Category: ACell

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Hair Loss InformationIs Dr Rassman Investing in ACell? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Dr. Rassman and others

Im a little hardwired to detect threat and overly skeptical, and I just noticed you sure do have a lot of information very rapidly and discussion about ACell, and I noticed on their site their trying to get investors. ACell.com

Im curious are you one of the private investors of this company? Do you have an interest in generating interest and popularity because it might one day go public or have an IPO? It just seems odd how important it became on your site, and did so very quickly.

Thanks

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The reason there was increased discussion about ACell on this site starting around late October was because of the presentation at the ISHRS meeting in Boston, piquing our interest.

Since I receive a fair amount of conspiracy theories from our readers, I’ll try to put this to rest once again. Neither myself (Dr. Rassman) or Dr. Pak have investments in ACell, Merck, or any hair related stock or products. In fact, we are just as skeptical as you are about various claims made regarding ACell’s use in auto-cloning. This is the reason why we are conducting research and not selling the product. Dr. Pak and I are mainly invested in creating the best hair transplant surgical clinic.

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Hair Loss InformationUsing a Tattoo Machine to Push ACell Into the Scalp? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I was wondering if you have considered using ACell combined with plasma and injecting it back into the scalp using a tattooing gun. This would create the necessary scaring effect allowing ACell to, in a since, rejuvenate the scar. What do you think?

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Pushing ACell into a scar with a tattoo machine will not work to do what you’re probably looking to do. There’s still no hair present in the scarred area, as ACell won’t make hair suddenly sprout in scar tissue where hair does not exist.

While it’s an interesting idea, I’d be skeptical of any doctor claiming to do scar rejuvenation in the way you described. I’m not sure if you’re just curious about an idea you came up with or if someone out there is offering it already (believe me, I’ve read about some far fetched ideas that some doctors are selling to patients). Unfortunately, I’d have to see some really solid evidence to change my thinking on this.

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Hair Loss InformationDoctors Sharing Information About ACell – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr.,

I applaud your participation in the ACell study. I do wish to quickly ask why you have not contacted either Dr. Cooley or Dr. Hitzig about the specifics of ACell? Dr. Hitzig is adamant upon the fact that if Dr’s do not contact him about how to use this, then each Dr.’s study will most assuredly fail. As a result, Dr’s will prematurely claim the study a failure and disregard it as a major achievement in the fight against hair loss. I am pleading with you to contact either of the Dr’s to understand the specifics of this study. Please don’t let this opportunity pass you by.

Please check this thread out where Dr. Hitzig specifically talks about this: BaldTruth.com

All my best

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We had extensive discussions with Dr. Cooley. I like sharing, and doctors who share information are ethical doctors. I do not mean to ignore Dr. Hitzig, but Dr. Cooley answered our questions to our satisfaction.

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Hair Loss InformationIs Plucking Hairs for ACell Procedure Faster than FUE? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hey doc. I was just thinking. If Acell plucking works would it be fair to liken it FUE on steroids. Similarities being little scaring (or none with Acell), it is non strip, has the same yield except with the added bonus of unlimited donor hair. Also one more question, is the plucking technique faster than FUE per graft.

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I don’t look too much into the ACell comparisons with follicular unit extraction (FUE) just yet, as it’s too early to tell. FUE is presently better organized as a procedure than the plucking/ACell. We’ve been performing FUE procedures for a decade, whereas experience has been limited with the ACell. This will change with time if ACell becomes the standard of care, but I believe that this is a long way off.

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Hair Loss InformationHow Long Will it Take from Consultation to Surgery? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hey Dr.,

I’ve been a long time reader and you’ve even answered a couple of my questions on the blog in the past.

I’m 27, been on Propecia two years and am planning a trip to the LA area in the spring. I have a couple of questions, if you wouldn’t mind answering.

  1. If I set up an appointment with you and you deemed I would be a candidate for a hair transplant, how long would I have to wait before going in for surgery?
  2. In the same vein, what are the chances of being an ACell test subject? I know that it’s not fully proven, but I like the notion of it, and it seems less likely to leave a scar.
  3. If ACell is in the question, can you give a rough estimate of what the cost would be (I guess per graft).

Very much obliged for any answers.

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Thank you for being a long time reader!

1. The time it takes from first consultation to surgery can range from the next day (rare) to one or two months. Patients who are candidates can set up surgery based on our open schedule. We have two pricing models. For those who want surgery at a specific date, they pay $6 per graft and can have surgery as soon as the next day (if the space is available). For those who are more flexible and can work with our schedule, they pay $5 per graft. If you are traveling from out of town, you can still take advantage of this by giving us a general time frame of your availability and we will give you plenty of notice to arrange travel and vacation time. We also offer a travel reimbursement program. For further info, you can read about our fees at our site or call (800) NEW-HAIR.

2. We are enrolling patients in an ACell auto-cloning study, but they need to be completely bald up top so that we can clearly document the growth. If you want to participate in the ACell scar minimizing study (where we put the ACell in the donor area) you are welcome to participate as well. If you don’t want to participate in the study but still wish to have ACell used in your surgery, you can just pay for the material cost of ACell itself ($600).

3. We do not have an official fee for ACell auto-cloning surgery, as we aren’t offering it to the general public (it is only a research study at this time). For the ACell scar minimizing surgery (NOT auto-cloning) we are charging for the material cost (see above).

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Hair Loss InformationI Want to Pay for ACell Along with My Transplant – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hey Doc,

I’m wondering if I got a hair transplant within the next 2 to 4 months, after I’ve got a master plan and such, if you would use ACell if I gave my consent to use it on a normal transplant. Of course the hopeful result is that if you use it with the hair transplant alone that it helps heal faster and 50 to 400% more could potentially grow than what was transplanted. Since it’s considered harmless by the FDA, do you think it would hurt to just use it and see the results if there are any and if not, no harm done right? It wouldn’t affect the actual hair or anything if I’m not mistaken. And end result being if it doesn’t grow more hairs it would heal faster.

If this was possible could we just pay a little extra to you for the cost of using ACell and see if we get results? Not saying there would be an sort of expectations beyond the actual transplant, but would it hurt to use it just in case or do you think it would complicate the normal transplant in some way?

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There are talks and unsupported reports that ACell can speed up the hair transplant healing process and help the REGULAR transplanted hair follicles to grow better/faster. This has yet to be proven satisfactorily, as far as I know.

If you want to pay the extra cost of the ACell to be incorporated in a hair transplant procedure (on the hair follicle), I do not have a problem with it. But you must also accept the fact that ACell can have the complete opposite effect of less than optimal hair growth. While I do not believe this would be the case, we really do not know at this point and must always assume the worst.

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Hair Loss InformationIs There a Possible Scarless Hair Transplant in Development? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Doc!
Are there any unavoidable obstacles that prevent developing a hair transplant technique that is completely scarless? I am also curious about how much do you know about CIT and its look when shaved to completely bald. Another hot topic is ACell. Only a part of the donor hair follicle is needed if I’m right. Does this help to prevent scarring? And how good are the existing ACell-friendly extraction procedures?

Sorry if some of the questions are silly, and thanks for your answers!

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There is no surgery in the world that is truly scar-less. There are techniques to minimize scars, but any cut on your body will always produce a scar to some degree. Even for a traditional strip hair transplant surgery the scar is rarely seen (because it is covered by hair).

With respect to ACell, it is not a proven technology and any answer is just speculative at this point.

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If ACell Works, Will It Be Standard Care? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Will ACell be more expensive than traditional hair transplant procedures?

Will it become the standard and only procedure that you offer if it is proven to work?

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ACell is too new to make any speculation at this point. Too many variables, too many questions to answer.

We made the ACell study announcement just weeks ago and I understand that people are excited (we are too), but I’m not going to make any big, speculative statements like what you’re asking of me.

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Could Autocloned Hair Suddenly Become Sensitive to DHT Years Down the Line? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Dr Rassman

Is that possible that the Acell autocloned hair, from plucked hair from DHT resistant donor area, stay DHT-insensible for let’s say 10 years, and after that develop sensitivity to DHT ?

If many people stay bald free even up to 50 years old like the balding genes was inactive for decades… I suppose maybe something like that could happen to autoclone hair, like their balding genes could just wake up after many years, in some few cases.

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We do not know the answer to this question. One would expect that the auto-cloned hair would be resistant to DHT and grow on just like the donor hair normally does. Apoptosis (cell death) is programmed in the balding hair follicle, but not in the hairs found in the donor area… but still, no one really knows.

In the case of general cloning, I recall there have been reports that the life span of a cloned animal is shorter than expected. It all has to do with something called telomerase, which may or may not apply to the hair. The short answer is: I simply do not know.

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NHI’s ACell Program – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

When will your clinical trial on ACell start? When will the first patient get hair transplant using ACell? Thanks!

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The ACell trial we’re conducting started a few weeks back and a few patients have already had treatments. As for when it will be PROVEN and be offered as a standard procedure, it will be at least one year (if it succeeds).