Video here (password is piloscopy): Private video on Vimeo
I learned things about FUE and strip I didn’t know before.
It’s an impressive presentation. In the hair restoration, magazine called Hair Transplant Forum International, some very interesting and important studies are published. I recently read an article talking about how to extend graft survival in vitro. If memory serves me, the researchers were able to keep extracted hair follicles alive in vitro (out of body) for up to 45 days in a dish containing an assortment of additives. In other words, it wasn’t just saline solution. I agree that “chubby” grafts stored in simple saline solution have a survival advantage over “plucked” grafts taken via minimal depth FUE.
Dr. Cole utilizes other options which include advanced temporary storage solutions. They have proven to effectively rival the benefits of adipose or graft “chub”. This insures optimal graft survivability while avoiding graft adipose (fat) which can cause unnatural looking tenting and “speed bumbs” on the scalp. I commonly see tenting and “speed bumps” on patient’s heads that have been worked on by other doctors. Both have an unnatural appearance.
ACell is approved by the FDA as a regenerative medical product. If you check out the ACell Website, studies are cited where ACell promotes normal healthy tissue where scarring is expected. See the image below indicating regeneration with ACell (included in the video). I believe that advancements in regenerative medicine will make extracting follicles from beneath the skin an unnecessary complication.
CITNews works at Dr. Cole’s office
Cole Hair Transplant
1045 Powers Place
Alpharetta, Georgia 30009
Phone 678-566-1011
I am not a doctor and the content of my posts are my opinions, not medical advice
email CITNews at chuck@forhair.com
We are all hoping. The technology needs to improve significantly. I’m not sure what the scarring below the skin will be like especially if they continue to use a 2 mm punch. They have not done any big cases, but the burst rate was pretty good at about 900 per hour in one demonstration. Of course, we don’t know what the grafts looked like. Then there is the cost. This equipment is not going to be cheap. Finally, they have to get through the FDA to provide this on a large scale. that is not going to be easy.
When performing FUE conventionally–i.e., from outside of the scalp–might it be beneficial to use ultra sound too?
Would ultra sound better show the surgeon where he has to go to get the follicle without transecting it?
If so, not only would the patient have a higher yield, but it might make the work go quicker and with less stress for the surgeon.
And it should be faster for doctors to learn FUE with ultra sound to guide them.
Everybody wins.
I remember some doctor who was experimenting with Acell, said that one of the challenges was to get Acell into the donor area holes and then keep it there.
Don’t you think that Piloscopy might help to solve that problem? If Acell were inserted in the cavity under the skin, it might stay in place with the skin acting as a sort of bandage to keep it in place.
[quote][postedby]Originally Posted by Ahab[/postedby]
When performing FUE conventionally–i.e., from outside of the scalp–might it be beneficial to use ultra sound too?
Would ultra sound better show the surgeon where he has to go to get the follicle without transecting it?
If so, not only would the patient have a higher yield, but it might make the work go quicker and with less stress for the surgeon.
And it should be faster for doctors to learn FUE with ultra sound to guide them.
Everybody wins.[/quote]
I’ve often wondered this too. In fact, when I first head that Piloscopy was using ultrasound, I thought it was what you are describing. Unblind FUE. Now that the video has come out, we know differently, but the idea of using ultrasound in FUE is still an interesting one, isn’t it? Maybe a FUE doctor can provide input?
Any idea when this could be out?
I really want this if it is really scarless and has the same yield as strip.
I cannot afford to have scars of to waste follicles.
How long did the robot take to get approved and on the market? That should give us a ballpark number… Did wesley mention the timeline anyway?
Thx
There’s a contact form on Dr. Wesley’s website. Maybe they’ll be able to tell us roughly when they think it’ll come out.