Spanish Dude,
I had several replies from doctors about Acell…….but, Dr. Arvind was the only doctor that continued a dialog with me.
Here is the original e-mail that I received from Dr. Arvind:
Dear Bill,
From what I have read on the website and the cases that they have shown, I am optimistic about the product.
Like you, I too feel that if this product works the way they claim it does, then it can revolutionize HT.
After all, the limiting factor in HTs today is the donor.
My problem is that due to the distance and the time difference I am not possible to contact the company.
Is it possible to obtain a sample of the product? Can you find out how close they are to launching the product in the market, for medical uses other than hair transplants.
Thanks for your effort and will appreciate any help.
Regards,
Dr. A
We had several conversations over the next month or two about Acell, but Dr. Arvind was not able to get a shipment of the product because he was in India. I haven’t spoken with him in a while, and I really don’t know where he stands on trying Acell at this point.
I had several other “one time replies” from doctors when I e-mailed them about Acell. They replied to my original e-mail again, but I didn’t have continued conversations with them. I contacted Acell and sent them copies of those replies………here is a copy of the e-mail that I sent to Acell:
Hi XXXX,
I e-mailed over 60 doctors about Acell. I received several responses. I thought you might be interested so I am going to copy/paste them to this e-mail. There were two responses that were sent to another forum member also. I will include a paraphrased version of those.
Take Care,
Bill XXXXXX
Pittsburgh, PA
P.S. Sorry, I tried to alternate colors to make it easier to read…but not all of them would let me do it.
“Dr. Joseph Gallagher” jcg@drjgallagher.com
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT HOWEVER, AS ANYONE WORTH HIS SALT I WOULD HAVE
TO EVALUATE THIS PRODUCT WITH SCIERNTIFIC DATA
WHICH WOULD INCLUDE A DOUBLE BLIND STUDY.
i THINK I WILL ASK THE COM[ANY IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN RESERCH.
iN ADDITION THIS PRODUCT WILL BE DISCUSSED AT THE HAIR SOCIETY MEETING
THIS FALL
THANK FOR YOUR INPUT
“Paul Rose” paultrose@yahoo.com
Dear Mr XXXXXX
Thanks for the email. I looked at the photos. the wound healing is very impressive.
I am not sure that the material promoted hair growth. I think that what we are seeing are the effects of wound contraction more than hair growth
Also canine fur grows differently than primate hair.
In any case the material may be very useful. I think they need to do a controlled study in humans with IRB approval.
It might be interesting to try in humans who undergo scalp surgery for removal of a skin cancer. In some of these situations we allow the wound to granulate in anyway.
Paul T. Rose MD, JD Past President ISHRS Board of Trustees, ISCLS cell 612 965 4247 office 813 259 9889 office 813 924 4247
“DrCarlBazan” doctor@itzan.com
Dear Bill
I am interested in any and all technologies that can improve the outcome of HT procedures and, better yet, improve/enlarge or multiply donor supply.
Of course, in my case it is very difficult to accept any research program for the improvement of hair loss patients because I spent many years trying methods to multiply hair and I failed in providing safety and consistency. After I announced that in my opinion I could not do it because it was beyond my budget (100% private funds, never obtained a single dollar from the donations or partmerships intended) I was severly attacked by a few members of known hairloss and HT boards.
Same happened to Conradus Gho and other doctors that on teir private funds attempted to multiply donor supply and failed.
So if this new case (acell) fails to achieve the expected regrowth it will result that for same reason people will attack the researcher as it is our fault that it ultimately does not work as originally planned.
I thank the kindness of your invitation and wish you the best luck in this great idea (acell).
Truly,
Carl Bazan, MD
FUE HT / Mexico
Dr. Greco grecophd@comcast.net
Thank you Bill for this information and I can see the excitement when you see the photos of animal wounds and hair re growth. I have also given you Case Studies of Equine wounds and rapid healing with hair regrowth with PRP and our natural protein matrix, but regrowing hair from a wound on an animal and regrowing hair after the follicle is removed from a human is very different.
We will continue in our research, that is also FDA approved and based our experience in 28,000 human procedures and the answers we are all working toward may fall somewhere in the middle. Lets keep in contact and share information as we are all in this together.
Dr. Cole michelle@forhair.com
Good Morning Bill,
I have forwarded this information to Dr. Cole and thanks… We have actually heard quite a bit about this product especially in the last few weeks…
Do you work for this company?
Thanks
When I responded that I do not work for the company:
Thanks Bill… I was just curious… we got so many sales people posing as patient
Thanks and we are taking a look at Acell…
Frank DeCarlo (Hairclub) fdecarlo@hcfm.com
Mr. XXXXXXX,
Thank you for the informative pieces of information. I will certainly forward this on to our medical team as well as review the materials myself. I too hope that an unlimited donor supply would be available. This would be a wonderful breakthrough.
Regards,
DeCarlo
“Alan J Bauman MD (Bauman Medical)” urgent@baumanmedical.com
Bill,
Thank you for your email. The video and photos were very interesting.
If I am not mistaken, ACell’s products currently consist of a porcine-derived protein sheet or matrix. There are a number of these types of products that have been on the market for years. In my training in General Surgery over 15 yrs ago, we used quite a bit of these types of products to help heal large surface area wounds all over the human body with good success. Personally, seven yrs ago in my hair restoration practice, I used a porcine sheet for a patient with a very large area of scalp which had been injured and removed down to the skull. Amazing regrowth of skin occurred via islands of tissue proliferating up through the exposed surface of the skull finally coalescing into complete (yet thin) coverage in a few months. Many of the natural components of skin were noted in the regrowth of these human patients I’ve seen personally. However, sadly, not hair follicles. That patient I personally treated here in Florida eventually needed transplants to cover the area.
With regard to patients achieving their goals with current levels of hair transplant ‘technology’ I believe your statement is partly false. We know through rigorous research projects undertaken by the ISHRS (International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery) that the average patient today reaches and maintains his hair restoration goal in an average of two sessions. My dad, a Norwood 7, needed three, btw. This is mainly due to the following factors:
1)Large amounts of follicles are moved in each transplant session.
2)A high density of small incisions often allow a ‘one pass’ result in bare areas
3)Medical treatments, when used correctly, stop the hair loss progression in the non-transplanted hair at least 90% of the time
4)The majority of patients treated today have never had old-style transplants (which depleted and wasted precious donor hair).
In other words, if you were completely satisfied after you painted your house with two coats of ‘permanent,’ weather-proof paint, what good would an unlimited supply of paint do for you?
A recent ‘cover’ article in The Hair Transplant Forum (our most prominent journal), in fact, highlighted the point that most patients today won’t really need some kind of ‘hair multiplication’ to achieve a satisfying result, despite the media’s fascination with that kind of technology. The key to treating hair loss is not really creating new follicles, but reversing and preventing their miniaturization at an early stage, before the hair loss is severe.
Therefore, it is my prediction that the recently available genetic testing for hair loss, will be the most significant breakthrough in hair loss this year.
Sincerely,
Dr. B.
“Hasson and Wong” info@hassonandwong.com
Bill,
Thank you for your email.
The doctors are aware of Acell and have been investigating it. I will forward your email to them as I am sure they will find the links very useful.
Thank you
Christina
Hasson & Wong
Phone: 604-739-4247
Fax: 604-739-4244
Toll Free: 1-800-859-2266
“I am already receiving samples of the material.
Thanks”
"We have very good relations with dr. Jones in Ontario. He is going to evaluate the product and report.
Depending on his findings we may be interested in using the product.
Greetings,
Bart
Prohairclinic"
I never spoke (via e-mail or on the phone) with Dr. Jones, Hitzig or Cooley. I e-mailed Dr. Jones about Acell, but never received a reply from him. I never contacted Dr. Hitzig……but, as I previously stated……I believe the other forum member (who contacted me about a doctor in NY who wanted to use Acell with plucked hair) was in contact with Dr. Hitzig (that is my opinion).
As far as contacting Acell as asking them about their 2004 claim……for what reason? What would it change? I personally believe that Dr. Hitzig learned about Acell from the “buzz” created on this forum…….but either way……HE IS THE ONE WHO THOUGHT OF USING IT WITH PLUCKED HAIRS AND MAY HAVE FOUND A WAY TO INCREASE OUR DONOR SUPPLY. If Acell does turn out to provide us with a breakthrough in hair transplant technology, I would like to think that I played a small part in this advancement (for my own ego’s sake………and I believe in my heart that I did), but my original and main reason for contacting the doctors about Acell has not changed…….I JUST WANT A FULL HEAD OF HAIR AGAIN!!!
Take Care,
Bill
