3D Bioprinting of Hair

Within the world of 3D bioprinting, the most exciting developments to look forward to involve the 3D printing of essential human body parts. However, for us hair loss sufferers, 3D bioprinted hair is of foremost interest.

Note that there are various 3D printing technologies with different purposes. These include: bioprinting of hair follicles that would then be transplanted; bioprinting of skin that also contains hair and sweat glands; 3D printing of scaffolds to assist in 3D culturing of hair and dermal papilla cells; and 3D printing of hair systems.

March 1, 2024

3D-Printed Skin Closes Wounds and Contains Hair Follicle Precursors

Bioprinted Skin Adipose
3D bioprinting of skin and hair via the use of adipose-derived stem cells and extra-cellular matrix. Source: Bioactive Materials, March 2024.

In a new study led by Dr. Ibrahim Ozbolat and other scientists from Penn State University (US), the researchers managed to bioprint skin as well as hair in rats in a unique way using adipose (fat) cells. The full study can be read in the latest issue of Bioactive Materials. One of the co-authors is Ryan Driskell from Washington State. I covered his work and unique skin related website in my post on skin regeneration, wound healing and hair growth.

The researchers obtained fat cells and tissue from patients undergoing surgery at a nearby hospital. They then used this tissue to correct injuries in rats via the use of a 3D printer. They also obtained adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) and adipose-derived extracellular matrix (adECM) from the adipose tissue to make another bioink component.

While scientists have previously 3D bioprinted thin layers of skin, the Penn team are the first to intraoperatively print a full, living system of multiple skin layers. This includes the lowest layer hypodermis, which is below the epidermis and dermis. The ADSCs and ECM also induced downgrowth of hair follicle-like structures.

According to Dr. Ozbolat:

“We are working to advance this, to mature the hair follicles with controlled density, directionality and growth. We believe this could be applied in dermatology, hair transplants, and plastic and reconstructive surgeries.”

November 16, 2023

3D Bioprinting of Hair Follicles within Skin

3D Printing of Hair in Skin.
3D Bioprinting of Hair Follicles within Skin. Source: Science Advances.

A team of scientists from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (US) has 3D-printed hair follicles in human skin tissue cultured in the lab. The research was published in Scientific Advances in October 2023 and led by Dr. Pankaj Karande.

December 21, 2022

New Studies on 3D Bioprinting of Hair Follicles

I am updating this post due to several new studies on 3D bioprinting of hair follicles.

  • A new December 2022 paper from China concludes that a new bead-jet enabled printing of mesenchymal stem cell laden Matrigel beads results in hair follicle regeneration. Matrigel (similar to extracellular matrix) was selected as the biomaterial for this research. Compared with conventional 3D in-situ printing techniques, bead-jet printing is specialized for stem cell therapy, with improved retention rates. The new technology might find a diverse range of uses in clinical applications for regenerative medicine.
  • A November 2022 paper from China discusses an interesting mechanical engineering approach of “in situ” bioprinting. The scientists printed bioinks directly into defective sites in order to promote tissue repair. Epidermal stem cells (Epi-SCs), skin-derived precursors (SKPs), and Matrigel were “printed” into the wounds of nude mice to promote hair follicle regeneration. The results showed successful regeneration of hair follicles and other skin appendages at 4 weeks after in situ bioprinting. Moreover, the bioprinting only slightly decreased stem cell viability. These findings support a mechanical engineering method for hair follicle regeneration.
  • A June 2022 study from Japan proposes an approach for the scalable and automated preparation of highly hair-inductive grafts using a bioprinter. Mesenchymal–epithelial interactions resulted in efficient hair follicle regeneration in mice. However, the new hair shafts remained mostly beneath the skin. The scientists then developed a unique method to enable the hair to sprout upwards through the skin. Note that the lead author of this study is Junji Fukuda, who I have covered many times on this blog.
  • A study from China that was published in September 2021 discusses a new approach in three-dimensional bioprinting for the tissue engineering of hair follicle reconstruction. This method entails a 3D bioprinting technique based on a gelatin/alginate hydrogel to construct a multilayer composite scaffold. The end results is a suitable 3D microenvironment for dermal papilla cells to induce new hair follicle formation. Update: A March 2022 summary can be read on ScienceDirect.
  • A June 2021 summary from China is a must read. It is titled “3D bioprinting for skin tissue engineering: Current status and perspectives.” It covers in detail the latest status of the main 3D bioprinting technologies (droplet-based, laser-assisted, extrusion-based and stereolithography). It then covers in detail skin bioprinting, hair bioprinting and sweat gland bioprinting. The last mentioned is not always desirable, hence the need for clinical strength antiperspirants.
  • Another far more detailed study from China that was published in May 2021 is titled: “Using bioprinting and spheroid culture to create a skin model with sweat glands and hair follicles.” The researchers managed to simultaneously induce sweat gland and hair follicle regeneration. Moreover, they discovered a symbiotic relationship between sweat gland scaffolds and hair follicle spheroids.
3D Bioprinting of Hair and Sweat Glands.
Using 3D bioprinting and spheroid culture to create skin with sweat glands and hair follicles. Source: Burns & Trauma, Volume 9, 2021.

Also make sure to read my past tissue engineering of hair follicles post covering work from Dr. Angela Christiano’s team at Columbia University. It is also summarized in the below 2019 video:

Poietis, L’Oréal, BASF and Dr. Atala

The most exciting work in this area of 3D printed hair (and skin) involves the partnership between Poietis, L’Oréal and BASF. Even after years of reading about 3D bioprinting and watching many videos on the subject, it still seems like science fiction to me. However, this is definitely not fiction, and the basic technology has already existed and been used in people for over a decade.

Dr. Anthony Atala (a pioneer who I have mentioned a few times on this blog) has two extremely popular TED Talk videos on this subject from 2010 and 2011. At the time, Dr. Atala’s work was also well covered in this article. More recently, Dr. Atala has been working with NASA to print artificial organs in space.

3D Printed Hair and Hair Systems

While we are most interested in cellular level 3D hair follicle bioprinting and transplantation, there also exist other uses of 3D printers that involve hair. Methods that make use of synthetic materials and do not entail any kind of complicated scaffolds and culturing.

MIT Media Group’s Cillia: 3D Printed Hair

The first of these was not widely covered, but since it involves researchers from MIT, I give it precedence. These scientists are part of the MIT Tangible Media Group, led by Dr. Hiroshi Ishii, and their project is called Cillia. Note that they do not discuss the human scalp whatsoever, and they are using bitmap technology to print this hair rather than any kind of actual cells.

The futurism website has a much more detailed article on the subject. Make sure to also see the work from Carnegie Mellon University for creating lifelike hair fibers using a fused deposition modeling (FDM) printer.

CRLAB (Cesare Ragazzi): 3D Printed CNC Hair System

Hair systems and prosthesis are not exactly what me have in mind when we discuss 3D printed hair. However, Italian company CRLAB (previously Cesare Ragazzi) has received tremendous publicity in recent years for its CNC 3D printed hair and scalp prosthesis systems.

You can watch a Lab Tour video of the company to learn more. Their work was even covered on 3dprint.com in 2016. The company’s technology is essentially an attempt at making a much better wig/hairpiece/hair system/toupee than anything that is in existence today. With far less expensive and frequent maintenance requirements. Plus a superior individualized fit (scalp mapping). The technology is based on CNC systems that are being sold around the world by Cesare Ragazzi.

158 thoughts on “3D Bioprinting of Hair”

  1. hey admin, great blog!!
    my question is: if tsuji labs will start in 10 years…
    you think the cure will come with other team before 2020???
    The people said JAK inhibitors is not the cure for aga.
    i´m very confused about that
    :(

    1. Thanks sets.

      No-ones knows for certain about the chances of JAK inhibitors helping MPB other than the few main researchers involved. I am 50/50 and hope for the best. Tsuji Labs will probably start much sooner. They have already done work on both hair and skin.

    2. A guy on hlt posted somethin bout diclofenac gel 3% regrowing hair in men in there 70’s. The hair grew in spots they only used the gel in and a guy still has the hair growing there after 4 years. Could this b the cure?

  2. farhan,

    In case you read this, I noticed that the guy who used 4-5 different usernames (outed yesterday) insulted you in the past in at least 5 posts using a few different usernames. I tend to rarely delete comments, but hope you are not too mad about these insults…it was the same keyboard warrior doing it anyway:-) He also insulted several other people in his 25 or so comments to date.

    1. Not at all admin…there are many losers in this world and I don’t care what they say and the only reason I come here is I really admire your work and make people smile if possible and again great post, this is what future holds I think a better permanent and cosmetic option which is near to natural is what we need… and any time admin you want to come over Australia be my guest… will show you around :)

      1. Same here admin, kudos to the regular work you’re doing on this blog I don’t know who else willing to put in this much effort researching future hair cure treatment, and keep our hope high a cure is coming, keep up the good work and ignore negative comments directs to you. In between, if you’re interested to try kangaroo meat look for me lol ….

      2. Hey… not to carry this conversation on and on… but yes, you were trolling, specifically Histogen. The racist bullshit people sent you I disagree with but that doesn’t take away from the fact that you were trolling hard.
        Posting comments that are constantly bashing Histogen, completely out of context and reactionary… is trolling. It’s like if I were to randomly say “f jaks”, it doesn’t add anything. We all know you don’t like Histogen and the irony won’t be missed if/ when you get the treatment.

        1. Dude do you think iam like a competition to histogen and trying it to bring down… If histogen works I will be more than happy… But dude there is a level to make fools out of people and histogen has crossed the limits..If a company means a paid version of photoshop and few crappy photos, there are so many companies like that…. How many years of presentations and pictures… Tell me the reason why she is not releasing the product

          1. Ugh… I guess this is where you and I differ. They need to complete the trials and get FDA approval. I’m going to repeat it again so you understand why they aren’t releasing the product: THEY NEED TO COMPLETE THE TRIALS

            What company have you seen release a product super fast? Name one. Any medical company that delivered a treatment within 2 years (that wasn’t pre approved for something else.

            They have been around awhile for various reasons. The major one is because it takes time to do these trials. I know in your head you think they can just pop some people into a lab, inject them and then say… okay trial done. It doesn’t work like that. Planning procedures, data collection, money and all types of bullshit needs to happen. Otherwise you can kiss your FDA approval goodbye and in the end you are left with your dick in your hand.

            The other reason is that they were caught up in a patent lawsuit over their product… tell me on what planet you live on that it makes sense advancing a product that you don’t know if you have the rights to?

            Are you really skeptical of a company that continues to research their product and continues to deliver promising data?

            I don’t think you are competition but your lack of providing any kind of insight into the subject except “histogen is a scam” makes my balls itch. Find better ways to contribute. If you find actual evidence other than “they are taking too long” or “they have too many presentations” PLEASE share it. Otherwise you are just trolling… which really… makes my balls itch.

            More importantly… we heard you the first time. You don’t like Histogen… move on from the subject instead of repeating yourself constantly and more importantly without context.

  3. This seems completely pointless. It isn’t like this synthetic stuff will ever be more convincing than the REAL hair that wigs are made of. The way hair looks under light or feels or even lays on one’s head is due to the properties of ketatin, which this will never emulate.

    The hair to make the wigs is practically free too, while 3d printing is expensive. Huge waste of time.

  4. Well looks like the poll was all for naught – 70% said they would never wear a hair piece. I wonder at what percent, admin would have decided to let go of the hair piece idea. It was clear that he wanted to write about it from the beginning.

    And it wasn’t even like there was no hair loss news this week. Tsuji had an update that he could’ve written about..

    1. So you ignore the 30 percent? Interesting. If only 30 percent of people will be willing to try JAK inhibitors, should we stop that discussion too?

      FYI — 2 more hairpiece posts coming this year.

  5. Thats actually really cool. I work with CNC machines and 3d printers at a sheet metal shop and work with programs such as solidedge. I can definitely see how they could personlize these much better. One of the biggest flaws in hairpiece design is how a template is made with saran wrap and tape, and then sent halfway across the world to a factory. Heat, humidity etc can warp the template, tape could come undone etc. And every time a new template is made it is a little different. Having a program made with a 3d model gives them access to make your perfect head shape, angle, depth etc and they could even graduate the hairline perfectly so it doesnt look like a wall of hair. Itd be a ziploc fit which prevents wrinkles and helps the edges stop from curling. Plus people seem to have alot of trouble at the nape of the neck because it is nearly impossible to get it perfect when using saranwrap and tape. I think it would be awesome. And things we make are much larger and more intricate (military aircraft parts) so I think these would be pretty quick to make, possibly making them much cheaper, easier to replace, and you’d have a perfect hairline placement every time.

  6. Hey admin great post..especially the videos. I might actually want to try the Cesar Ragazzi wigs even though I voted no on wigs yesterday lolol

    1. @Susana: More and more news about Histogen. June 9th 2016.

      When I said before more good news are coming, we have good news. Definitely we will have very good news SOON.

      Awesome work admin. Great hair loss blog.

  7. Admin, great work. I just dont like hair piece topics or polls… it is contradicting with the site name CURE…
    here should be all cutting edge treatments….

    and I dont accept the word cure to be used near hair piece.. wigs are not cure for anyone… please let me align on this…

  8. Those CRL wigs looks good but it seems that wigs are suitable for those who already accepted their baldness and other people already know they are bald. It’s probably like having a change for a while.

  9. I can understand people’s desperation to do anything to have the look of real hair.

    I have already decided that I am going to go all out and take a big risk. Once I know what works, and you know what I am waiting for, just proof that it works then I am going to find a doctor and get started on it. I really expect to be on my new course by the end of this year. For me it is just a countdown of 7 months (assuming what I am waiting for is proven to work).

    I will use a doctor but once I know I go for it.

  10. If JAK research go on

    pepeline
    research- pre clinical-phase1-phase2-phase3

    right???
    IT will take much time because doesnt start even pre-clinical….
    at least 5years….so curios that i can get it and regrow my hair before my hair fly away
    @Nasa what do you think about

  11. If JAK research go on

    pepeline
    research- pre clinical-phase1-phase2-phase3

    right???
    IT will take much time because doesnt start even pre-clinical….
    at least 5years….so depressed….
    @Nasa what do you think about

      1. Thanks susana.
        That’s Too long for waiting

        Its better to wait another treatment like samumed, cb, histogen…

        Hope that they can regrow my hair
        Thank you

      2. So, even when they find out JAK works voor AGA in the next year, we will have to wait at least 8-10 years?

        There is know way we can use it earlier?

  12. Thank you for the great information. I am a woman and am delighted to discover this type of infos.félicitations for wealth and info frequency of this blog. Information about hair additions interest me much

  13. if biofiber will no rejected… is not a solution?? unlimited hair and new implant when you need it…

    1. Yes will be a solution if its permanent. Unfortunately it will get rejected after a year plus side effects

  14. So someone posted something about Ziering releasing a new product on the last post (if you have a link I’d love to see it out of curiosity alone). I’m very skeptical of that product but I want to say this:

    I think the writing is on the wall that a new product is coming out relatively soon (pure speculation). I say this because this is what I would call the next step (2nd step) in seeing the industry react to what they feel is a real threat to their revenue. Ziering wants to get in on the money before it is gone and apparently doing it without any credibility of presenting it in any scientific forum (but I could be wrong with that). I’d expect anyone with a semi/ quasi effective treatment to start releasing in hoping that it sticks even for a short while so they can make some cash before the real deal comes out.

    The first phase was of course multiple companies giving specific dates/ years that break the typical 5 year timeline. I’ve been keeping an eye on companies for over 7 years and the timelines they gave broke from the traditional 5 years to actual release dates only as of recently (within the last year).

    The final phase/ next step for me will be watching all of the HT doctors start offering discounts. I don’t think they will become completely obsolete but their revenue is going to take a major hit when a new treatment becomes available. With that I expect them to offer fairly attention-getting discounts to help them make some money before a fair amount go out of business (especially the lower quality ones).

    Whether it be Follica, Replicel, Histogen or JAKs that comes out first – I feel that the industry is starting to respond to actual changes in how people will be receiving treatments in the near future.

    I can cheers to that.

    1. Hi Curious,

      I tried to copy and paste the link but the site simply is redirected to ziering.co.uk when I click on the email ad I got. Try Google ‘zeiring stemloss.’ I just think the price is ridiculous for what you are getting

      1. Hey,
        Thanks for the reply Niral. I still can’t seem to find it. What is the price? And what are the results similar to?

        As I said before, especially with Ziering is that my guess is he of all people knows what is coming (especially with Histogen) and is going to try to cash in as much as he can.

        Cheers!

        1. If there’s a way admin could privately send me your email then I can forward you the email? It’s £495 for a year’s introductory offer and £595 thereafter. It’s a nasal based spray which apparently results in ‘upto 79% reduction in hairfall, upto 17% regrowth with upto 89% customer satisfaction and upto 76% increase in diameter hair shafts.’ If it really did do these sort of numbers on a good percentage of their subjects then you would think it would be big news and they would have garnered alot more attention.

          1. I agree. Definitely big claims for little to no attention – 17% regrowth wouldn’t be bad, especially at that price. The nasal spray seems a little ridiculous as well but it might be a way of administering medicine in a way that I’m not used to (outside of nasal inhalers).

            I really bet he is trying to cash in before his cash cow is gone.

            No need for the email, I never put a real one anyway. I really appreciate you writing everything out though!

            Thanks!

  15. I am hopeful that Dr. Tsuji’s work will deliver in the future. I am wondering though how it will work in diffuse thinners. My assumption is that it would work well, however would there not be a risk of the new cloned hairs growing underneath existing hairs and causing complications? What do you guys think?

    1. I don’t disagree with that. But what if you are injecting 124 new hairs per cm2 on existing hairy areas? The new hair might grow through the same pores as existing hairs and cause entanglements, maybe even infection.

      Also, I wonder how Tsuji’s team plan to control the direction in which the injected cells grow hairs in.

  16. One last point about it… the scalp covers an area of 300cm2. Tsuji has grown hair on 1cm2 on a mouse.

    Would Tsuji’s method have to inject the scalp 300 times to get full coverage? That would be difficult and time consuming to do – 300 syringes would need to be loaded and then injected separately.

  17. this Tsuji dude became a buzzword for desperate losers..
    i just feels sorry for those… some of the questions above will probably be answered in next 30-40 years…
    people seriously think Tsuji dude figured out everything and only problem is how we will implement it on 300cm2 or how to make injections …
    never ceases to amuse me guys

    1. It’s not desperate it is realistic. Tsuji is our best hope of finding a cure in the foreseeable future. All the other companies are nowhere near Riken’s level. He managed to grow human hairs on the mouse skin and he believes there a good chance for successful application in humans.

      He says he aims to start human clinical trials in 2020. When an esteemed doctor says that we can at least hope for success. Tsuji is in his fifties so I don’t think he will give answers to those questions in 30/40 years… he will aim to deliver the soonest possible.

      1. Sincerely, Tsuji labs are the cure for MPB. , however they are still far away, yes Pandapop you are right, It’s not desperate it’s realistic.
        I do not know why people are so ” afraid ” to cure a new treatment…:) More good news are coming!

  18. Guys Does anyone know whether Hasci, can really multiply hair? They are getting bigger and opening new franchise all over. They say that there innovation has been patented and no one else can do it apart from them. I am very skeptical and not 100% sure whether they can or not. Does anyone have a clue?

    1. There are some guys who are scrutinizing the hair regrowth in the donor area. I believe 1 of them had a procedure at HASCI and made very detailed photos of his own head during the entire period of recovery.

      A short while ago they weren’t finished with their analyses yet, but they seemed to hint towards the conclusion that Gho uses, for instance, a 3-hair graft in the donor, and split it into a 1-hair graft towards the recipient and a 2-hair graft staying in the donor. So that would mean, no more hairs on your head, no multiplication in the donor area, and that could also explain the very low density in the recipient area on the HASCI photos, because there are only 1-hair grafts planted on top.

      The guys who are doing the regrowth analyses state that they use photos made after the same period of time, as the period after which the regrowth should happen according to HASCI.

      They might make one mistake though: every patient is different, so it could be that regrowth takes longer for some patients. So it could take longer for a patient to regrow the 1 hair in the recipient area that has been taken partially from an original 3-hair graft in the recipient area.

      So, who is telling the truth … who is counting right

        1. So it could take longer for a patient to regrow the 1 hair in the DONOR area that has been taken partially from an original 3-hair graft in the DONOR area.

  19. Maybe this fits into the Bio solution thread for hair loss.
    But I really have reached my patience for waiting. I can wait for a Real Cure but I can no longer wait with an open end date of someday.

    Fortunately, Aclaris is about to start new clinical trials on Dr. Christiano’s formula thus I can follow the trials through their Pipeline Chart and the company’s quarterly conference calls. I need the hope.

    The solution needs to have an end date. Just occurred to me maybe that is why the Admin has 2020. As he too must have felt that this has to end someday. My date is Dec/2017 and not a day later. But I will HAVE TO BE ON SOME TYPE OF TREATMENT THAT GROWS HAIR – DEC 2017. Something that moves me Forward.

    1. Replicel is more than likely out. The stock REPCF is at 10 cents and did not trade any shares today.

      Hair loss companies go faster than AGA hairs.

      That looks like it only leaves one. I’m following the test on Aclaris website through their Pipeline chart. They have already started testing AA for both pill and lotion, should be very interesting if their is a difference in performance as that could spill over to AGA (assuming it treatable).

      We should have early indications by the end of this year (maybe this summer if any tests that Dr. Christiano has done become public) if it is possible to work.

  20. Wow, this is very interesting! If the technology is affordable and low maintenance, this has the potential to be a quasi cure! In my mind, it’s almost no different than dyeing your roots, or other cosmetic procedures that people undergo all the time. Seeing the models swim and towel off was highly encouraging; a hair system like this could effectively (and dare I say cheaply) end our worries of being bald! This should be a breath of fresh air for Ye of little faith in treatments/cure.

    On the contrary, it is a little worrying to see the beginning of a potential shift in posts– cutting edge treatments to cutting edge wigs.

    At any rate, transhumanism appears to be the way of the future, so maybe this isn’t the end of the world. If it’s comfortable, durable and undetectable, it might as well be real.

  21. I am also going to pat myself on the back for a bit (of course only happy if we get a real 100% solution of course at this point I would settle for a 30% solution). But, I have been saying for over 1 year what I thought the solution would be and now we have two companies that appear to be doing research on what I thought the solution should be. Although I just want a treatment and do not care about anything else.

    Again, today we have a little bit more hope and now most of you are beginning to understand my enthusiasm for this specific treatment. I really, really want the cure and I mean ASAP.

  22. Well I was wrong about it being a Type 3 molecule but at least it is a new drug that is being looked at for being a solution for hair loss. I was wrong on the drug but right about another company offering a possible solution to male pattern hair loss. The more the merrier.

    1. Sorry it seems as if this treatment is years away. I guess I am really feeling the clock just roll bye. I really want the solution that is safe, AND effective. But we have hope but now I want the solution.

      1. FUE is a big mistake if you dont have big hair in the back. In almost all cases you will end in 2, 5 years with normal hair you lost in the the operation room, transplanted hair gene because your genes and big White dots ou your back of your hair. You will lost the Last chanse of loock almost normal. That is shaving it.

  23. Hi Tom, yes I made the appointment with him. I mentioned it in the previous post. I am seeing him mid July for hair analysis and follow up from my appointment I had last Nov with his staff. I will ask him questions about follica hopefully he will let me know more about the 100cm2 hair coverage he mentioned in the pdf. Also if he is using more than just minox. Either way I’m excited to meet my Greek brother aka the king of hair loss! Maybe he can provide me tips on how to keep my current hair from getting worse. If I can stabilize my current nw and get some density back I will be ecstatic

    1. Hey mjones,

      I found this Phase 2 results from Follica, maybe you could take a look.

      It’s quite long but unless I missed it, I did not see anything about new terminal hairs being formed :(

    1. He said he hopes to start clinical trials in the next few years then hopefully move it into the clinic. Starts trials in 2019 2020, 3 to 5 years to complete phase 2 for early release. Looking at best case scenario 2023 to 2025. Sucks we have to wait 10 years but if this is the true cure then it’s good news, especially for those who are in their early 20s. Could have a full cure by the tone you are in your mid 30s :)

    2. Thanks this was posted several times in the comments before and I will probably include in my next brief items of interest post.

  24. @Ty; This is not possible! How is it possible? “Techonology will available soon”? I don’t think so…clinical trials are necessary…

    1. I’m agree with Tsuji when he said that: The risk is low and the market is large and exist a huge demand for a new treatment… That’s a race….

  25. Dr. Tsuji’s work seems tantalizingly close yet until they complete successful clinical trials in humans then it’s still only hoping. If Tsuji started human clinical trials before 2020, say in 2018, that would be a sign that they have overcome hurdles and are very confident of their technology.

    1. Everytime we see these kind of presentations, we are confronted with the fact how complex the total issue is.

      In history we all but primarly scientists underestimated especially the complexity of hair growth. Everybody believed there would be a quick fix somewhere. For the last 10 or 15 years they are finally ramping up the research which is totally focused on hair loss. Nice!

      After decades they really are leaving the DHT tunnel vision more and more. Most of hair loss sufferers wonder how long Merck stays in denial, cheating about the side effects, cheating about the efficacy.

      With all the current and future law suits they might become the new Enron, with the difference that Enron gave energy, while Merck only takes energy.

  26. Hair Follicle Morphogenesis: Stem Cell Activation and Cell Fate Specification by Dermal Papilla Cells.

  27. Dr. Rendl seems like a leader in the hair loss field. However its slightly sobering when an expert such as himself who knows more about hair follicles than most is himself slick bald and not starting clinical trials for a treatment.

    If a cure was close than he would be the guy to develop it.

  28. I wonder why Dr. Rendl is not at the same stage as Dr. Tsuji despite being equals in knowledge and expertise? Maybe Rendl doesn’t believe the technology is ready yet while Tsuji clearly does?

    It’s confusing when two equals are not at the same stage of development. Makes you think that one or the other is being too optimistic or too pessimistic.

  29. Mjones im glad you are making the appointment with cots. Im glad to hear you are inquiring about if minoxidil will be necessary for maintenance? Please also ask if it will be released in two years? Also please ask of he is recruiting for either his follica or setipiprant trial? I would be happy to be involved with either amd report back to you and the community. I am not on any meds so I am an ideal candidate. Please write all this stuff down so you dont walk out of the office without covering all the bases. It is easier to get distracted by something the doctor says and accidentally forget to cover everything. Thanks bro.

    1. Hi Tom I will do my best to get these questions answered. There is always the positivity that he won’t answer any of the questions about follica due to privacy. Fingers crossed though. I’m more interested in any methods of where he can stop my progression of balding. Maybe he knows how to make Propecia work for me again. That would be great!

      1. Your Da’ Man – Admin.

        Even better that it was announced in April then we have less time to wait for a cure.

  30. Mjones, great news, I will love to find out why fin stopped working for you and what can be done. It worked great for me too for years, even dut stops working. Maybe he’ll have an answer. Great man.

  31. I need to find that old link that I once posted (from 15-20 years ago research) that stated JAK inhibitors worked for AGA (just not that great and it had to be at a high dose or I could have dreamed it) but remember there are also different types of JAK’s a different one might work better.

    1. Anything is a possibility pandapop. I like follica but I never get my hopes up for any new treatment where they haven’t released legit before after pics. I think follica is professional and sounds like it has smart researchers and technology. We just need more info on what neogenic hairs are and exactly what he means by 100cm2. That’s what I am curious about. I still think the easiest method is for us to take a pill or topical that can restore our hair. Like applying jak, sm, or follicum to reboot our hair follicles. Something where we use it for 6 months then 6 months off. At this point I will take anything that can grow us back several norwoods.

    1. Hi Paul, nice finnd. Do you know which 3 products? I clicked the link but I couldn’t find which products it just has 3 lines determining stage level

  32. Random comment, but did a little reading around.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/26036173/

    Above is an abstract on the ability of two specific kinds of lipoxygenases’ metabolites which stimulate the production of Il-6 (although this is in a different cell population from hair follicles, but is indeed in humans). We already know Il-6 works primarily through STAT3 and is involved in premature Catagen of hair follicles from other links I’ve posted.

    Why is this kinda interesting? Because in the British journal that described the two or three men who reversed AGA back in the 1980’s, was talking about case reports involving Benoxaprofen. Benoxaprofen’s main purpose is as a A LIPOXYGENASE INHIBITOR.

    Once again, this seems to heavily involve the Il-6 stat3 angle.

      1. Also, I plan on posting quite a long response come July at some point. I am in 2 summer classes at the moment, and I have another starting tomorrow so my time is going to be almost none until classes are over in July.

        But if you guys want a little “preview ” or do some research yourselves, you can google an article on miR-NA22 and the silencing of 50 something different keratin related genes in the hair follicle. This is induced by testosterone/DHT. One of the big “at risk” gene spots in AGA is HDAC4 (less so than 20p11 associated pax1/foxa2 and x chromosome related Ar/EDA2r). Well it turns out that one of the functions of HDAC4 is to silence Ar activity. miR-NA22 silences HDAC4’s ability to do this and also stimulates the production of IL-6. We know Il-6 works mainly through stat3. There is also evidence of Il6 working through the Ar itself in prostate cancer.

          1. Matt, I got a question about our main enemies you mention here and the treatments that might emerge in 2018. Is there any of these treatments that has the ability to tackle the IL6, STAT3 and AR issue according to you?

            In other words, do you have faith in:
            1) Follica ?
            2) Histogen ?
            3) Replicel / Shiseido ?
            They all might give us new follicles and hair, but these new hairs might be prone to the same enemies as our old natural hair. Except for Replicel/Shiseido, because they replicate the strong tissue from the back.

            I ask this because we all know that it might take very long before any JAK / Benocaprofen solution emerges for AGA, while we all hope I am terribly wrong.

          2. Netshed,

            I don’t think any of the ones you listed specifically target any of the above pathways. That doesn’t mean that they can’t be effective, it would just be through a different route.

            1. In Follica, they actually use STAT3/il6 immune response to trick the stem cells released by existing hairs to fill the wound to become a hair follicle instead of a skin cell or scar tissue. I think Follica could sneakily be extremely effective but they’ve been so tight lipped it is hard to tell. If this was a treatment that gave you new terminal hair in an area over and over and over again with repeated use then we could have a game changer.

            2. I don’t have a whole lot of hope in histogen. Could be better than minoxidil and propecia but I think targeting the WNT pathway for growth does nothing to down regulate the bad signals already in place. I’m a much bigger believer in lowering the bad signals as apposed to upping the good ones. The body has a lot of checks and balances so different cell populations don’t go haywire and grow uncontrollably. In AGA it is putting a check on the keratinocytes at the expense of causing the bulge stem cells to differentiate into other lineages (like skin, sebaceous gland, scar tissue). They just don’t have the right concoction of signals to be coerced into turning into actual hair cuticle. To me this means there is a central mediator of AGA that has been missed all along. We know first and foremost it involves androgens. That is undisputed. Even with a bad androgen receptor but in the absence of androgens themselves you will not lose your hair (castration before puberty). The bad Ar with its most powerful androgen DHT is only causing this central AGA mediator to be rapidly expressed as apposed to slowly expressed in those who start losing hair in their later in life, such as most Asians. And in my opinion this central mediator is androgens causing the inflammatory environment by production of micro-rna22. This down regulates 50+ keratin associated genes. This leads to increased cytokine production (il-6 in particular) and increased expression and sensitivity of androgen receptors themselves. And a key peice of info is that estrogen actually inhibits il-6!!! And this explains why females lose hair after menopause… No more estrogen protective effect. Both of those events work though stat3. We also have very recent evidence that stat3 over-expression in the bulge remodels the behavior of bulge stem cells in mice. So to me, without targeting stat3 extremely hard you are never going to get great results in the battle against AGA. Stat3 expression stays on and elevated in the absence of androgens (which explains why castration will not reverse hair loss if it has already started but will stop it dead in its tracks).

            3. Replicel/Shisedo could be useful as well. Stimulate “dying hairs” to become terminal again by trying to revitalize the dermal papilla.

            I still think at the heart of the problem you must lower inflammation induced stat3 overexpression. It may even take an androgen blocker like propecia to get the bad factors low enough to let a JAK/STAT inhibitor do its work.

            We will never see benoxoprofen again… It was causing a lot of deaths in the elderly and immunocompromised. And I agree with you and this is where I am in disagreeable with NASA-rs. Based off of how the FDA has always been, this isn’t coming overnight. They will as always drag us through the damn mud on this.

  33. Susana please, dont say bs, FUE is not a mistake, it’s depends of the person, if you are loosing all your hair okey, im agreed is not a good option, but for example for people like me that are loosing the hair slowly it’s a good option, im turning 26 at the end of this month and since im 19 i started to loose hair, but im almost in the same situation that 6 years ago (of course i lost density but not too much in 6 years ) so.. for me is a good option close a bit my temples and wait laying on bed and without worries for a good treatment.

    the choice to go for a FUE depens of each person and the way they are loosing the hair, you cant say that is shit cause many people have solved that problem for a long time ( Lebron, Casillas, Jorge Lorenzo, Cesc Fabregas, George Clooney, matthew mcconaughey, etc )

    Cheers guys

  34. Hi mjones,

    You are fortunate to be meeting with Dr. Cots next month.

    Could you please ask him if the Follica TCP treatment can be performed on the entire scalp if the patient desires it and not just the main mpb areas?

    For diffuse thinners, areas considered “safe zones” such as the back, sides and nape will want to be targeted as well as the top of the head. In fact most men regardless of mpb pattern might want to have their better areas treated too because why not.

  35. After 5 months of heavy stress my hair keeps thinning my temples got bigger and my hairline is all receiding and oily all the time… Minox got things worst and i cant take propecia because i have low levels of dht… Can someone please help me my hair loss won’t stop and i’m devastated :(

    1. Shave it using the 1/2 level piece. Then get a little tan by going outside often (not literally tanning) and stay healthy and fit so you dont have a Donald Trump style body. Also get a good education and make alot of money lol.

  36. @Susana

    I see the hair was fully back after 12 weeks, great news for AA sufferers!

    @thealopeciaexperiment

    1. Shes a beautifil woman. Its unbelievable how much of a difference hair makes. I’m happy for her.

  37. maybe jak is not the cure:

    “We have trialed tofacitinib last year at PHG. It didn’t seem to do much. I agree with the JAK theory in principle but the pgd2 angle might be a too big lock which is why it has only worked on AA so far.” swisstemples blog.

    1. This sounds like a reference to the Christopher1 trial. I think he only stayed on for 8 weeks and his solution was only .5%.

      1. It was 1 or 2 months at a very very very low concentration. Of course it was going to do nothing. If this is going to be done and work (which it may not) it isn’t going to be in something below .5 percent topically. And it may require co-targeting of DHT. I would put absolutely no stock in that experiment.

  38. Latest as far as Replicel goes. Good to see they are not completely quiet. Still pushing along for getting their clinical trial in Japan started. Hopefully they can get approval soon.

  39. @hlscc

    Shave it. You will feel better. If a was a Men i will do it. Thinning hair is your genes not your state of feeling or mind. Maybe after 2020 will have something safe and working in AGA that will give us normal life again.

  40. Check this out :

    https://www.google.com/patents/WO2015170247A1?cl=en

    ” From the observations reported here, first of all, it can be inferred that the formulations object of the present invention are clinically efficient in:

    · stopping hair loss; • promoting hair regrowth in areas with alopecia;

    • strengthening and fortifying hair, bringing it back to its original state

    both in male and female subjects with forms of hair reduction or actual alopecia due to different causes, and in menopausal women. “

    1. But the bad News if from the Words the doctor. This will be ppsitive if you alopecia is in early stage. 5 years. If you are bald from 20 nothing will happen. :/ i hate to se Good News and then when i look more info the reality is there.

  41. Guys I think we should create more awareness and spread the urgency around.. We should create a hashtag and all of us should start posting on different media sites and let everyone know how important this is.. We should stick to the same hashtag and post on different companies twitter accounts like fidia, aclaris-therapeutics etc.. I think companies will know then how badly we need it.. I know that they are all doing their best.. But more awareness will create more demand..

  42. Good find Farhan. This study confirms: People with MPB will have a new treatment before 2019/2020.

  43. Dear Admin, please just someone had a positive feedback from procedures like this below?

    https://www.jdmoyer.com/2015/04/13/hair/
    https://www.jdmoyer.com/2015/08/03/hair-regrowth-update-and-faq/

    It seems very genuine and photos are impressive.

    Also: the procedure is based on a e-book, but the very serious guy promoting it is not the original author and is really echoing something which seems not linked to a classical scam. Thanks to veryone for the possible back-up.

    Marco
    Italy

    1. Snake oil. This is a genetic problem not Physiotherapy. You can tray massage you Scalp all Day you will loss hair. Is like the story of masturbation :p all Men will be bold rigth now. ;)

    2. I’m willing to try this out, oh tho I have a memory about reading some article or something that scrubbing /squeezing out the sebum would just result in just more sebum production

      1. This was when it was tested using PGE1. Formula recently updated with DGLA as it is considered a natural substance and wouldn’t have to go through years of testing. DGLA is a precursor to PGE1 and, apparently, is a suitable substitute.

  44. Anyone else notice Dimitar Berbatovs outstanding hair transplant for Soccer Aid? Need to find out who did it

        1. 35 yo with dark hair and not very bald…tons of safe donor area hair to take from…seems like a reasonable outcome. Looks so much younger with hair. also, the baldTruth guy looks like a Walrus, eom.

          1. I hadn’t looked at the bald truth in such a long time… literally every show they have now is on hair transplants. wow. Not bashing them but obviously their focus has completely changed to cover HTs… I remembered them covering things like aderans and histogen in the past. :/

  45. It’s very important that everyone vote for Donald Trump to be the next POTUS. This will bring a lot of attention to mpb…

  46. Hi All,
    i just want to share my experience and hope it helps someone.
    my hairless has stopped totally and my hair is getting thicker and healthier

    what i did :

    1-stopped eating wheat /vegetable seed oil/milk/chesses from cow sources
    2-taking 100,000 IA vitamin D3 daily (i am not worried about toxicity (as per dr. michael f. holick —> you need much more than 100.000 IU for longer than 6 month to show any toxicity)
    3-Onion Peel Extract (red/brown onion skin submerged in a solution of alcohol and distilled water ) —-> extracting Quercetin (which inhibits DHT very effectively also very string anti-oxidant )
    i also i use it on my face and i can see and sense improvement on my facial skin .
    4-Vitamin B complex more than 1 gram per day (noticed my nails grow very fast and strong from firs week)
    5-brushing my scalp for at least 10 minutes with a wooden brush (no hair at all falls maximum 5 to 10 hairs
    6-microneedling once a week with 1 mm needle

    hope this helps someone and could replicate my results .
    all the best

    1. Terry ,

      With all she great respect (I am happy if it’s true) but that’s sounds absolutely absurd. We need your support to find real cures … not these “terry coping cures”.

      Thanks

    1. @Bekoo. Who knows? drug-free remedies have never worked for me personally. (In anything.) Maybe they have for others? The ‘clinically proven’ statement is a big claim. By whom? The FDA? No. I’m not convinced by some of the recent reviews on another hair loss website either. Not one mentions any regrowth. As per usual, some mention reduced shedding. This could be from a number of factors I’ve even experienced myself. ie; hair cycle, seasonal shedding, reduced stress, etc and some were already on Fin & Min to start with, for how long is unclear, making the results less tangible IMO. Still, to be fair, early days I suppose, before we dismiss RIZN entirely and turf it into the evergrowing bin of failed hair loss treatments.

    1. well…not sure…it says they found out the relationship between stress and hair loss, and the role of this particular protein…not sure this would work for AGA as aga is dependent on androgens…. Seems sketchy to le for AGA. I hope i am wrong though… Plus it was talked about earlier this year…

    1. “….a research study has thrown up the possibility of helping reverse the male pattern baldness”

      so it does work for AGA???

      1. in which article ? Are they saying an actual treatment is on the way. Believe me i wish it was the cure. I am female in my late 30s and it is my nightmare. With short hair nobody notices but not a days goes by without a male telling me “why the short hair ? You would be so much prettier with long hair”…. I think at this rate I will be single till i die.

        Why hasn t this discovery been more covered in October ?

      2. There is only one article related to that research where they use the word “male pattern baldness”…all the other articles are talking about ageing and hair loss and that is different from AGA..so i am pessimistic yes. I wish I am wrong. There is nothing that i am hoping than a cure that would be out intO years from now so i could grow back my long gone magnificent curls that were my trademark….

  47. Anyone know where to read more on what 3D printed systems would be like? Most literature is geared toward selling what’s currently out there.
    If there are improvements I suspect it will become increasingly popular to combine these with hair transplants. I think Elon musk currently does this. Without major improvements though I think it will remain fringe.

  48. So maybe one day i can go to Staples and order a new head of protein for my dome and they’ll print me off a batch.

  49. Sounds similar to Dr. Karl Koehler‘s work at Indiana University.

    This is all very academic and very much basic research. Great and important.

    We‘ll see what comes out of this, but often it never leaves the lab.

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