Real cure for Baldness

[scar5]

We've seen major advances in hair-transplants just since I had my first one back in the 1990's. I think we will continue

 

That's an interesting comment. From my perspective, there have been almost no progress since the 1990s.

 

The five years preceding the 90s, had a bigger development curve than all the years, and that's 23, since.

 

In 2013 we still have,

 

Strip harvesting is performed almost exactly the same way as it was, incredibly, still often with multi-bladed instruments. There are now as there was then, single bladed strips. Mine in 1988 was. The mega-session is just a catch word for the natural incremental increases that would accompany the mass commercialism of HT. Just like say, aircraft in the late 30s flew millions more people further than the early 30s with essentially the same technology.

 

FUE started commercially in earnest in 1989. It is performed pretty much the same way today. Granted, the development of punches has been the one change that comes to mind, but essentially, it is the same old same old FUE, despite the acronyms and gimmicks.

 

Hair multiplication has been the on going phantom-in-the-wind, the same old jack-o-lantern, I've known since I was a wee boy. Always, perpetually around the corner. The stuff of breakfast televison.

 

Medications like. Propecia were approved in 1997, but taken earlier by many. 1992 was when fin got approved for prostate and it wasn't long after that hair heads got word of it.

 

The only progress I see is in consumer awareness and their demand for FUE.

 

The difference between say 1982 and 1987 was phenomenal. In just five years we went from scalp flaps, reductions and giant plug grafts, to strip transplantation.

[StaggerLee123]

The UK article talks about "placing the lab grown cells back into the skin".

 

Doe anyone know how that process would most likely work?

 

Would lateral slits of some type be needed?

 

Or would lab grown cells possibly be able to be injected via a needle

or surgical instrument into the scalp tissue?

 

NEVERMIND....I see in the drawing it would be by needle injection.

 

Uh-oh....Mickey85....lol....the dreaded "strip" is mentioned in the new discovery...see #1

 

 

My understanding is that they inject the cells into the scalp and let them do their thing. The question I have is how the hair will end up growing? Will they automatically line up in the perfect angle to the other hairs on the head so that is ends up looking natural? Unless the cells somehow are able to know where they are on the scalp how does this happen?

[Patriot34]

Well that all seems like promising stuff, none-the-less!! Even if we have to wait around more and tide ourselves over with hair transplants until something does come to market..........

 

Thanks for this info greatjob!! =)

 

Best,

 

Mike

 

It is still a hair transplant though, right? I took it that they can grow hair and then transplant it. If they could just flat out inject follicles into our heads that would be amazing. I would suspect they would have to be harvested somewhere in order to get them to be planted properly.

[Shampoo]

From my perspective, there have been almost no progress since the 1990s.

 

I got a transplant in the mid to late 1990's from what I think was a cutting edge surgeon at that time. I recently became friends on Facebook with one of the techs at that clinic and found out I actually only got 900 grafts back then. (I will have to change my signature line) Last year I got a transplant of 4352 grafts in one session that did not even push the envelope! Patients today are routinely able to get real, life changing, amazing results that were basically unheard of in the 1990's....to me that is progress. If you look at results in the 1990's vs. 2013 for the most part it's not even close.

[Blake Bloxham]

Yes, pretty much every media report on baldness is useless tertiary scientific articles written by people completely out of their depth who misrepresent nearly all aspects of the research and claim any progress as something that will cure baldness in 5 years. However, Jahoda and Christiano's recent work is very interesting and promising, they seem to have overcome one of the hurdles lying in front of their research. Like you said though and I stated in my previous post the timeline for a cure or working cure for mpb is still very far off.

 

Yeah, this seems to be an unfortunate common theme. News outlets are very quick to jump on "breaking stories" regarding new hair restoration treatments, and this usually leads to a lot of incorrect information and dashed hopes.

[Blake Bloxham]

Stagger,

 

You are correct; one of the biggest issues facing cultured DP cell injections is ensuring the follicles are programmed to grow hair in the right direction. Two other very important issues are developing the sebaceous gland (which is a crucial part of the pilosebaceous unit and necessary for the hairs to be able to properly break through the scalp) and programming proper melanocyte function in order to create pigmentation (color) in the hairs.

[scar5]

Patients today are routinely able to get real, life changing, amazing results that were basically unheard of in the 1990's....

 

meh...I went from open-faced NW3 in mid '88 to poster boy November '89 thanksgiving to three strips of only 80 then 150 and then 80 'grafts' . Doc would not refer to them as plugs because of the connotations with the (then, very recent) past. The size of the transplants has obviously changed, but mine was what you call life changing and very dramatic. Where I think the change happened was the switch to follicular units, which ironically gave you MUCH LESS density. They planted veritable bushes on my head, like stalks. Shocking, but brilliant for aestheics provided hair was behind. so I guess that is where progress has taken place. But by '94, my doc had gone to mini-micro grafts and better (not nearly good enough) incision angles.

 

Yeah, so I sorta see what you mean.

[scar5]

Stagger,

 

You are correct; one of the biggest issues facing cultured DP cell injections is ensuring the follicles are programmed to grow hair in the right direction.

 

And how would they be progressing on that score?

[Shampoo]

They planted veritable bushes on my head

 

that's funny scar5....well not really....but you know what I mean

[Blake Bloxham]

Scar,

 

I haven't heard of any groups specifically working toward sebum gland and/or melanocyte culturing. However, I assume this problem will need to be addressed if full "cloning" is ever to become a reality.

[sk07]

Scar,

 

I haven't heard of any groups specifically working toward sebum gland and/or melanocyte culturing. However, I assume this problem will need to be addressed if full "cloning" is ever to become a reality.

 

 

 

Any news from ISHRS conference, Dr Carlos Wesleys Pilofocus in particular?

[Blake Bloxham]

SK,

 

I haven't heard any updates. I believe Dr. Wesley presents today. Hopefully we will see some information trickle online soon!

[Gary1911A1]

SK,

 

I haven't heard any updates. I believe Dr. Wesley presents today. Hopefully we will see some information trickle online soon!

 

Looking forward to hearing about it.

[Wes310]

I'm sure this topic will be popular in the next couple of years. If there is stock I am buying! Hopefully some good research is released soon to the public so we can at least read on it and get a basis for the topic. Unfortunately, it won't be something I can likely benefit from in my lifetime, but the young ones will most certainly benefit from this some day.