Dr. Jones will be using Acell\'s ECM products for strip scars repair

Hair Transplant
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Official announcement for Dr. Robert Jones

Dr. Robert Jones now has access to Acell’s Extracellular Matrix (ECM) products for wound healing. Anyone interested in signing up as a test patient, please email hairsite@aol.com immediately for details.

There is no fee and no cost involved except for traveling expenses that you might have to incur to get to his clinic in Toronto, Canada. Toronto is about 1 hour away by air from major airports in the New York, New Jersey area.

At this point, it will be tested on patients with existing strip scars. Only a very SMALL and localized area will be treated using Acell’s ECM product. Follow-up visits are required probably on a weekly or monthly basis. Priority will be given to Canadian residents.

Readers are advised that this is an experiment for hair transplant wound repair. There are risks involved and is no guarantee for success. You are strongly advised to speak to representatives at Acell as well as Dr. Jones to fully understand the potentials and possible side effects associated with the treatment before signing up as a test patient.

This announcement is posted on behalf of Dr. Robert Jones’ clinic. HairSite is NOT involved in this experiment in any way whatsoever.

If you are interested in signing up as a test patient, please email HairSite@aol.com. Dr. Jones can start the treatment now.

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» Official announcement for Dr. Robert Jones
»
» Dr. Robert Jones now has access to Acell’s Extracellular Matrix (ECM)
» products for wound healing. Anyone interested in signing up as a test
» patient, please email hairsite@aol.com immediately for details.
»
» There is no fee and no cost involved except for traveling expenses that
» you might have to incur to get to his clinic in Toronto, Canada. Toronto
» is about 1 hour away by air from major airports in the New York, New Jersey
» area.
»
» At this point, it will be tested on patients with existing strip scars.
» Only a very SMALL and localized area will be treated using Acell’s ECM
» product. Follow-up visits are required probably on a weekly or monthly
» basis. Priority will be given to Canadian residents.
»
» Readers are advised that this is an experiment for hair transplant wound
» repair. There are risks involved and is no guarantee for success. You are
» strongly advised to speak to representatives at Acell as well as Dr. Jones
» to fully understand the potentials and possible side effects associated
» with the treatment before signing up as a test patient.
»
» This announcement is posted on behalf of Dr. Robert Jones’ clinic.
» HairSite is NOT involved in this experiment in any way whatsoever.
»
» If you are interested in signing up as a test patient, please email
» HairSite@aol.com. Dr. Jones can start the treatment now.

This is amazing news. Would we be able to know when he would begin conducting the tests with Acell?

3

Cant the patient use the powder form of acell on his own fue or beard extraction holes? Clean the wound and apply afresh every 2 or 3 days.
Will that work? Or must he go back to the doctor again and again? There seems to be nothing on the acell site about documented use of the powder form of acell matrix!

4

thanks for that, hairsite

i agree with the questions ahab asked about testing in humans (seems accel or someone would have to have done some human testing, no?)

i also think that the amount of TIME that has elapsed since the strip scar was formed might have something to do with the ability to regenerate hair.

weren`t the animal experiments that regrew hair conducted immediately after the flesh was wounded?

it seems that per follica`s results, when flesh is wounded, there is a window of time where there are abundant stem cells floating around in the wounded flesh.

these stem cells can coalesce into a hair follicle, or form a hair follicle in some way, under the right conditions or with the right chemicals present.

that might be why the follica wounding thing seems to work…

if dr. jones is trying to help patients with scar tissue a long time after they`ve had their strips removed and the scars formed, then maybe the stem cells will not be in the surrounding skin, and the ecm procedure will not produce new follicles in the hair

on the other hand, maybe if the ecm procedure is done IMMEDIATELY after the strip is removed (ie the skin is wounded) then there will be a lot of stem cells there to create new hair

just my guesses…

5

» thanks for that, hairsite
»
» i agree with the questions ahab asked about testing in humans (seems accel
» or someone would have to have done some human testing, no?)
»
» i also think that the amount of TIME that has elapsed since the strip scar
» was formed might have something to do with the ability to regenerate hair.
»
» werent the animal experiments that regrew hair conducted immediately » after the flesh was wounded? » » it seems that per follicas results, when flesh is wounded, there is a
» window of time where there are abundant stem cells floating around in the
» wounded flesh.
»
» these stem cells can coalesce into a hair follicle, or form a hair
» follicle in some way, under the right conditions or with the right
» chemicals present.
»
» that might be why the follica wounding thing seems to work…
»
» if dr. jones is trying to help patients with scar tissue a long time after
» they`ve had their strips removed and the scars formed, then maybe the stem
» cells will not be in the surrounding skin, and the ecm procedure will not
» produce new follicles in the hair
»
» on the other hand, maybe if the ecm procedure is done IMMEDIATELY after
» the strip is removed (ie the skin is wounded) then there will be a lot of
» stem cells there to create new hair
»
» just my guesses…

In a scar revision a fresh wound is made.

6

» In a scar revision a fresh wound is made.

Yes, I guess the scar tissue must be wounded again.
Moreover, I guess scar tissue will be removed and a “hole” will be left open, and pixie dust will be placed inside… am I wrong?

7

» » In a scar revision a fresh wound is made.
»
» Yes, I guess the scar tissue must be wounded again.
» Moreover, I guess scar tissue will be removed and a “hole” will be left
» open, and pixie dust will be placed inside… am I wrong?

Pixie dust, yes, and the Matrix application which is like a gauze type of material but more dense. There is only one side of the material that can be used on the wound after the powder is applied else it will be useless. Currently the sides are not marked as to which one is the one to use but there is a very slight difference in the texture. The rougher side is the side to apply to the wound.

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» » » In a scar revision a fresh wound is made.
» »
» » Yes, I guess the scar tissue must be wounded again.
» » Moreover, I guess scar tissue will be removed and a “hole” will be left
» » open, and pixie dust will be placed inside… am I wrong?
»
» Pixie dust, yes, and the Matrix application which is like a gauze type of
» material but more dense. There is only one side of the material that can be
» used on the wound after the powder is applied else it will be useless.
» Currently the sides are not marked as to which one is the one to use but
» there is a very slight difference in the texture. The rougher side is the
» side to apply to the wound.

Hi Jotronic:

I thought the Acell dust was, in fact, the matrix itself, so there was no need to apply a “matrix in sheet format”. But you say that, after the dust, it has to be applied the matrix “gauze”.
Then, I was wrong?

Do you plan to try the Acell product in your clinic? :slight_smile:

9

There are situations where the powder itself is fine alone but for the bigger wounds the sheets are necessary. It all depends on the wound and the goals.

We cannot because it is not Health Canada approved (yet) but Acell is supposed to be submitting for approval in about six months but currently it would be illegal to apply this for human use. On the flip side, there are and have been alternatives for a while. One product is made from “donated” human skin so it has less of a chance of rejection by the body. Google the subject, there is actually a lot of information out there and alternatives that have already been in use for a while.

10

» There are situations where the powder itself is fine alone but for the
» bigger wounds the sheets are necessary. It all depends on the wound and the
» goals.
»
» We cannot because it is not Health Canada approved (yet) but Acell is
» supposed to be submitting for approval in about six months but currently it
» would be illegal to apply this for human use. On the flip side, there are
» and have been alternatives for a while. One product is made from “donated”
» human skin so it has less of a chance of rejection by the body. Google the
» subject, there is actually a lot of information out there and alternatives
» that have already been in use for a while.

But if this has been used for years, particularly for wound healing, then I think it must be known very precisely, whether the new regenerated skin comes “equipped” with new hair follicles, or not, isn’t it? As Ahab said in the HM forum, almost 100% of our skin has hairs, so, patients who have been treated with ECM to regrow skin, must know very well if there are hairs in the new skin, or it is just completely naked skin. Do you know anything in this regard?

For example, Oasis has already been approved. Does Oasis regrow skin+hair?

regarding ECM from human donors, I have found a small mention here:

http://www.podiatrytoday.com/article/8904

Point-Counterpoint: Extracellular Matrices: Are They Worth It?

Graftjacket® (Wright Medical Technology) is derived from human dermal membrane. … AlloDerm® (LifeCell) is an acellular dermal matrix derived from donated human skin tissue.
<<<<

the article seems interesting.

I will search more if I have time…

11

» There are situations where the powder itself is fine alone but for the
» bigger wounds the sheets are necessary. It all depends on the wound and the
» goals.
»
» We cannot because it is not Health Canada approved (yet) but Acell is
» supposed to be submitting for approval in about six months but currently it
» would be illegal to apply this for human use. On the flip side, there are
» and have been alternatives for a while. One product is made from “donated”
» human skin so it has less of a chance of rejection by the body. Google the
» subject, there is actually a lot of information out there and alternatives
» that have already been in use for a while.

You’ve got offices in the US, why can’t you order it throught those offices???

12

» » There are situations where the powder itself is fine alone but for the
» » bigger wounds the sheets are necessary. It all depends on the wound and
» the
» » goals.
» »
» » We cannot because it is not Health Canada approved (yet) but Acell is
» » supposed to be submitting for approval in about six months but currently
» it
» » would be illegal to apply this for human use. On the flip side, there
» are
» » and have been alternatives for a while. One product is made from
» “donated”
» » human skin so it has less of a chance of rejection by the body. Google
» the
» » subject, there is actually a lot of information out there and
» alternatives
» » that have already been in use for a while.
»
» You’ve got offices in the US, why can’t you order it throught those
» offices???

Is it something to do with the FDA?:confused:

13

It has nothing to do with the FDA as the FDA has no authority in Canada. Health Canada is the Canadian equivalent to the FDA and Acell has not even submitted for approval here yet. They will submit in roughly six months however once their ISO cert is complete.

14

» It has nothing to do with the FDA as the FDA has no authority in Canada.
» Health Canada is the Canadian equivalent to the FDA and Acell has not even
» submitted for approval here yet. They will submit in roughly six months
» however once their ISO cert is complete.

Dr Jones is not from canada? I read that his study is in toronto… so why you can’t order from Acell too?

15

Hi Joe
U seem 2 know allot about this so I would like 2 ask u a question.
I have massive scarring in my donor area thanks 2 strip surgery gone bad, really bad.In THEORY,if the scar tissue is wounded again,the dust & matrix r applied,I should (in theory) regrow hair in that area regardless of how many years it has been covered in scar tissue?

16

I’m not the guys you are addressing, but I think I can answer your question. I have scars from three previous strip surgeries. Although they aren’t bad scars, they are still typical strip procedure scars. I believe the theory is that a doctor could cut out the scars, leave the wounds open, apply the Acell matrix, and the wounds would heal in the form of scarless, baby-new skin. Whether that skin will also have hair is another question. If it does, former strip procedure recipients like you and I are going to be able to get buzz cuts or shave our heads altogether. Theoretically, if Acell works as I just described, a person with pluggy grafts could also have those cut out and use Acell to heal the recipient sites. The hair that grew in those areas wouldn’t be permanent, but the guy would have effectively “rebooted” his HT process and he could start from scratch (but this time using the better modern implantation techniques and an unlimited donor supply).

17

» I’m not the guys you are addressing, but I think I can answer your
» question. I have scars from three previous strip surgeries. Although they
» aren’t bad scars, they are still typical strip procedure scars. I believe
» the theory is that a doctor could cut out the scars, leave the wounds open,
» apply the Acell matrix, and the wounds would heal in the form of scarless,
» baby-new skin. Whether that skin will also have hair is another question.
» If it does, former strip procedure recipients like you and I are going to
» be able to get buzz cuts or shave our heads altogether. Theoretically, if
» Acell works as I just described, a person with pluggy grafts could also
» have those cut out and use Acell to heal the recipient sites. The hair that
» grew in those areas wouldn’t be permanent, but the guy would have
» effectively “rebooted” his HT process and he could start from scratch (but
» this time using the better modern implantation techniques and an unlimited
» donor supply).

I believe that the scar tissue will b replaced with scalp & hair.But,I am not an expert,I am just a desperate victim.If I can cover the massive scar in my donor area with hair then I will shave my head & b done with it.I no longer care about being bald,I just want my repulsive scar repaired so I can look normal again.

18

I would first off say that if the folks at Acell cannot give us a straight answer on this, then it’s unlikely that Joe Tillman or anyone else here will know.

But also, while I hope as much as the next guy that this will work, I really doubt it will grow hair. I would be the happiest guy on earth (along with all you guys of course) if it did, but I think you are all reading too much into those photos of pet’s healing with fur regrown.

Animals may be much more inclined to regrow fur than humans are hair. Second, someone has posted pictures of a horse that apparently ‘regrew’ fur over a horrible wound, without the help of Acell. Perhaps as the wounds on these animals are drawn closed, the surrounding skin is pulled in, much the same way as after strip surgery, to make the wound close to invisible. This may well be what is happening with the Acell wounding healing. It just doesn’t seem likely at all to me that you are going to regrow human hair after a strip surgery wound.

That being said, it may very well revolutionize strip surgery, by truly minimizing the strip scar, which is perhaps the major draw back of that type of surgery as performed by types like Hasson and Wong.

Anyway, here’s to Acell being the magic bullet.

» I’m not the guys you are addressing, but I think I can answer your
» question. I have scars from three previous strip surgeries. Although they
» aren’t bad scars, they are still typical strip procedure scars. I believe
» the theory is that a doctor could cut out the scars, leave the wounds open,
» apply the Acell matrix, and the wounds would heal in the form of scarless,
» baby-new skin. Whether that skin will also have hair is another question.
» If it does, former strip procedure recipients like you and I are going to
» be able to get buzz cuts or shave our heads altogether. Theoretically, if
» Acell works as I just described, a person with pluggy grafts could also
» have those cut out and use Acell to heal the recipient sites. The hair that
» grew in those areas wouldn’t be permanent, but the guy would have
» effectively “rebooted” his HT process and he could start from scratch (but
» this time using the better modern implantation techniques and an unlimited
» donor supply).

19

Well, I’ll just dish out what I know. Acell is confident that their product will regrow however there is a caveat. For all the tissue and hair to grow back the wound needs to heal like an open wound. The matrix sheet would be stitched on at the edges to hold it in place then the wound would have to be kept moist. Redressing would be necessary every few days so you’d need to be near the clinic for a few weeks. I was told complete regeneration should appear, and finished in about five weeks.

On the other hand, and I think this is much more practical, the sheets could be placed inside the wound, close it up, then let it heal like any strip wound then it should result in no scar and some hair in the narrow area that regenerated. This is not my hypothesis, this is that of the VP of Acell as I’ve spoken to him about this recently. So, in the case of scar tissue, the scar could be cut out, then the matrix sheet (applied over the powerder), then the area should heal up as if nothing was ever done. Again, this is from the mouth of the VP of Acell, not me. This is what he came to after I explained in more detail the nature of the procedure. So, while some tissue would be regenerated it would only be enough to fill the void where scar tissue would normally have formed.

And by the way, Z22, I don’t think you meant it like this but for our patients there is no real drawback from our procedure. They don’t really mind the scar because they are not head shavers else we wouldn’t be booked for a couple of months out.

That’s all I got guys and like I said it is pretty much straight from Acell and not conjecture on my part.

20

» Well, I’ll just dish out what I know. Acell is confident that their product
» will regrow however there is a caveat. For all the tissue and hair to grow
» back the wound needs to heal like an open wound. The matrix sheet would be
» stitched on at the edges to hold it in place then the wound would have to
» be kept moist. Redressing would be necessary every few days so you’d need
» to be near the clinic for a few weeks. I was told complete regeneration
» should appear, and finished in about five weeks.
»
» On the other hand, and I think this is much more practical, the sheets
» could be placed inside the wound, close it up, then let it heal like any
» strip wound then it should result in no scar and some hair in the narrow
» area that regenerated. This is not my hypothesis, this is that of the VP of
» Acell as I’ve spoken to him about this recently. So, in the case of scar
» tissue, the scar could be cut out, then the matrix sheet (applied over the
» powerder), then the area should heal up as if nothing was ever done.
» Again, this is from the mouth of the VP of Acell, not me. This is what he
» came to after I explained in more detail the nature of the procedure. So,
» while some tissue would be regenerated it would only be enough to fill the
» void where scar tissue would normally have formed.
»
» And by the way, Z22, I don’t think you meant it like this but for our
» patients there is no real drawback from our procedure. They don’t really
» mind the scar because they are not head shavers else we wouldn’t be booked
» for a couple of months out.
»
» That’s all I got guys and like I said it is pretty much straight from
» Acell and not conjecture on my part.

Jotronic,

I must admit that I am confused by what you propose. If I’m reading this correctly, you are saying that you would like to:

(1) Perform a standard strip surgery HT

(2) Place that Acell extracellular matrix sheet inside of the open strip wound

(3) Suture the strip wound closed leaving the extracellular matrix sheet inside

(4) Allow the wound to heal as normal

If this is what you are saying then I fail to see the benefit. Once you suture the wound closed, how will the Acell sheet prevent scarring? Is the sheet absorbed into the body? Are you sure that the body will not reject the sheet? How is this any major advantage since you are essentially losing the donor tissue and hair that you remove which still leads to the problem of a limited donor supply?

I think that most people who are willing to go through the inconvenience of getting a HT (I’ve had 3 strip surgeries) would be willing to go an added inconvience to attain a “full” head of hair. If the purpose would only be to reduce scarring the a patient could easily just get FUE right now.

The fact that the patient must return to the HT clinic supports the reason why I’m contacting as many HT doctors as possible. It would benefit the HT patients of this forum to get a HT at a location convenient to them for this reason. For any patients considering a HT…YOU SHOULD ASK THE DOCTOR IF THEY HAVE CHECKED INTO ACELL. This stuff can be distributed to ANY doctor…I’ve had several phone conversations with the company myself.

If this stuff does have the capabilities to regenerate donor hair…I THINK THAT IT SHOULD BE USED TO DO SO!

BTW…Jotronic, did you happen to read my post about ordering Acell. You stated that you cannot order Acell in Canada but I see that you have offices in the US…Why can’t you order it through the US offices (I know for a fact that it’s available in the US)? Also, how can Dr. Jones use it in Canada?

Thank You,
Bill

P.S. Has this product been tested on humans? I was of the understanding that they have not tested it on humans for this purpose at all. How did they come with the statement that complete regeneration should appear and be complete in five weeks if they haven’t studied it yet?