HT Doctors and Future in Medicine Thoughts

[hairlosscpa]

Hi All,

 

Just had a random thought and wanted to gain other people's perspective. I know we all want to obtain that cure for hairloss, a pill, hair cloning, a foam more powerful than Minoxidil, etc. However, do you think HT doctors are interested in helping us find that cure? I mean think about it, if a cure was to be found, it would put their job and the entire industry out of business. Similar to the analogy of a robot replacing manufacturing jobs. Why would a Manufacturing Lead be interested in increasing efficiency or contributing ideas if it means potentially sacrificing their job in the long-run?

 

We look at HT Doctors to fix our hairloss problems through multiple hair transplants with a monetary cost. They build their career off it and it puts food on the Doctor's table. Those same Doctors have the knowledge to research and develop hairloss cures (which some do), but why would the majority of Doctors want that if it means that cure will eventually put them out of business? Once a cure is found, there is no reason to seek a HT. Why would a HT doctor want to contribute ideas to find or even fund a permanent cure or assist companies in finding that cure? I just feel like its a catch 22 for them which unfortunately hinders progress in finding a permanent hairloss solution. As you can see, there hasn't been a major breakthrough in so long as Finasteride and Minoxidil have been out for decades.

 

No disrespect to any HT doctor, without them I would be in a bad place. Just curious to gain some insight on this random thought I had. Thanks!

Edited October 6, 2016 by hairlosscpa

[hairlosscpa]

I know hair cloning is moving along, but if I were a HT doctor, I simply wouldn't care for it as it threatens my business.

[mrkellymac10]

If a doctor could produce a pill to cure hair loss he would make it and market it because he would be much richer than just doing hair transplants. I don't think it will matter a wit that doctors would not support manufacturer of a cure all because they would not be the ones to invent it. Seems like this pill is not going to be made in my lifetime so what difference does it make? Nada.

[KO]

HT doctors don't have the background to contribute to mpb research. Nor can they stop it. There is no connection here, period, just conspiracy theories.

[Shampoo]

You could say the same thing about oncologists....if cancer was cured/prevented they'd be mostly out of business.....same thing with dentists....if decay could be cured/prevented they'd be mostly out of business.....same thing with with almost any profession....if it happens it happens...and people...especially very bright people and/or very hard working people will usually find something else to utilize their skills. The best almost always bounce back in something else.

[Louisjams]

Good ideas cannot be held back. If a true cure was developed, it could never not be released. Too many people would want it, too many people would want to sell it.

[Spanker]

Agreed. It couldnt be stopped. The docs could find a different career and the top ones would likely be able to stay busy and have a better job. Think about it. People would always want a better hairline. Even if you had your 19 year old hairline, and yoi knew you would never go bald, people would get hairline tweaks, beard transplants, stronger sideburns, etc.. If there were a cure for hairloss tomorrow. Cosmetic tweaks would still be in demand.

[Dr. William Lindsey]

Now this is a topic that probably ONLY affects me out of all of you guys.

Hair cloning will happen, just not in my practice lifetime (10-12 years)...so all you guys thinking its 3 years out....are almost certainly mistaken. Now I could be wrong, I'm just not wrong very often and I'm pretty sure I'm not wrong on this. I don't know what year cloning and it's application in people will occur but it will start with the cure of diabetes first. Once you see every doctor offering pancreatic islet cell cloning and transplants..then we're 10 years or less for hair. Just my guess, but its a pretty educated guess. I'll be long retired, as will every other currently practicing hair doctor over the age of 35...by the time it is really a threat to our industry. And even then..society will need someone to harvest the sample, design the treatment plan, and employ techs to place all of those jar-grown hairs in an aesthically pleasing fashion. Yes, you'll still have people doing poor work, maybe even more frequently if there is an "unlimited" supply of hair to work with.

 

Gene therapy....where you get a shot and an adenovirus, or its equivilent, infects all of your cells and makes the hair-growing ones make hair, is much further off in the future.

 

So how does this affect me?

 

Well....number one son, just started college...and has worked at my office for 4.5 years as a cutter during summer and Christmas holidays... He appears to be heading pre-med, through absolutely zero pressure from me. Well....do I tell him hair will be a good career in 20 years? Man I have no idea.

 

While Dr. Feller and I disagree about robots....he thinks they'll never be as good as people, I think that we are currently at the dumb-phone stage of hair robots. Give it 10 years, and maybe we'll be at the i-phone stage, where the phone really is better at finding and removing hair...and maybe even placing it than people. I just don't know but I am not ready to bet against technology.

 

So...my advice to son...get the best education you can and make decisions that allow you to adapt to the changing world. Meaning...my career path of ENT and facial plastic surgery..then doing hair, would allow for me/him to not starve, if hair changes radically in 20 years.

 

But I'm telling you guys...all this cloning stuff will not happen before I retire, and if it did...I'd have a lot more business! An unlimited supply of hair from all you class 6 and 7s...man I'd be able to "fix" anyone!

 

Dr. Lindsey

[Spanker]

I think that a medicinal cure will happen in less than 30 years imo.

[Swooping]

HT doctors don't really have the knowledge to research and develop a cure. The overwhelming majority of HT doctors don't even have basic hair follicle biology knowledge.

 

Dr. Bessam Farjo has recently started something called HairClone, HairClone | Working to make hair loss history

 

Although it's nothing concrete, they are mostly talking about what "might be possible".

 

Keep your eyes out on Kyocera & Riken & Organ Technologies. Way more exciting. They are aiming for human clinical trials very soon.

 

Here is a interview with them which is primarily about the scientific aspect of their endeavor but also covers commercial aspects;

 

 

If they manage to culture these cells properly without losing their signature expression they will most likely succeed. Observations heavily support their approach. Think of Jahoda his experiment with DS cells and the unique properties of the hair follicle in terms of regeneration & plasticity.

 

So hair cloning is realistically possible in the near future. My prediction is that it will also eventually translate to (full) automatization. Meaning that human hands will simply be replaced. They also talk about that in the interview. That will be a huge threat to doctors, not the hair cloning per se.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Swooping

[KO]

^Oh dear. That HairClone thing is run by Paul Kemp, who previously used to run Intercytex, which also had some involvement with Farjo and I think ran trials there.

 

Would love to hear Farjo's thoughts on ICX. He claimed they ran out of money. *eyeroll*

[hairlosscpa]

Thanks for the responses. Great to see a Doctor's personal viewpoint on this subject matter.

[richter101]

The ARTAS (robot that works with FUE) is what seems to be the go to as of now! I think it's awesome, that's what I had done for a lot of the procedure. And the retention rate of my hair that stayed was phenomenal!