can assume where I’d file this product under.

Switching minoxidil from generic to foam or vice versa will not hurt you. Minoxidil does not work on transplanted hair at any point in time. If you had a good hair transplant with enough grafts to make a difference and used a respectable doctor, then you should get value from it to make a difference.