acell - its a dud

[Kiwi]

Hey guys. I know some people hate on Rassman but I've been reading his blog, as I have these forums for many a year. And unlike the other docs who harp on about Acell like its a miracle (miracle money makey) it turns out that its a dud.

DO NOT TRUST THE HYPE- I TRIED ACELL WITH COOLEY. IT DOESNT DO ANYTHING SPECIAL.

http://baldingblog.com/2014/07/02/acell-update-for-nhi/

[Boldy]

Some over hyped drs have something to explain here...

[rhysmorgan]

Don't trust doctors, trust evidence.

[Arashi]

Big props for Rassman for putting this out there !! The industry needs more docs like him. I never bought the whole regeneration story on Acell and when Dr Cole openly claimed that with Acell he not only could just generate a whole new follicle but also have that follicle grow hair long enough to pierce the skin, all in just 1 month, I knew for sure it was BS, cause that's just impossible (even an existing follicle would have a hard time generating hair long enough to pierce the skin in under 1 month and as we know from literature, generating the follicle itself also takes more time than just 1 month, so anything under 2 months is a BS claim).

And thanks for posting this Kiwi, nice find !

[hellouser]

I never saw anything interesting about ACELL..... and let's face it, other than the single image from Dr. Cooley (the one that Dr. Wesley showed during his Pilofocus presentation).... nobody has ever seen anything from ACELL showing it works the way some people here claim it does. NOBODY. That in itself should raise serious flags for everyone.

If you say it works, SHOW THE PROOF.

[J_B_Davis]

The only possible advantage I can see of using ACell during a hair transplant is to signal the skin to heal as if it was not damaged in the first place. That seems to be the real miracle of Acell. In untouched skin collagen proteins overlap in several random directions giving it that soft texture, but once the skin is damaged collagen grows and align in one direction forming the scar. Virgin skin and scar tissue are made of the same stuff, just arranged differently. Acell seems to return skin to its original form after it has been damaged.
One advantage of using it is that FUE scars MIGHT still be able to produce melanin if healed using Acell and strip scars might be easier to remove, giving the scalp more elasticity if a person needs a second or third strip.

I already think it’s been proven that ACell does not regenerate donor hair and at this stage nothing does. There are no miracle hair transplants, just good ones and bad ones.

[ShookOnes]

can we conclude from this that pilofocus will most likely have LITTLE to NONE regeneration?

[walrus]

Don't trust doctors, trust evidence.

If you say it works, SHOW THE PROOF.

Well said.

[J_B_Davis]

can we conclude from this that pilofocus will most likely have LITTLE to NONE regeneration?

I don’t think that Dr. Wesley is even going for regeneration. It was just brought up a couple of times and I think he said that it might be possible with the help of ACell or by just leaving some of the follicle left behind after extraction. I don’t think that is his main focus, just internet gossip and theory. Anyone who thinks that today's hair transplants are anything more than moving hair from one place to another is just misinformed and overly hopeful.

[Arashi]

Anyone who thinks that today's hair transplants are anything more than moving hair from one place to another is just misinformed and overly hopeful.

+1

[ShookOnes]

I don’t think that Dr. Wesley is even going for regeneration. It was just brought up a couple of times and I think he said that it might be possible with the help of ACell or by just leaving some of the follicle left behind after extraction. I don’t think that is his main focus, just internet gossip and theory. Anyone who thinks that today's hair transplants are anything more than moving hair from one place to another is just misinformed and overly hopeful.

word. Wesley was doing trials for Acell for the regeneration so this news is very disappointing for me, i was hoping to get multiple transplants. Do you think I should go with FUE? It would be a lot cheaper than just a procedure which only advantage is scarless?

[baldymcgee]

word. Wesley was doing trials for Acell for the regeneration so this news is very disappointing for me, i was hoping to get multiple transplants. Do you think I should go with FUE? It would be a lot cheaper than just a procedure which only advantage is scarless?

If the figures in Dr. Wesley's presentation turns out to be accurate (i.e. representative of the final procedure) then it's not just scarless. You'll also have lower transection rates, higher yields, and quicker regrowth.

Now, is that worth some indefinite amount of waiting? That's your call.

[ShookOnes]

If the figures in Dr. Wesley's presentation turns out to be accurate (i.e. representative of the final procedure) then it's not just scarless. You'll also have lower transection rates, higher yields, and quicker regrowth.

Now, is that worth some indefinite amount of waiting? That's your call.

"I'll be a NW7 in my 20s if I stop my fin. it's in my family line... I'm never going to be off fin, even though the sides have affected my horribly. I think I could go with either, I'm just praying that piloscopy could turn back a NW 7 > 1 even though that won't be possible :'(

[35YrsAfter]

Hey guys. I know some people hate on Rassman but I've been reading his blog, as I have these forums for many a year. And unlike the other docs who harp on about Acell like its a miracle (miracle money makey) it turns out that its a dud.

DO NOT TRUST THE HYPE- I TRIED ACELL WITH COOLEY. IT DOESNT DO ANYTHING SPECIAL.

http://baldingblog.com/2014/07/02/acell-update-for-nhi/

ACell really isn't a money maker. Doctor's cost for ACell is high and it's usually marked up a little to cover the RN's time and the associated medical supplies. We use it because we figured out how to make it work and it is of benefit to our patients. The real miracle lies in the potential of regenerative medicine and ACell is only a first step related to hair restoration surgery. Regenerative medicine is a reality although some still believe it's fantasy. I don't know what kind of a "miracle" you were expecting when Dr. Cooley used ACell during your hair transplant surgery. ACell mainly benefits a patient's donor area. We often have a difficult time locating our patient's donor extraction sites when ACell is used with strong lighting and magnification. Without the help of mirrors, we can't see our own donor areas well, unless we're talking about rarely used arm or leg hair taken from above the knee cap. If Dr. Cooley used your scalp donor hair, there is no way you could personally evaluate the benefit without accurate, aligned shaved down before and after photos. Related to hair transplant surgery, ACell's effectiveness depends upon minimal depth extraction and we have found that ACell is far less effective when ACell powder is packed in the extraction sites without being mixed with hyaluronic acid to form a gel.

I believe Dr. Nigam is the only doctor claiming the "miracle" of 100% follicle regeneration. That would be a true miracle if that were reality. Dr. Cole believes a new product called AmnioFix will take the place of ACell and PRP.

I remember a few years back during my daughter's cross country signup, I got into a conversation with another father. He went off into his belief that on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong didn't really step on the moon. He believed the moon landing was a hoax and was shot in a studio.

People are free to believe what they want to believe. ACell reminds me a bit of the moon landing. It's both a miracle and one small step.

35YrsAfter also posts as CITNews and works at Dr. Cole's office - forhair.com - Cole Hair Transplant 1070 Powers Place Alpharetta, Georgia 30009 - Phone 678-566-1011 - email 35YrsAfter at chuck@forhair.com
The contents of my posts are my opinions and not medical advice. Please feel free to call or email me with any questions. Ask for Chuck

[hellouser]

ACell really isn't a money maker. Doctor's cost for ACell is high and it's usually marked up a little to cover the RN's time and the associated medical supplies. We use it because we figured out how to make it work and it is of benefit to our patients. The real miracle lies in the potential of regenerative medicine and ACell is only a first step related to hair restoration surgery. Regenerative medicine is a reality although some still believe it's fantasy. I don't know what kind of a "miracle" you were expecting when Dr. Cooley used ACell during your hair transplant surgery. ACell mainly benefits a patient's donor area. We often have a difficult time locating our patient's donor extraction sites when ACell is used with strong lighting and magnification. Without the help of mirrors, we can't see our own donor areas well, unless we're talking about rarely used arm or leg hair taken from above the knee cap. If Dr. Cooley used your scalp donor hair, there is no way you could personally evaluate the benefit without accurate, aligned shaved down before and after photos. Related to hair transplant surgery, ACell's effectiveness depends upon minimal depth extraction and we have found that ACell is far less effective when ACell powder is packed in the extraction sites without being mixed with hyaluronic acid to form a gel.

I believe Dr. Nigam is the only doctor claiming the "miracle" of 100% follicle regeneration. That would be a true miracle if that were reality. Dr. Cole believes a new product called AmnioFix will take the place of ACell and PRP.

I remember a few years back during my daughter's cross country signup, I got into a conversation with another father. He went off into his belief that on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong didn't really step on the moon. He believed the moon landing was a hoax and was shot in a studio.

People are free to believe what they want to believe. ACell reminds me a bit of the moon landing. It's both a miracle and one small step.

Show us the evidence.