Yet More Indian Studies Involving Microneedling

Dr. Rachita Dhurat

Follica recently updated their website yet again. This time, they added several clinical advisers on their “our team” section, including the well known Dr. Rachita Dhurat.

The reason this Indian doctor is well known is because of her groundbreaking 2013 study (with extensive before and after photos) titled: “A randomized evaluator blinded study of effect of microneedling in androgenetic alopecia: A pilot study“. In that study, she used a dermaroller of 1.5 mm sized needles (plus minoxidil) on 50 patients, and 41 of those patients showed a very favorable outcome. In the minoxidil only comparison group, just 2 of 50 patients saw similar results.

Moreover, in 2015, Dr. Dhurat published a second related study (albeit with a much smaller sample size of 4 patients), that found that microneedling led to new hair follicle growth in all patients. Moreover, none of these patients responded well to conventional therapy in and of itself (i.e., finasteride and minoxidil).

A number of extremely renowned US based scientists — such as Dr. George Cotsarelis (University of Pennsylvania); Dr. Luis Garza (Johns Hopkins University); and Dr. Maksim Plikus (University of California Irvine); — have undertaken research on microneedling and/or wound-induced hair follicle neogenesis and published detailed reports that I have covered on this blog before.

These scientists have received coverage in dozens of popular magazines in recent years. Nevertheless, for some reason, India based Dr. Dhurat is getting almost as much respect on this subject lately. This despite not having the same world leading university backing and related resources that the above scientists have. Nor any popular magazine articles written about her. Hopefully, fewer resources does not mean weaker research.

More Microneedling and Hair Growth Studies from India

When excluding Follica related discussion (e.g., this from “noisette” on HLT), microneedling has not been getting much coverage on hair loss forums in recent years. It used to in the past, as evidenced by one of my earliest post on this blog related to the dermarolling fad.

On the other hand, several new studies related to microneedling and hair growth have been published in India this year.

  • In January 2017, Indian scientists published a report in which they found that patients being treated with microneedling plus minoxidil plus PRP saw superior results in comparison to patients being treated with minoxidil alone.
  • And last week, scientists in India published a study in which they found PRP plus microneedling led to very favorable results when it comes to hair growth. Blurry before and after photos are in here (click on “preview article”) in case you can not access the full study via other means such as Sci-Hub.

Obviously the above two studies cannot be compared to Dr. Dhurat’s earlier work in terms of importance. Nevertheless, I find it surprising that scientists in the western world and Japan have not been focusing on microneedling and hair growth at all lately.

Side Note on Dr. Gordon Sasaki

One of Follica’s other newly added advisers (Dr. Gordon Sasaki) has several videos on youtube discussing microneedling. See Dermapen review and this video on PRP and Microneedling.

121 thoughts on “Yet More Indian Studies Involving Microneedling”

  1. Great stuff as always admin. It’s been discussed on HLT a lot but to be just minox after all this time makes no sense. The other compounds used in combination with minox and the dermabrasion that the device does must do something we haven’t seen yet.

    The pics, that hopefully Follica will release at some point, will tell the real story. Until then, we’re still in the dark as to what we are really looking at.

    But plus side would suggest they must have something good. No one is that secretive for no good reason.

  2. After all these studies, reference to minoxidil and MICRONEEDLING is mainly the activation of the blood circulation of the scalp and not a radical treatment for baldness

  3. To be honest, some people are really rooting for Tsuji as the savior of bald men and women and tend to dismiss the other treatments as inferior. Those people think Dr. Dhurat’s study is what Follica is doinf and nothing else. Tsuji had made great strides, but it’s not the only solution to hair loss in the future

    Noisette’s discovery says minox is just one part of the puzzle, they’re using other elements to induce hair growth.

    Admin, is it possible that Follica’s treatment could revive dormant follicles? I ask because under certain lights, I can still see my hairline that’s been gone for some time. It’s the same hairline I had when I was 14.

    I’m also curious, could Follica work for hair on the sides of the head that have thinned out?

    1. I believe that is because so far the only therapy that in theory can guarantee all of the majority of hair loss sufferers hair back is Tsujis method. If this therapy were to come into fruitation that would almost by default mean anyone can have a full head of hair again, it’s unlimited donor supply. While follica may turn out to be great or not depends on many variables but we have no idea if it can turn a slick horshoe into a plethora of human fur so far.

    1. I honestly don’t understand what the sides of minox can be? If it’s an allergic reaction, surely changing the carrier witll make a difference?

      1. There are plenty. Hand and arm red with intense itching, difficulty breathing, etc. But the worst side effect I’ve had with Minoxidil is my ears that turn red scarlet, swollen, very hot, with the skin getting hurt. The itching is so intense that it is unbearable. Enough intense to wake me up at night. I tried Rogain’s foam and liquid Kirkland. One contains propylen glycol and the other does not. My conclusion: the problem is the Minoxidil.

        1. I was on minoxydil for 3 months last year and the itching were so intense that it also woke me up at night..

        2. For me it was the PPG. I had a full head of hair when I started it, and it made me rapidly lose my hairline… the shedding was unbelievable. It said on the label to stop if you had redness/inflammation on the scalp but at thhe time I was desperate and didn’t know that that could mean permanent hair loss.. so I used it for 8 months. Have been on the foam for maybe 8 months… don’t think it’s slowed anything at all. I even tried applying it to my eyebrows (hair all over my whole body is thinning), but it didn’t seem to do anything. I remember when I was using the liquid rogaine, my eyebrows thickened considerably and I was even getting hair growth in odd places on my face (above the beardline, a little bit in between my eyebrows, lol).

          Rogaine foam just doesn’t seem to work well enough :/ Totally sucks, because if it were just a minox allergy I’d have a host of treatments to choose from.

    2. I can’t tolerate PPG… the vehicle that basically all topicals use to get penetration. And by “can’t tolerate”, I mean it causes inflammation and permanent hair loss.

  4. Having added minoxidil to my regimen since the past year, I can attest to having remarkable results. Prior, I have been on minoxidil and propecia for five years and my results back then depicted slight but incremental gains. I have also changed my diet completely and it may also play a role.

    Have been battling hair loss for nearly 8 years as a diffuse thinner.

      1. Lionel, Can you describe your microneedling procedure? What device (roller or pen), how long you needle (i.e. 20 minutes), how often you needle (i.e. once per week), do you draw blood or just redden the scalp, do you apply minox during or immediately after needling?

        1. I would use a 1mm (not 1.5 mm) dermaroller twice a week and redden the scalp without drawing blood. Would not add any topicals on to the scalp for a day. I’d often supplement my 1 mm dermaroller with a .5 mm one once a week. So, the 1mm would be used once in two weeks while the .5 mm would be used once a week.

          1. Thanks Lionel. The only forum users that seem to have had success did not draw blood and therefore would not seem to have “over-rolled” and penetrated too deeply. This would be consistent with the latest patent suggesting disruption of the “basal or suprabasal epidermal layer” which from what I can tell is at most 1.5 mm thick………..even though the device can penetrate much deeper. I would also note that it may be that diffuse thinners respond better to microneedling. Take a look at case #4 in the 2nd Indian study which was a diffuse thinner. This is just one example but clearly the best and quickest responder. Continued good luck!

            1. 10-15 minutes at the most. I would use a strong 10 percent minoxidil prior and skip the next dose. Use topicals only after a 24 hour rest period. Also, I would be on 30 hour water fasts during the 1 mm dermarolling sessions as it supposedly increases HGH by expotential levels and this accelerates the rate of wound healing. My goal was to increase the number of growth factors.

              1. Btw my former flatmate was completely bald, a NW 7, I suppose. I had shaved my head a year ago and found that the fatty layer on top of the scalp was still there. It is my conjecture here that this is part of the reason that dermarolling helps diffuse thinners as their scalps aren’t quite skin tight as yet. Conventional MPB sufferers have relatively skin tight scalps.

                1. How short do you need to have your hair to feel like the roller is penetrating properly? I was rolling my hairline for a bit, but I felt like it was just rolling over my hairs and not the skin. I could really use some help on my crown – I’m a diffuse loser like you. Thx!

                  1. I had buzzed my hair to a #1 when I started rolling. These days I keep it at normal length as it makes no difference to the dermarolling process.

            2. It’s 1mm once in two weeks and not twice a week. .5 mm every week. Just to be clear. The twice a week is a typo.

  5. @william: I’m right there with you. It’s hard to get excited when minox gives you bad side effects. Care to share your minox sides?

    1. There are plenty. Hand and arm red with intense itching, difficulty breathing, etc. But the worst side effect I’ve had with Minoxidil is my ears that turn red scarlet, swollen, very hot, with the skin getting hurt. The itching is so intense that it is unbearable. Enough intense to wake me up at night. I tried Rogain’s foam and liquid Kirkland. One contains propylen glycol and the other does not. My conclusion: the problem is the Minoxidil.

    2. I was on minox for a year and though initially it helped, it eventually decreased in effect and my sides ended up including dark bags under eyes and people saying i ‘look tired,’ and fluid retention. thankfully both went away after a few months of discontinuation. I don’t want to put people off because some will have no side effects and so even though i had sides, it doesn’t mean you will..decide for yourself if you want to try it and see how it goes.

  6. The BIG question is, does microneedling once per week (just like the studies) help slow down or halt hairloss?? We know it does in combo with minox. But does it do ANYTHING without fin or minox? This isn’t fair to the people that can’t handle minox or fin. The side prone patients get screwed again it appears.

    1. It is obvious that microneedling grows new hair and does nothing to halt hair loss. The only way to halt hairloss is to suppress androgens from assailing the sensitive hair.

      We also know it doesn’t work well without minoxidil, but what there doesn’t appear to be data on is whether or not the new hair growth is affected by DHT, though all have reported a sustained response post treatment.

      Frankly, the minoxidil horror stories are straight BS — no, it cannot “age” you — and we don’t even know that one will have to use it forever, post treatment.

      I used to be completely unconcerned with Follica, but as time has gone on, learning more about the company and the science relevant to it, I have little doubt this will be a real option for getting a sufficient amount of hair back.

  7. it’s about money, how can we make money on this primitive treatment. That’s what companies ask, not how can we cure this.
    Has anyone looked in to Celliant Technologies? They started out with horse blankets for healing. I use this beanie to sleep in. 2 reasons. Increase oxygen levels and it rolls down over my eyes so I don’t use my sleeping mask. I can’t say it works or helps with hairloss but it is interesting.
    Celliant ® products contain a patented, natural blend of minerals which recycle the body’s own energy. The nano-size particles are encased inside every yarn so they will never wash out. They absorb and reflect light and heat and transform this energy into far-infrared light, which the body can absorb. This far-infrared light expands the capillaries, drawing more oxygen to the area wherever Celliant products, including socks, clothing, bed linens, and pet products, are worn or near the body.

    Research has shown that when tissue oxygenation and circulation are increased it can enhance athletic performance and recovery, speed healing, reduce soreness, and help balance body temperature. The effects of wearing Celliant have been shown in a series of clinical trials, which can be viewed on the Celliant Website.

    https://shop.celliant.com/collections/apparel/products/celliant-therapeutic-beanie
    http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-fda-determines-celliant-responsive-textile-products-meet-criteria-as-medical-devices-and-general-wellness-products-300493298.html

  8. New treatments in 2018: Follica RAIN (“minox” + dermarolling) and shiseido RCH-01 protocol. That’s GREAT!!

    1. If all goes according to the schedule shiseido should be out in 2018 since the study is finished this year. A more important question will be what the results of the study are. For all we know results will be lackluster. I own quite a lot of Replicel shares so I hope it does well.

  9. Tom, do you really believe that what NEWRAH says is fact? Nothing against NEWRAH, it’s just that most everything random people on the internet say is a guess and pure speculation. The only thing that truly matters are fact based reports from researchers and companies doing the work.

    1. Yes and polichem (topical finasteride) IMHO i think skin polaryte TE is a joke. It WON’T be a available in 2018.

      1. You-rah…sorry about the spelling of your screen name. Maybe you can predict the outcomes, the rest of us are mere mortals.

  10. Every comment that is made on hair loss forums are either broscience or speculation. We don’t work behind the scenes in the offices of riken, follica, sisheido etc to know what works, how well or when it will be released. The only thing we can do is hop big 3 and wait praying our hairline and crown don’t thin out more. I’m guilty of speculating but it does no good. It’s exhausting waiting for something that really grows hair. I just hope follica will produce real strong regrowth that can move us up a few nwd,. I’ll take maintenance, hair thickening and 2 nwd upgrade as a new amazing breakthrough. Hopefully 2018 will be our year. If not then I’m fue to fill in the gaps and pray for the best.

    1. I reckon that a holistic approach must be espoused. Lifestyle factors must also be scrutinized as my hair loss recovery made me realize that genetics alone are not responsible. There is only so much that the big 3 can do.

      1. It’s not bro science, really. Keep in mind that your lifestyle factors also accelerate the process of physical entropy in instances where one’s diet and exercise is relatively poor. Lifestyle factors also influence gene expression. Big Pharma has vested interests in keeping you hooked on expensive pill based solutions. Since a treatment is a cash cow and a cure is not; it’s a trillion dollar industry for a reason and any inclination towards altruism is merely an elaborate ruse.

  11. So in your opinions, which will be the next 2 approved effective treatments and when will they be released? If replicel will only be available in Japan and involves flying back and forth to submit samples and fly back for the procedure then Im not including it because for most people that is NOT attainable due to costs. Just think of the airfare and cost of procedure. Of course if it was the end all be all cure then yes if you build it they will come…but we know it isn’t the cure for most people, more so a maintanance for early thinners.

    1. Thanks a lot Moti! For some reason, my sci-hub stopped working recently (it asks me to download their browser plugin first, but still does not work after I do that).

      However, your sci-hub link worked.

      1. Make sure you’re using their .cc domain, and also, once you have actually loaded the URL, you may have to click on the specific link on that page containing PDF file before it actually shows you the content.

    1. And more news here. As expected, Aclaris just made a brief mention regarding Jakinhibitors for Mpb, yet the acquisition of Confluence Life Sciences, could be a step forward, giine the fact that this company is mentioned with reference to topical solutions.

      @Nasa-rs,@Matt any comments, since you are the point of reference on this blog when it comes to JAK subject matter?

  12. I read an article where they stumbled on the gene that affects grey hair and the growth of hair whilst doing research for cancer. Do you think progress will be made with that any time soon?
    Also looking at hair transplant and came across a video from a Dr from the US who does a PRP mixed treatment who is claiming that you only need the one procedure and so far he has had patients from 5 years who are still showing positive results.

  13. They can grow brain cells on skin with a microchip but they can’t grow a freaking hair follicle? Something doesn’t add up here guys. I know you all hate my conspiracy theories but you have to admit I may have a point.

    1. @Mjones

      Well, technically scientist can grow follicles. They’ve been able to for a while. That’s the easy part. The hard part is finding a way to mass produce enough follicles with one biopsy, because having a thousand biopsies done to get the necessary amount of cells to create a decent head of hair would be ridiculous.

      The creation of a realistic 100% NW7 hairloss reversal treatment requires cell cloning. The largest barrier behind a hairloss cure was the challenge of being able to culture epithelial cells. This was not possible until Tsuji and his team found a way.

      This disease will be both 100% preventable and reversable some time in the 2020’s, there is no doubt.

  14. 4th Dermarolling session today on crown:
    1,5mm, 192 needles, 20 minutes, redding the scalp, 2 times a week, only using MIN after 24H

    Results so far:
    – no scalp pain anymore
    – no shiny scalp regions anymore
    I think the tiny holes reduce the appearance of a shiny scalp

    1. NS, that might be a bit too frequent. Everything I’ve read says no more than 1x a week with 1.5mm. Have to give it time to heal. I’ve been using the Derminator with Minox 1.5mm 1X per week for over a year and can’t say that it’s helped so who knows.

        1. It sets it self automatically for the size of area you want to needle. For me, it’s just my front 1/3 of scalp and I set for 6″x6″, takes about three minutes on the fast speed, there’s also med and slow. Med might actually be better and hurt a bit less but I get impatient.

  15. @MOTI GOOD FIND.thank you. I’m curious if the participants did dermarolling anytime other then right after the prp was injected? I’ve had prp several times and the doctor told me micro needling was not needed as the trauma to the skin would be enough to activate more growth factors. Wow.

  16. What about ReBoost ? You did a thread on it and afterwards we didn’t see any other. I have been looking much activity in other places and platforms for the Reboost positive results. I also looking to order one but I believe much here so looking for comments of this forum or admin.

    1. Dont buy it. It is purified snake oil. The admin of folliclethought gets money for each reboost snake oil you buy.

      Everybody should he warned. Never buy reboost.

  17. I use the derminator from owndoc. works well for the price it costs compared to other much more expensive products. dont use a roller if you dont have to. the holes created by it are more damaging then the punch holes created by a dermapen

    1. John, can you share your regiment? Mine with derminator was 1.5 mm 1 x per week for close to two years but have cut back to every tow weeks as per Indian study, after initial. My results have been underwhelming, but I’m an old f, 54 yo fighting this crap for 30 years. :-( NW 3-ish.

      1. Yoda, Would you say that you have at least maintained with micro-needling? And do you draw blood or just redden the scalp? Thanks

        1. Hard to say Pin, I have good days and bad days when I look in the mirror. Also using Dut and 30% minox with a bunch of other crap mixed in it. Guess you could say I’ve maintained. Sometimes it’s red and sometimes bleeds, which I always found a bit odd.

          1. Thanks! I think I am in the exact same boat in terms of losing ground the last 5 years. Maintenance would be a major victory at this point. We’ll see. I am going for another prp/acell treatment soon (it has unquestionably helped me in the past) to see if that combined with weekly micro-needling has any synergistic effect.

            1. Good deal Pino, glad that the PRP did some good for you. I tried 4 rounds in a year and didn’t see much with it. The Doc is working on some new things with stem cells (umbilical, etc.) so I’ll see how it pans out. If it’s something that looks promising I’ll certainly share.

  18. i think one of the reasons minoxidil is successfull with wound healing is actually one of the side effects people complain about. their have been numerous studies stating how minox inhibits collagen synthesis and lots of people have complained about such a side effect. costaralis stated in early reports how after wounding your skin either wants to grow hair or skin. collagen is necessary in wound healing not for hair growth, keratin is needed for hair growth. maybe the reason it helps so much during wounding is the fact that it actually inhibits the normal healing process causing hair to grow in its place. again im just speculating but their might be some logic to this.

  19. @Yoda please state your entire regemin. Minox? Fin? Thanks
    Yo john you have a point. If minox is turning off the collagen repair signal then the cells have no choice but to go the hair route. I personally feel it’s a combination.

    1. See above- the 30% minox has alezaic acid, fin, bethmethosone. Probably some mis-spelling but too lazy to go look. After fighting this shit for over 30 years, I’ve started to loose the battle the last 5, when Dr. Lee/Xandrox took a dump….google it if you don’t know.

  20. i agree tom, its def a combo of things but that seems like a big reason it helps very well. it should be part of anybodys regimen if they plan on microneedling

    Yoda my regime is microneedling once a week 1.5mm, for about 20-30 mins. i apply lithium chloride immediately after. i use quite a bit of lithium afterwards, about 500 mg. i apply it to my entire scalp. lithium i believe is extremely important in stimulating progenitor cells and i feel thats a big key to regrowth. more progenitor more new hairs, especially for slick bald people. i use lipogaine in the morning and 70/30 castor/ethanol before bed. i add ru58841 to my lipogaine at about 50mg per 1ml. i also use serioxyl with 5% stemoxydine. much cheaper then the more expensive neogenic with the same amount of stemoxydine. i usually use that once a day whenever i can, usually before i apply castor. its interesting to note that both serioxyl and lipogaine have castor oil in them so its def something to consider. and finally dutastetide 0.5 once a day. dut has completely halted my hairloss. ive stopped and started dut 3 times amd all 3 times it stopped hairloss completely however each time grew less and less hair back which holds true to the notion that the longer a hair is gone the less chance their is for regrowth. i believe hairloss and regrowth must be targeted both endogenously and exogenously. it really cant be one or the other. i do a few other smaller things, hair supplement, nizorol, purad’or gold shampoo and i also consume some castor oil daily. hope that helps. results wise, def lots of vellus hair growing everywhere in the areas of the microneedling. a good amount are beginning to turn terminal so their is def progress, as long as i see progression i will continue. this is a long drawn out process, its def not a overnight cure or for the faint of heart. consider childrens hair, thats kinda what youre growing with microneedling, brand new hairs. youre gonna need many cycles to see progress so dont give up. if something doesnt seem to be working for you, take a step back and see what is going on

    1. Damn John, and I thought I was nutty with the treatments! :-) I hope that you have a good return on your efforts.

  21. I stumbled across a couple of nuances for any micro-needlers who are interested. One was found in this 2006 patent (https://www.google.com/patents/US20060241696) regarding scalp disruption (removal of the top 1 mm) and suggests during the three month period following disruption (sufficient at least to initiate regrowth of hair in the treated region), the maximum temperature at which the scalp should be washed is 88° F. The patent doesn’t suggest how temperature affects regrowth/wound healing. The patent also provides guidance regarding depth of disruption stating that the depth of disruption be “at least equal to the thickness of the epidermis and, preferably, slightly, more so that the removal extends to a limited extent into the dermis of the scalp of the patient.” This would tend to be consistent with the 1.5 mm depth used in most of the studies. The other thing I found was that using alcohol to clean a wound can actually harm the tissue and delay healing. The best way to clean a minor wound is with cool running water and mild soap. http://www.webmd.com/first-aid/ss/slideshow-wound-care-dos-and-donts I mention this as it is a possible second reason (in addition to possibly too much systemic minox absorbtion) not to use minox for 24 hours after micro-needling.

        1. One more very detailed illuminating study below for those tweaking their microneedling routine offers an explanation of a rationale for the difference in outcomes of deep (bloody ) rolling vs. mild erythema: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3921236/
          Main point – “dermabrasion used in aesthetic medicine for improving skin quality is based on “ablation” (destruction or wounding of superficial skin layers), which requires several weeks for healing that involves formation of new skin layers. Such procedures provoke an acute inflammatory response. We believe that a less intense inflammatory response occurs following microneedle perforation of the skin…….the mechanism of action of microneedling appears to be different.” This would suggest that deeper rolling, while not in and of itself ineffective, requires much more recovery time between sessions. Some other key points: * “Dunkin et al1 found that skin cuts to a depth of 0.5–0.6 mm close by electrical cell stimulation without any trace of scar tissue.” * “Non-traumatic microneedles……….do not create a classical wound that bleeds.” * “Figuratively speaking, an ordinary hypodermic needle merely “pushes” cells aside. In a classical wound usually bleeding occurs from punctured or cut vessels. In contrast during microneedling there is minimal to no bleeding since only capillaries are punctured.” * “To elicit a desired response from microneedling about two hundred needle pricks are created per cm2 of skin.” * “post-op infections after microneedling are very unlikely due to the rapid closure of the SC within a maximum of 15 minutes”. * This study appears to use a 1.5 mm needle and would seem to indicate that relative to what many forum rollers have done, less may in fact be more.

  22. In india I.I.T. KHADAGPUR is developing male contraseptive injection and its side efeect is hair regrowth on scalp.

    1. hari its called Invivgensome. They should be close to development .. Article came out about it in 2014… It is a nano drug.. I will dig up more research on it.

  23. I had to go to the emergency room with severe (and rare) cranial lymphadenopathy from an infection caused by microneedling my scalp. My roller was well-sanitized, but even a clean scalp hosts plenty of bacteria willing to invade copious new wounds.

    In summary: tenderizing your scalp to mincemeat ain’t the safest (or smartest) route to a baldness cure.

  24. This site is one of the most important sites in the search for balding treatments and modern studies
    Thanks admin

  25. @Admin

    Since you have a rapport with Dr. Rapaport, would you be able to share the PRP + Microneedling study with him and get his thoughts on whether he would consider incorporate wounding with his PRP treatments?
    If he can replicate those stunning results, I can only imagine how his appointments log would be!

    1. I did my above Derminator routine (as recommended by the Doc) in conjunction with 4 PRP/Growthfactor treatments over the course of a year. The Doc is top notch in this field. I got some minor thickening of existing hairs but nothing to get very excited about. Everybody can react differently so I’m not saying the same wouldn’t achieve better results for someone else. Like others, I’m still very interested in what Follica brings to market and the clinical results they demonstrate.

  26. Around Three years ago I did 3 treatments of PRP (with one month interval between sessions) and in the 3rd session I asked the doctor if he mind to do microneedling after the PRP (I bought the dermaroller beforehand and brought it with me) and he agreed.
    The PRP hurt, but the microneedling after that was a lot of pain, I remember I could hardly sustain it. I’m not sure what was the affect on hairloss because After 3 weeks I felt some bone growth on the upper-back-right side of my scalp so I stopped with these sessions (at the time I was also taking some vitamin D supplements which I think might have also facilitated the bone growth). Haven’t heard about anyone else who have had similar experience though.

  27. Great stuff Admin, thank you.

    I can totally see how wounding the skin can create an environment for change. This is not a joke, a few years ago I had a very unpleasant boil in an extremely sensitive area that needed removal. A few months after surgery I noticed that the scar tissue had sprouted a couple of coarse like hairs. Now every time I feel I’m about to get lucky with a lady I frantically search for a set of tweezers.

    An additional problem with these unwanted follicles is that been English, if they were discovered I would have to be sacrificed in a ritual of fire to ensure that years crop growth.

    The key is to develop a substance to regenerate folicles whilst the scalp is in its wounded state? If Minox is that substance, I would be amazed.

    Besides, this is a young mans game. As an oldie I know only to well how long a skin injury takes to heal. Last year, over a disagreement on who’s kitchen it was, I was viciously scratched by an intruding cat. The scratch was terrible, a year on, the scratch is terrible.The cat? Before having dinner, I now have to wait for him to leave.

    I wish all you youngsters luck with the microneedling. Let us know your results.

    Thanks again Admin.

  28. Hair research is advancing quite rapidly.

    Self-organization process in newborn skin organoid formation inspires strategy to restore hair regeneration of adult cells.
    Lei M, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017.
    Authors
    Lei M1,2,3,4, Schumacher LJ5,6, Lai YC4, Juan WT4,7, Yeh CY1, Wu P1, Jiang TX1, Baker RE5, Widelitz RB1, Yang L8,3, Chuong CM9,4.

  29. Self-organization process in newborn skin organoid formation inspires strategy to restore hair regeneration of adult cells.

    Lei M1,2,3,4, Schumacher LJ5,6, Lai YC4, Juan WT4,7, Yeh CY1, Wu P1, Jiang TX1, Baker RE5, Widelitz RB1, Yang L8,3, Chuong CM9,4.
    Author information
    Abstract
    Organoids made from dissociated progenitor cells undergo tissue-like organization. This in vitro self-organization process is not identical to embryonic organ formation, but it achieves a similar phenotype in vivo. This implies genetic codes do not specify morphology directly; instead, complex tissue architectures may be achieved through several intermediate layers of cross talk between genetic information and biophysical processes. Here we use newborn and adult skin organoids for analyses. Dissociated cells from newborn mouse skin form hair primordia-bearing organoids that grow hairs robustly in vivo after transplantation to nude mice. Detailed time-lapse imaging of 3D cultures revealed unexpected morphological transitions between six distinct phases: dissociated cells, cell aggregates, polarized cysts, cyst coalescence, planar skin, and hair-bearing skin. Transcriptome profiling reveals the sequential expression of adhesion molecules, growth factors, Wnts, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Functional perturbations at different times discern their roles in regulating the switch from one phase to another. In contrast, adult cells form small aggregates, but then development stalls in vitro. Comparative transcriptome analyses suggest suppressing epidermal differentiation in adult cells is critical. These results inspire a strategy that can restore morphological transitions and rescue the hair-forming ability of adult organoids: (i) continuous PKC inhibition and (ii) timely supply of growth factors (IGF, VEGF), Wnts, and MMPs. This comprehensive study demonstrates that alternating molecular events and physical processes are in action during organoid morphogenesis and that the self-organizing processes can be restored via environmental reprogramming. This tissue-level phase transition could drive self-organization behavior in organoid morphogenies beyond the skin.

    1. Sounds promising: research uncovering a new way to activate follicles; identification of 2 topicals working from different angles to accomplish the same objective; no waste of time pursuing commercial development with 2 quick patent applications; possibility of connection with the JAK line of research.

    1. The first drug, called RCGD423, activates a cellular signaling pathway called JAK-Stat, which transmits information from outside the cell to the nucleus of the cell. The research showed that JAK-Stat activation leads to the increased production of lactate and this in turn drives hair follicle stem cell activation and quicker hair growth. The other drug, called UK5099, blocks pyruvate from entering the mitochondria, which forces the production of lactate in the hair follicle stem cells and accelerates hair growth in mice.

      There you go, another reference to JAK-STAT. This cannot be just a mere coincidence!

    2. This is important news. For ages no one from the online Hair Loss community has been able to explain how JAK-STAT has anything to do with Androgenic Alopecia – now we do.

      1. Well said Steve. It’s good to hear that another university research has evolved around Jak. I won’t be surprised if Aclaris buys this patent, in the coming months.

        @ Nasa_rs, this is your field. Do you have any comments?

  30. A study on microneedling plus minoxidil study was released from Shenyang, China. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29028377)

    Quick summary: n=60 male patients NWIII-NWVI, divided into three groups of n=20 each: 1) minoxidil 5%, 2) microneedling, 3) minoxidil 5%+microneedling. Study duration 24 weeks. Minoxidil use was 1ml twice daily; on the day of microneedling, the microneedling + minox group got 2ml at the time of microneedling. The microneedling groups received 12 microneedling sessions, once every 2 weeks.

    As expected, microneedling + minoxidil wins. “Mean improvement in total hair density from baseline to 24 weeks was 18.8/cm 2 in group 1, 23.4/cm 2 in group 2, and 38.3/cm 2 in group 3.”

    Here’s their description of the microneedling to save time for anyone who might be interested in the details of the procedure: “Anesthetic ointment was placed on the head 1 h prior to the injections. The depth of electrodynamic microneedle was between 1.5 to 2.5 mm. The treatments were repeated 3–4 times, until the scalp became reddish, and local hemorrhaging occurred. For group 3, 2ml of 5% minoxidil (Wanma Pharmaceutical Company, Hangzhou, China) was delivered into the scalp at the mean time of microneedle treatments. The scalp was then massaged to promote the absorption of the drug. But for group 2, only microneedle treatments were conducted without delivery of minoxidil. Patients were instructed not to wash their hair for 24 h after the microneedle treatment. Oral antibiotics (azithromycin, erythromycin, or cephalosporin) were administered for 3 days to prevent infection. Patient receiving topical 5% minoxidil applied 1 ml of the solution twice daily over the course of the study, but for group 3, the topical minoxidil was stopped using on the microneedle treatments days because the same amount of drug had already been delivered into the scalp during microneedle treatments.”

    Personal observation: that difference of 1.5mm to 2.5mm might seem small, but if you’ve ever done it, you know that it’s HUGE. 1.5mm hurts a lot already, and for some people is borderline unbearable. 2.5mm is getting into torture level lol. Pity they weren’t more specific about their procedure. The question of depth, wounding, and scarring seems an open question in research afaik and is discussed frequently on forums.

    Interesting that @admin commented that it’s “surprising that scientists in the western world and Japan have not been focusing on microneedling and hair growth at all lately.” The Chinese scientists got the message and even if we think they’re just copying the Indians, they want us to know that their research is not simply me-too studies. In their view, the Dhurat 2013 and 2015 studies “were lacking of complete research processes, the data were general and the treatment period was short.” Scientific chest puffing… always fun times.

    Bottom line, though, is clear from the Indian and now Chinese studies that microneedling with minoxidil works better than either one alone.

    I’m curious how much of the beneficial effect is simply because of systemic absorption. None of the studies try to measure it (they look at toxicity through adverse effects only), and none measure blood pressure and heartrate. It’d be interesting how these studies would compare to oral minoxidil alone.

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