Artificial Hair Implants

Several years ago, I considered writing a post on artificial hair implants (also known as synthetic hair implants or prosthetic hair transplants).

However, upon initial research, I read some major horror stories about adverse reactions to artificial hair implants. In several instances, the adverse reactions and side effects happened months after the procedure. This gave me some doubts and I put the subject on the back burner.

I reconsidered writing about this topic several times during the past couple of years, but each time I was dissuaded by the fact that most people who have had this procedure do not seem to post about their experiences on online hair loss forums. A lot of forum members also seemed to ridicule artificial hair transplants, with no solid counterarguments from people who have undergone the procedure successfully.

For hair transplants involving real hair, you can see thousands of online testimonials and reviews with short- and long-term before and after photos. The same cannot be said for synthetic hair implants. However, one sudden realization on my part (see next section) and two new studies finally pushed me into writing this post.

US Ban on Artificial Hair Implants

Until researching for this subject matter earlier this week, I did not realize that artificial hair implant procedures were banned in the US by the FDA all the way back in 1983. This ban on “prosthetic hair fibers” was reviewed again in 2017 with no changes in the decision. This situation seems to have continued to this day, despite appeals and petitions to the FDA by synthetic hair fiber manufacturers.

This decision to ban artificial hair implants stemmed from numerous consumer complaints in the 1970s and 1980s. It seems like inexperienced clinics at the time were using improper techniques and dangerous materials in a highly unregulated market. This was leading to numerous side effects from the synthetic hair implant material, including:

  • Scalp inflammation.
  • Infections.
  • Allergic reactions and fiber rejection.
  • Scalp scarring.
  • Toxicity.
  • Damage to native original existing hair.
  • Wig-like odd appearance.
  • Other harmful skin reactions.

So now it finally makes sense why we have seen very few online testimonials and stories about artificial hair implants here in the US.

Earlier generation fibres (US spelling = fibers) tended to be made with material such as modacrylic, polyacrylic and polyester, which resulted in many undesirable reactions and side effects. Newer generation fibres are made with polyamide based materials, which are supposedly much safer because of the inert nature of the material. The implantation procedure itself is an outpatient one performed under local anesthesia.

Biofibre® (Italy): Two New Studies

While doing by searches on newer alopecia related studies, I noticed that there were two new ones in the past several months concerning synthetic hair. Interestingly, both studies involved a company name Biofibre (Italy). Moreover, both articles speak favorably about modern day artificial hair implants.

The first of these studies provides a summary of Biofibre and its success in the EU, where it obtained CE approval for use on human scalps in 1996. It also obtained TGE approval in Australia in 1996. The Biofibre product is biocompatible with a person’s existing scalp. It is available for use in both men and women suffering from androgenetic alopecia or other forms of hair loss. It is manufactured by an Italian company named Medicap.

The second of these studies analyzes the results of a recent 5-country multicenter clinical trial on 194 patients who underwent the Automatic Biofibre® Hair Implant System procedure. Almost all of these patients got satisfying results and great psychological satisfaction. About 10 percent of the patients obtained some side effects that were “easily controlled by either topical or systemic treatment in 8 to 10 days”.

Perhaps this second study has some biases that I am unaware of, but the fact that 5 countries were involved in the findings does add a bit more credence to Biofibre. It seems like this company is the most important player in the global synthetic hair transplant market. They have also been covered in other older studies that I did not include here.

Biofibre hair strands are available in 13 different colors and with different lengths (15, 30 or 45 cm). Hair type selections include straight, wavy, curly and afro.

Nido (Japan)

According to most sources that I read online, the only other major competitor to Biofibre seems to be Japan based Nido. The company has close to three decades of presence in the artificial hair sector.

On Nido’s dated site, it states that the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) recognized its technology in 2003. However, that statement is a bit surprising, considering that this procedure is banned in the US where the ISHRS is headquartered. Moreover, the artificial hair implantation procedure is a direct competitor to the hair restoration procedure.

Update: In November 2020, the ISHRS contacted me to say that they are formally notifying Nido to remove the above mentioned statement from the company’s website.

Note: I contacted the ISHRS when writing this post, and they pointed me towards their official position on prosthetic hair fibers document. It was first published in 2004.

Artificial Hair Implants Cost

The typical artificial artificial hair implantation session involves attaching around 1,000 fibres to the scalp. Most balding people will require around 2,500 fibres according to Biofibre’s FAQ section. Each fibre equates to 3 hairs, and there are between 90,000 to 150,000 hairs on the average human head before any balding.

There is little online data about the cost of each fibre in an artificial hair fixing procedure. Some anecdotal reports I read suggest the price to be around 2 Euros per fibre, but I am sure this will vary depending on country and clinic.

Keep in mind that around 10-20 percent of the fibers need to be replaced every year due to irreparable damage. Moreover, even with the latest technology, many patients will have unforeseen scalp reactions that will need to be tackled each time they occur.

Since the fibres are exposed to dirt, heat, moisture, wind and other elements of the environment, the possibility of damage and infection is always present. Your existing original hair will also be growing all the time while the prosthetic fibers maintain the same length.

Thoughts on Synthetic Hair Transplants

A third company that I did not cover in this post is Hairstetics. Perhaps a good unbiased take on this entire controversial subject is summarized in this article from 2010.

Have you ever had an artificial hair transplant or known someone who has had one? It would be interesting to get some first hand in-person accounts of those who have gone through the implantation procedure. How satisfied are you in the long term?

I would definitely prefer a hair transplant to getting artificial hair implants. However, perhaps the latter really does have its place in the hair replacement world despite the high level of online criticism? A majority of the complaints also seem to arise from people who have never had the procedure themselves.

Biofibre or Nido

On YouTube, you can find a bunch of videos from doctors offering Biofibre and/or Nido synthetic hair implants. Surgeons in developing countries are especially keep to use biocompatible fibers. However, the below video is worth a watch as it outlines the serious potential side effects when it comes to artificial hair transplants.

95 thoughts on “Artificial Hair Implants”

  1. The trouble with transplants is that it damages the donor site as well. Presumably these might be less invasive too if they don’t need to be implanted as deep. If that’s the case, then it also leaves the door open to future baldness cures, which transplants may preclude.

    Both will result in some level of scarring unfortunately, which is the main reason I’m avoiding them. I’m working on my physique instead.

  2. Man the hair loss industry is parthetic…. who ever thought it would be so hard to reactivate a stupid hair on our head…

  3. seriously I still dont understand the hype about jak. the below link is from their website. you can see AGA is under preclinical stage. dont tell me they forgot to update because updating website is the very first thing they do specially if u r this scale big.
    Plus I will be very straight with you all. I used to work for GSK. In big pharma there is enough money (more than u may think) just for merging&acqusitions. just show them a promise. if there was a sign, GSK , Pfizer or other big pharma would have spent 10-15b eur to buy Aclaris in heart beat. and yes 15b eur is nothing if u have the proof of concept.
    yes i hear what u r saying now, but Aclaris has patented it why? easy. u can patent stuff later can be possibly used for treating other diseases. they will get their cut for that but certainly not AGA

    https://www.aclaristx.com/pipeline

    1. Dont think so. What you say does not make sense. Christiano already knew long time ago that jaks work for AGA. Didnt you listen to her interviews? She knows more and even Dr. Brett King said that the initial results/tests are hopeful….. BEYOND hopeful. Dr. Neal Walker always repeat that they have interesting data on AGA. They have something big, why would they go on directly to open label phase 2 clinical trial? Just to entertain you? And dont question that they will start the open label trial during this or next month. They clearly said this and its even on their presentation slides.

      In my opinion it definrtely works. The real question is: how well does it work?

        1. The question is how well do they want it to work? I feel like all these big players have figured it out and are manipulating the treatment so other players like ht business don’t go out of business. Someone on here said that the owners of Rogaine go out and block better treatments so that they don’t lose market share. Everyone uses Rogaine! You think they are going to step aside and just let someone else take over. Yell at me all you want…I still think aga was solved and cured years ago. Especially during the early 2000s with intercytrx, osh101, aderans, etc. They new about pgd2 in the 50s..and wounding the same time, yet now they bring it out as evidence for hair growth. There is a lot of hidden agendas when it comes to money and profit. These companies goal is to make the most money and not to cure us.

          1. JAKS irrefutably work to help cure people who suffer from AA type hairloss, yet big pharma have not gone in and thrown around 15 billion to secure those patents from smaller companies. Also the conspiracy that the companies that make Propecia and Romain are preventing the release of an actual cure is absurd. A true cure (or anything that works better) would be used by far more people than those whom currently use Propecia/Rogain. If a company had a cure for MPB, every single man who has any hairloss would take it. As younger generations get older and begin to notice any sign of MPB they will pay for that cure. MILLIONS more people would pay for a cure than for Propecia which is not a cure and has side effects many men will not tolerate, and Rogain which also is really just somewhat effective and is a pain in the butt to apply twice a day. A pharmaceutical company that could provide a cure for baldness would have the attention of every single man on earth who is balding, and every subsequent male who begins to bald. That is much more profitable than preventing such a cure from being released and relying on mediocre medicine that’s been around for 20+ years.

            1. Jak inhibitors work for about half of people with AA, which I view as a huge gigantic issue that needs resolution.

  4. I am much more optimistic about artificial hair transplantation than I am about a near-term medical breakthrough for hair loss.

  5. These published papers are very poorly written. The before photos and after photos are completely different. One of the figure captions reads “Is it possible to move this table under the relative text reference.” The journals themselves are also very poor quality.

    I’m optimistic about this technology, but they need to get their act together.

  6. guys
    u also stated above how well does it work?
    As far as I recall when fin was introduced it was commercialized as the end of baldness. do you all remember it?
    and also again if i remember correctly 8-10% hair growth was mentioned in fin data…. do u believe 10% growth in fin users? appreciate if u can answer these 2 questions

    look again, I dont want to poach anyone out here. However I say GSK, Pfizer… in other words companies making 80-100b eur revenue annual… you on the other hand say Dr. Neal Walker or Dr. Brett King or Christiano….etc. it doesnt even on the same scale…
    curing hairloss would have as big impact as curing cancer. do you really believe big pharma would just let these small corps to scoop all the money?
    food for thought, do you know the latest acquisition Bayer did? Do you know which company Bayer bought for 70b eur? and what is their thought when they bought it?
    Let me give you one thought.. Bayer Pfizer or any big pharma, they are all DYING to get new treatments. Seriously their portfolios are mainly composed of generic products which are not reimbursed by many countries.. profits are shrinking. things aint same as 80s 90s…

    1. I know what you mean but they cannot longer stop it. Aclaris, Shiseido, Follica, Tsuji, Fidia, polarityTE. The cure will come and we will not only have 1 option. The time is coming right now. 2018-2020 the most important years in hair loss history. Consider yourself lucky to have the chance to get back a FULL HEAD of Hair. The nightmare might be over soon.

      The next most interesting topic is BROTZU. He will present trial results on AGA at the Sitri conference on April 14th. Over 714 pages on HLT and Brotzu junior still says that this lotion can regrow hairs that you lost during the last 5 years. If its true it means getting back your hair from 2013. Soon we will know

      1. Rouyame…I have to sort of agree with donitello. None of the upcoming new treatments are cures to give you full head of hair unless you are a nw3 or lower. Follica will grow 30 hairs per cm2. That’s good coverage but not full head of hair. You need at least 150cm2 to have full of head of hair. Sisheido, will immunize your current active follicles and possibly revive some recent loss. Great for nw2 and possibly nw3 for reversal of hair loss. Everyone else will need a ht in conjuction. Jak is a mystery and hype with the potential to work. I think what donitello said is totally correct. They will hype it up stating it’s the next baldness cure but will only grow 10 to 20% hair. Brotzu will most likely grow peach fuzz and some hair. If it works like brotzu say it does then I will ecstatic! However, this won’t be available to us in the USA. Hopefully no other company will buy it out and shelf it. Aka Rogaine….the cure would come from tsuji but who knows when that will see the light of day….2020 seems to soon…. I really really hope one of these comes out this year…I’ll take 10% growth and maintenance as a diffuse thinner. Better than the big 3. Fingers crossed. Will brotzu distribute to the USA? If not, looks like I’m going to Rome by the summer:)

        1. Well we will see.
          I am also a diffuse thinner so I do believe that at least one of these companies could mean the cure for us. Especially for us diffuse thinners because the hair follicles are active but we have super thin BUT still terminal hair. What is your opinion on diffuse thinners? Is it possible for us to get a full head of hair if Brotzu told the truth about reviving EVEN vellus hair (for me its enough ti thicken up terminl hair)

      2. I think a “cure” in the next 10-15 years is more likely. In the next 0-5 years, we can maybe get something adjunctive like a better Rogaine.

    2. You mean Monsanto. Maybe Bayer can deliver us some Monsanto seeds to put on our head. They can grow everything, now deliver us some follicles.

  7. Well, I am not going to hype JAK for AGA. They are either going to work 100% or just another failed attempt in an endless universe of failed trials.

    I really do not know, I just do not know. But at least we will know for worse or better hopefully soon enough. They said by mid 2019 for news. I think its very possible it works. People keep knocking this, but if it works for AA why not for AGA.

    Yes AA is a different issue but the product Re-ignites hair follicles. It turns hair follicles back on. AA might be a different issue but the drugs turn on hair whatever the issue. That’s my opinion knock it as usual. Even I have my down days.

  8. i will tell my opinion on Aclaris, Shiseido, Follica, Tsuji, Fidia, polarityTE…
    regarding a company on such scale, the last thing you want is mediocre treatment because there are 2 possibilities 1- grow on revenue, try to become a big pharma or 2-market your R&D, open for stock exchange, collect money, sell the company or downsizing (mostly because shareholders want their money back). In this case they wont get funded if they cant convince shareholders about the treatment which is why we are experiencing these companies procrastinating their trials.. seriously have you noticed the same ppt for rch-01? isnt it odd? because they are not happy with the results thats why they are still trying to cook in the background.

    and one more food for thought.. companies are way far ahead with the trials than what they publish on their website. it may say preclinical trial however behind doors they do fast-develop, dirty&quick approaches to see how the end product would yield results… if you see things aint moving as fast as it should, it is because the end product wouldnt be as promising as they thought it would be… thats why for example we keep seeing the same things about rch-01… product development cycle is iterative…

    regarding big pharma, they wont release any product until they know its superior than fin. hairloss market has become very mature/saturated over the last 20years. only small snake oil companies are trying and their numbers are deteriorating day by day anyways.

    1. Fin is a shame poor results,daily treatment,shedding,brain fog,sexual side effects…now do you understand that donatello? ok?

      1. Newrahh…..I think you need to re read donitello post. What you replied to him makes no sense. He is aware that fin in weak and has sides. His point is based on what companies care about….profits! If it can bring in better profits than current treatments then they will release. To answer your question I’m not bipolar…but this whole hair loss thing is driving my crazy lol.

      2. You must’ve OD’ed on Fin Newerah, your brain seems very “foggy” as you believe every human that takes fin gets poor results and all the sides you’ve mentioned. The data and my 20 years experience are contrary to this but I won’t attempt to argue with your “logic”.

        1. Hey yoda….I’ve been on fin since 2002. So 16 years..first 12 years I maintained a nw1.5 with minor diffusion but very minor. Fin was awesome! In 2014 things went downhill. Scalp burn and shedding and loss started again. Have you lost effectiveness throughout the 20 years? Has it kept your hair the way you started it?

          1. M Jones, you are an older guy like me and we have a similar experience. Yes, about 5 years ago my hair started to go into the toilet, part of this is because Dr. Lee/Xandrox got shut down and noting worked as well. However, another reason was that like Minox, fin started to loose it’s effectiveness on my aging scalp. I switched to Dut about 2.5 years ago and it stopped the loss but no regrowth. I’m still super horny so I figured I’m getting a testosterone boost, which some guys think that testosterone can also effect the AR receptors. I was hesitant to add RU to the mix as it’s an unregulated Chinese chemical but stated to apply pre-made 5% 1x a day about 3.5 months ago. I have to tell you, I think I’m starting to notice some pretty nice results…AND NO SIDES!!! :-) The only other change I made to my regime is to derma roll for absorption .5mm every other day. Had already been rolling 1.5mm about once every other week. I am starting to believe that the RU is working in conjunction with the Dut (and minox) to bring the miniaturized hairs back to life, fingers crossed!

    2. As for RCH-01, if the results yielded are subpar, why would Shiseido keep running the trial?
      They should have known by mid-2017 whether RCH-01 works or not.

      1. exactly.

        Stack these theories and dialogue up to this
        https://youtu.be/rdFOsMiweys?t=5m22s

        most of the bros here aren’t able to finish handling that video without their attention span melting off their face.
        lol instead speculating on blackshelf patents for AGA. SMH.

        Polarity, Tsuji, Shiseido….the pump and dump stock swindle theory while secretly behind all of our backs their dialogue in international conferences sounds like that video – SMH need some new theories guys really

  9. Not to change subjects…..but wasn’t there suppose to be news on March 9th…someone mentioned Topical Fin results? In the last forum, I wrote it, and 2 replied Topical Fin. Idk if that is true, if it is…can’t this be covered, then we can see Brotzu in April. I have a script for fin…have not taken it. The doc would write for topical fin…but with Brotzu…I might hold off. I haven’t lost anymore in the last 2 years, but stayed the same. I use zero hair treatment though. So I wonder if fin would regrow hair on someone like me….Nonetheless, was Brotzu the March 9th announcement or….was it Topical Fin?

  10. Regarding artificial hair transplants: if they were affordable, passably realistic, and didn’t do permanent damage, I’d try them.

    I’m a bit tired of all the stigmas surrounding anything “artificial,” like toppik and concealers, hair systems and toupees, etc.

    Seems like there’s some sort of enduring attitude about what it means to be truly “masculine” that excludes this stuff. But it’s all just fashion, right? I find the idea that a balding man must just shave his head lest he be judged more troubling.

    Live and let conceal, I say.

    1. Honestly, I don’t think most women care. Plus there is a difference between using a concealer to enhance what you have verses painting your head with powder. I think women consider it the same as a lip gloss vs that girl that can’t leave the house without 2 pounds of makeup. I’ve even heard women in vocal support of hair pieces that look real.

  11. Interesting, Aclaris shows Topical JAK for AA is half way through Phase 2. By now they must know if the topical works, at least for AA. Be interesting to know if any of the AA have AGA also and if the topical treats both conditions.

    On a side note, the pipeline only shows JAK half way in the Preclinical phase but we know they are starting phase 2 very, very soon.

  12. Stay very positive. Let’s not let this issue beat us. We should be in the innings of hair loss. A treatment with Aclaris is right around the corner. No guarantees but we could be close to the end. If that fails then we still have stem cells to grow hair but that will be a few more years out.

  13. I ordered the Polaris nr-11 through Mercadolibre in Mexico the other day (USA citizen living in Mexico). I’ll keep you guys updated on if the product actually arrives (no issues with that site so far) and my results. FYI I have also seen it on eBay but for almost double the price. Mercadolibre México will not ship to USA nor will the other country subsidiary sites. Drove me crazy because I had to build a new account for every different Latin American country I lived. ** Also, I did experience sides with oral Fin so this is a trial run to see if I get them with typical Fin that isn’t liposomal.

    1. I know how different the product of H&W is due to the liposomal substance. Let’s assume the liposomes keep 90% in the scalp, so only 10% goes systematic. With a 2.5% FIN gel, you still get 10% of the topical 25 milligram topical FIN in your blood, which is 2.5 milligram FIN that goes systematic. That is even more than the recommended daily oral dose!

      The bottle is 30ml, a daily dose is 1ml.
      2.5% FIN gel means 0,025ml FIN in that daily dose. 0,025ml = 0,025gram = 25 milligram FIN on your scalp daily. In the most positive case only 10% goes systematic, and that is 2.5 milligram Fin in your bloodstream.

      A 1.0% FIN gel, means 10milligram Fin on your scalp daily. With 10% going systematic, is 1milligram Fin in your blood. That is the same as the recommended daily oral dose.

      If anybody knows more about this, please correct me if my calculations are wrong.

      1. That’s assuming you have 100% local absorption rate on the scalp and no first pass effect with the drug when taken orally. Really average blood concentrations for both would need to be taken among multiple patients to have an accurate statistic on what to expect.

    2. Brian, please remember that Polaris products are no longer being manufactured. Anything with an expiration date after 4/2018 I wouldn’t use. Polaris has been replaced by Follics…

  14. Latest from Aclaris:

    AGA-201 Topical – a planned Phase 2 open-label clinical trial of ATI-502 for the topical treatment of androgenetic alopecia (AGA), also known as male/female pattern hair loss, which is anticipated to begin in the first half of this year. This trial will evaluate the effect of ATI-502 on the regrowth of hair in up to 24 patients with AGA and data are expected in first half of 2019.

    1. Thanks for the info.

      (If) 24 people that should give us a good idea as to effectiveness. I just think it will either completely work or completely fail.

      1. In my opinion, although I cannot confirm JAK will work for AGA, I find it rather unusual for a bio-tech company to do trials without any clear indication that the chance of success is more than 50%.

        But now it’s just a game of wait and see.

  15. Artificial hair transplants seems like a highly infectious life-ruining experience waiting to happen. That said, people do have successful piercings, so I guess it’s sort of the same concept. That said, many many piercings just seems all kinds of fragile, tough to clean, and nasty. I’ll pass unless it becomes fully commonplace and tested.

  16. I am surprised forums continue to let westonci scam users into group buys in the “private forum”. He has been posting about one research chemical or another for 3+ years with the same images and no results. I would bet the “private forum” is making hundreds of thousands of dollars per year off of group buys, maybe more.

  17. I am hoping JAK works for AGA.

    After all this time only up to 24 people are being treated. Results expected BY mid 2019. I wonder IF it does work very well if they could have it out by the end of 2019? Remember it’s already FDA approved.

    All of us rev rowing ALL of our hair by end of 2019? Would’nt that be something.

    1. Nasa there is no way jak will be out in 2019. There phase 2 results will be released in June 2019. They probably won’t start trials till later that year or early 2020. I’d say late 2020 or 2021…

      I’m anxiously waiting for follica….everything else is either too far away to obtain like Japan or still in early trials.

      1. I am getting pretty nervous about George Cotsarelis’ Follica. Will they blow all the competitors out of the water or not … and when will they do that?!

        I’d rather not abbreviate his last name to Cots, it might be convenient, however for me it sounds exactly the same as the Dutch word ‘kots’ or the German version ‘Kotz’ :D (just google it)

        1. Netshed…nobody knows how well follica will perform. If it can mimic the durhat Indian results of microneedling with that regrowth and stop further loss then I’ll be a happy camper. I think it will be better results than that. He mentioned that this will be an ht replacement. I am assuming for nw3 or less.

  18. Admin,

    Today, Neil Walker has announced that JAK phase 2 trials for AGA, will start within the “next two or three weeks”

    1. Thanks Malcolm. Makes sense, based on the anticipated final Phase 2 data readout by mid-2019 (prior announcement).

    2. Holy Smokes!!! What incredible news. That they start jak trials in 2-3 weeks.

      It only takes them 1 month to know if it works. We could know within 6 weeks at the esfliest if they decide to leak any news. Officially we will know by mid 2019. But I think if it works word will leak out (at least I hope).

  19. Admin,

    During today’s presentation, Neil Walker has gone into more details regarding JAK Aga potential. It would be useful if someone else listens to his intervention, and maybe have a new post where all interested could discuss this latest development.

    http://wsw.com/webcast/cowen46/acrs/

    What I would like to see, is more commentators contributing on this hot subject, from maybe a scientific perspective, as I’m sure that unlike myself, there are a few individuals following this blog who have a good level of scientific understanding.

      1. Sure Admin. Just listen first to what Neil Walker had to say today., it’s only a 29 min long presentation. And he was more straightforward about topical absorption during the Q&A session.

        1. nice find malcolm, that was way under the radar

          market release timelines quoted by the companies themselves so far
          Brotzu April-July 18
          Shiseido .. Fall 18
          Follica (none) but presumably Winter18/Spring 2019?

          JAK Follicum Sam Polarity Tussuse Hairclone Riken 2020 beyond

          unless Aclaris releases Japan after phase 2 but it’s not autologous cell based so that is unlikely unless I’m mistaken and it qualifies

          1. Thanks egghead.

            The advantage with Aclaris lies with the fact that if the trials are successful, they can expedite the process through phase 3 trials for AA.

            So basically, Aclaris can juggle a bit with FDA :)

  20. Anyone ever touch up on grey hair? In other words, is there anyone working on grey hair cure, besides a discovery. I don’t know if that has ever been covered.

    1. There was a dutch bunch who had great results with some melanocyte pills when used on mice back in 2016 and were looking to start on humans as early as ’17

      I never heard anyhting since, link below…Also, I couldn’t find the doctor nor the cosmetic company mentioned anywhere

      https://www.steadyhealth.com/articles/study-melanocyte-pills-can-cure-grey-hair-and-restore-your-natural-pigment

      Also Rivertown said they had reformulated their product for beards too and they said it does reverse grey hair but they seem to be 4 years off yet unfort

      1. Thanks. I will have to dig a little deeper at the sources used, and see if I can contact them. I would think this would have been news if the trials and all were legit. Who knows. I have an appointment with my endo and he prescribed testosterone, and I didn’t take it( yes @ hair ). So, I was going to stack finasteride with testosterone, but then my estrogen would spike, then I would have to chase that with an anti- estrogen.

        I can see next weeks appointment with endo. So you didn’t take the testosterone?
        Me: No….I am waiting for Brotzu…..or topical fin.
        Dr: ………

        – Erm, now I have a derm that will do topical fin. So, there isn’t much research on guys who take testosterone while on fin….

  21. In aclaris milestone slide you can read: INF Filing expected Q3 2019. What does that mean? They will publish the results of their AGA trial in Q1/Q2 2019 and IND Filling in Q3/Q4 2019. What does it mean

      1. I wrote an email to them. This is their answer: “We are a long ways from approval in AGA. The path is unclear at this time but would be on the order of years. Unfortunately we do not give guidance on timelines for this program. If successful we will show pictures.”

        1. But I would not take it very serious. My first emailcwas in june 2017. The same guy replied thar everything is unclear and I thought they are years away and a few months later they said that thex are going to do an open label trial im 2018.

          I asked him if we can expect pictures after 1-3 months if they results are very good and when we can expect a release and what IND filing means. Now he replied as you can see above.

          1. Common sense dictates, that if Jak’s do work for AGA, Aclaris would do all sorts of somersaults to have a product approved and marketed asap.

            Always bear in mind, that Aclaris is a relatively new company which is investing profusely in research, and the only way to make a sound return on investment, is by means of development.

            So my concluding thought is, that Aclaris is made up of real smart guys and gals, who are not just business people, but also specialised dermatologists, and apart from making huge profits, they also want to carve their names eternaly in the scientific world.
            So the stakes are higher than just profits.

            1. If this works this is going to be a Super Blockbuster Drug. It will be out as fast as humanly possible. They want to beat competitors, and no reason other than government approval will slow them down.

  22. If the main problem with artificial hair seems to be related to infection, why not use some hybrid method of transplant? That is, can a grouping of artificial hair(s) not be attached to an existing hair (either transplanted, or growing naturally on the scalp). This method would also give the impression of growth of artificial hair, without the risk of infection? Using this method, I would assume that you could use any transplanted hair from any section of the body, although perhaps thicker transplanted facial hairs might be best. I would envisage some sort of ‘knot’ at the base of the artificial hair groupings, that would ‘loop’ over the hair and tie close to the scalp. No piercing of the skin involved.

    1. I’m scheptical. Three people in the study were either on min or fin. The carrier vehicle was water so absorption rate is likely low. Concentration was only 0.0005% which is basically nothing. $2400 a year seems pretty pricey for some OTC supplement to spray on your head. But if you’re rich and you want to try please report back :)

  23. I would read into exactly what that aclaris guy said. They are years away. Which sounds right because all other treatments take 8 to 12 years to clear fda. Follica started in 2008. Aclaris is no exception. Good thing is that they are moving forward. I wouldn’t be surprised if they release it in 2022 or later. Phase 2 read outs in q2 19. Time they start phase 3 we are looking at following year 2020. Another year for that or longer with read out in 2021 q2. Then random fda and internal review with out any hiccups. 2022 23ish…

    1. Drugs already FDA approved. I am going to say IF the drugs work that it will be out someplace by end of 2019. My opinion.

      1. Nasa you are wrong. It’s not fda approved. If it was we would all be using it on heads. Jak for other purposes are fda approved but not for aga or aa. It took Rogaine foam 6 years to be approved for use by fda while Rogaine liquid was fda approved already. Samething for finasteridr. Took 5 or 6 years to approve Propecia. Jak will be no exception. I’m not trying to be pessimistic here just realistic. I do believe that it will work for aga though…so hopefully it works VERY WELL where it can cure us. If it comes out in 2022 or whenever and it’s a hairy growing topical nw6 to nw2 then I think it will be worth waiting for. Now if it’s Rogaine results and a tad better…..well…then they should shelf it and move on.

  24. jesus nasa_rs you have so much faith in jak that u can not comment unbiased.

    Do you all remember/recall first time JAK popped up? just one day we woke up and it was in the news with clear before/after photo. Shortly after they joined Spencer Kobren’s BTT radio channel. Of course that was the first question Spencer pointed out to them…They were not so optimistic about AGA however left the door open too..

    Do you really image that they havent tried whatever they are cooking in the kitchen to AGA patients?
    oh yeah one day we woke up to see AA patient cured with JAK with clear before/after photos. yet we need to wait to see 1 working photo for AGA?

    1. Donitello,

      I agree 100% that we ought to be unbiased, in fact I try to look at Jak’s potential from various angles.

      However, I tend to disagree with your argument that Jak’s won’t work for Aga since no photos have been published to date.
      My reason for such is:

      1) On BTT show Brett King stated that Jak’s are unlikely to produce the same results for AGA, as was the case in AGA,

      2) However, Angela Christiano was/is optimistic about efficacy in AGA too. plus let’s not forget the slip up she made during that interview.

      3) Neil Walker during his latest conference, has clearly stated that Aclaris’s scientific team has worked out different dose ranges in order to be ahead of the curve.

      This might prove to be nothing in the long run, however I doubt that the only reason for these trials are merely to attract investment since Aclaris has never made too much hype about AGA treatments/cure. On the contrary, it seems that this dermatologists lead company operates on a one focus per condition approach.

      Last but not least, in the case that Jak’s are proven to work well for AGA, I have the suspicion that with Trump having a vested interest in hairloss issues, a product will be fast tracked to market.

  25. The ADMIN needs to do a Drum Roll article for when they start Aclaris JAK trials for AGA in 2 weeks.

    This is it Lady and Gents, except for Egghead who will be found wondering the streets of Japan looking for Tszui or whatever its called. Mean while back in the States the hair challenged will be booking appointments for all the doctors in the country to get a prescription to get ALL their beautiful hair back.

    Very soon, you can quote me on that (assuming it works). Adding, Aclaris may have said years but if it works do you have any idea how many pharmacists are going to be manufacturing this stuff overnight? Litterally, millions if not tens of millions of dollars per day will be flowing in to whatever pharmacy has it for sale. Given that, I think Aclaris will be selling this it ASAP.

    1. Lol.

      Nasa I think shiseido and follica will be out before JAK and wouldn’t you rather clone occipital follicles immune to androgens over regrowing JAK dependent hair

  26. Introduction of the TERT and BMI1 Genes into Murine Dermal Papilla Cells Ameliorates Hair Inductive Activity

    feb 2018

    “In this study, we clearly showed that murine DPCs induced by TERT and BMI1
    restored their growth potential and characteristics as DPs in terms of the hair inductive
    activity. These t-DPCs are seems to be attractive as great tools to investigate the precise
    mechanism of maintaining hair inductive activity. In addition, this technique may be
    applicable to human DPCs, which have a great potential to be a promising cell source
    for drug screening.”

    wtf is TERT

  27. I’ve just seen an advert on CNN featuring Lee Buckler for invest japan – talking about hair regeneration. How exciting! This surely must be a good sign for the industry :)

  28. Artificial hair implant is a good thing on a short therm !
    1. you get the results you desire in few hours .
    2. you loos 20% of the “good looking” hair /year.
    3. you complete the 20% loss once a year
    4. you complete it every single year
    5. you get MORE SCARS every single time you “renew” your hair
    6. you get 15-20% more knots deeper in your scalp .
    They may be bio-compatible but they ( knots) are nott bio-degradable !!! so you stick with them for life ! If , tho , you wanna get them out that means MORE SCARS !
    7. After few years of “beautyfying” your scalp will be a BIOFIBER KNOTS GRAVEYARD !!! that if u don’t get cyst or infection meanwhile !!!
    Is it worth it ???
    You guys are lovable or sexy with or with no hair !!!

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