Scarless Donor Surgery Vs. Traditional FUE: Preliminary Results Clinical Trial

[534623]

I have a question.

If this is a scarless procedure, what is left in place of the hairs that were extracted from the back of the head? Perhaps simply an area with no scar that doesn't grow any hair however?

More than 5 years ago, there has been a long debate in another hair loss forum about this subject matter – basically based on a published "Punch Size Comparison Study" by Dr. Cole.

After a really ugly fight among some well-known HT doctors in this particular thread (oh, you can’t imagine how ugly), the forum administrator tried to end this pointless debate (because he knew that such threads will never yield any conclusions and only animosity among one another) with the following POINT OF VIEW:

“Regardless of what size punch is used, once a graft is extracted, the donor density will be compromised. Hair farming will be useful for filling in the empty space between grafts and diminish the thinning look.” (Source - google it!)

“Hair farming”?
Indeed - TODAY, even normal "HT" patients, like me, are able to publish …






… several HUNDREDS of such “hair farming VOODOO photos”, which clearly demonstrate (even on a day-by-day basis) such a (HAIR)regeneration process “for filling in the empty space between grafts [with HAIR – and not just skin!!] to diminish the thinning look”.

Anyway, not just to diminish a thinning look thereafter; the main point is simply to preserve the valuable SOURCE for consecutive/further treatments. Just “better FUE wound healing” – doesn’t help most patients out there, who want a BIG part of their natural scalp hair back into their balding areas and without a big loss of the valuable SOURCE. That’s the point.

[StinkySmurf]

Scarless is Worth Hearing About

I've been checking in regularly on Dr. Wesley's website since he first posted the word scarless there a few months back so I'd like to hear more about it even if it's just a rehashing of the punch size debate, but I'll be honest, I've been checking his website because I thought he had a new technique he was using in the recipient area, not the donor area, so I'd love any clarification he can give on exactly what his Scarless procedure is.

Improved hair count is a bonus.

Thanks!

[Carlos Wesley, MD]

Pilofocus Background

Thanks to each of you for your posts. I apologize for the delay in responding and (now that I’m accompanied by my Sunday morning coffee) I’ll try to address each one and provide a bit of background regarding the origins of this topic.

In August of 2011, I made this post on a different hair loss website:

Free Hair Follicles - Invitation to Participate in HRS Enhancement Investigation
Dear **** community,

I am writing to invite you to participate in a very exciting investigation that I truly believe will improve the overall field of hair restoration surgery. Our clinical trial has received approval from the Investigational Review Board and may lead to both increased graft survival as well as elimination of any donor area scarring (i.e. less than FUE). For your participation, you will receive a limited number of “grafts” (transplanted hair follicles) at no charge.

Patients interested in taking part in this endeavor must be able to travel to the office of Dr. Carlos K. Wesley located at 710 Park Avenue, New York, NY, USA. Both the 30-minute informative consultation and the 1-to-2-hour investigative procedure will be carried out in our surgical facility. For more information about how to participate, please contact me directly via email: carloskw@aya.yale.edu.

The post was, understandably, met with great skepticism. However, one by one, as patients came in to learn more about this unique, yet sensible, approach they began to understand and then to speak out in support of this method…or, I should say, the theory behind this novel method of hair follicle harvesting. Virtually every patient who learns the benefit of this technique is convinced that it has the potential to become the “gold standard” in hair follicle harvesting. Even before my initial solicitation for this clinical trial, there had already been over three years of cadaver laboratory studies and instrument design in order to confirm that the surgical technique made sense, would be feasible, and would be safe.

The handful of patients participating in the phase one clinical trial would help determine if the two theoretical benefits of this surgical technique were, in fact, true: 1) the donor area from which the hair follicle was harvested would show no evidence of scarring (not even the punctate scarring pattern seen in FUE), and 2) the survival and growth of the transplanted hair follicles using this technique would be as good as “strip harvest” or follicular unit transplantation (FUT) and as good, if not better than follicular unit extraction (FUE). Currently there are no additional agents (e.g. PRP, ACell, etc.) being factored in to enhance one method over another.

Good news: I will continue to update members of this forum on the findings of this double-blind study and plan to present the full details of the method, our investigation, and our process of instrument design in the upcoming ISHRS meeting in October.

Bad news: While I have and will continue to disclose details surrounding the technique to every individual (patient or physician) with whom I meet face-to-face, I am not going to publicly post the method prior to this year’s ISHRS conference. It has nothing to do with the patent process, it’s simply a promise I made to the handful of individuals who invested in this development project from the outset. Once the instrument design has been finalized and the efficacy is clear, the public disclosure will be made.

So, ARTISTA and STINKYSMURF, and others who would like to learn more about this technique prior to this October, you’re welcome to come in to my office for a one-hour discussion. I very much enjoy speaking with individual patients who are curious about this. Even those who aren’t able to make it to NYC, I’m happy to speak with you over Skype, etc. I only ask that you then have the courtesy (as everyone has thus far…THANK YOU!) to not turn around and share what you learned during our consultation together.

To HARIRI: As this technique is still in the development stages, I certainly encourage you and others to visit whichever HT surgeon you would normally visit for FUE or FUT. Otherwise, it’s like waiting for the next “Star Wars” sequel. And, yes, there is an official site for the development project. This was established in anticipation of our subsequent clinical trial, which will likely take place later this spring (more info to come on that front).

To JGOLD and 534623: Donor regeneration is a very interesting question and I honestly do not know whether or not that will be a factor in this technique. It may very well be and that is certainly something we will pursue. I can say that this has nothing to do with the various FUE punch size comparison studies that have taken place over the years.

To CLARENCE and 534623: I can certainly understand the skepticism and I fully expect to face tons of scrutiny as this technique moves forward. I welcome, however, your comments and criticisms, as that’s the best way for innovations to be refined. I also welcome WINSTON’s blocking of overly hostile posts!

Finally, thank you, DELPHI and INSPECTS, for your supportive comments. It’s a very exciting project and I truly feel that this will help each and every man and woman who is seeking surgical treatment for their hair loss.

[Artista]

Dr Wesley THANK YOU SO MUCH for the response. I do appreciate your time in sharing with us, the particulars of what is going on. I will contact you this morning via email,,thanks again -Artista

[StinkySmurf]

Awesome Response Dr. Wesley, and I completely understand your concerns about public disclosure so I'm glad you're being upfront about it.

It's just amazing to see how much innovation is happening at once in this field, and I really would like to come up for a consultation. I'm hoping to get my crown fixed before the end of the year so it seems like a good opportunity to learn more about the latest advances in the field and to meet the people on the forefront.

Thanks!