Over the past few years, I have heard a lot about Dr. Pietro Gentile of Italy and his unique work in the hair loss field. His website and his Instagram have some interesting content. However, both are lacking relative to the higher quality of his numerous research papers.
Dr. Pietro Gentile and PRP
I originally learnt about Dr. Gentile via his collaboration with Dr. John Cole and Chiara Insalaco. In 2017, the three of them authored a paper comparing non-activated PRP versus activated PRP.
In my detailed post on the effectiveness of PRP for hair loss, I listed around 40 studies at the bottom. Of that total, 5 were authored by Dr. Gentile. On his website, the doctor has several pages devoted to PRP for hair loss and PRP for facial cosmetic treatments.
Hair Follicle Stem Cells
More interestingly, Dr. Pietro Gentile has in recent years published a number of papers on stem cells and hair growth. Most recently, in January 2020, he authored a paper titled “Autologous Micrografts from Scalp Tissue“. The conclusion was that micrografts containing autologous human hair follicle mesenchymal stem cells (HF-MSCs) could represent a safe and viable hair loss treatment.
The autologous micrografts of HFSCs were prepared using the doctor’s proprietary “Gentile Protocol”. Instead of harvesting hair follicle grafts like in a hair transplant, this process entails harvesting scalp tissue and associated hair follicle stem cells. I think that this tissue extraction can also be from outside the typical permanent hair donor zone. Dr. Gentile published the outline of his hair follicle stem cell isolation technique in an earlier paper from 2017.
Other Findings
in 2019, Dr. Gentile published a study on Adipose Tissue-Derived Hair Follicle Stem Cells (HD-AFSCs) improving hair growth and density. Make sure to read my past posts on adipose stem cells and hair growth. The doctor has also published a number of papers in the past on stromal vascular fraction, especially in regenerative plastic surgery and scar reduction applications.
In 2020, Dr. Gentile and his team found that a combination PRP + Microneedling + Laser treatment protocol led to great hair growth results. However, hard to tell which of the three made the most impact.
Run of the mill PRP didn’t work for me. Cost a bomb also. Once bit, twice shy they say. The pic on the right looks dodgy too. It looks like the hair has been grown longer and then brushed forward over the bald spot?! Shoot me if I’m wrong, but I can’t make out any hair regrowth?
I think exosomes are showing a lot of promise. Dr. Cole is offering that as well as a Dr. where I live. Expensive though and dr. Cole spoke about the exosomes treatments offered by others not having the same amount of stem cells basically. I’d look into that though.. I may have it done with a dr. Near me if he can give me more info on exactly where he’s sourcing the exosomes and what not.
I’m also curious about exosomes and how they fall under FDA regulations. Dr Cooley in Charlotte, NC appears to offer an exosome treatment- has anyone had experience with Dr. Cooley’s process?
I’m not really thrilled by this and the photos are suspicious.
The guys hair is clearly combed forward in the second pic and the woman’s hair is so wild that it would not be hard to hide that thinning with a bit of combing, either.
That Guy, Agreed. We never get clear and simple before and after photos with all things equivalent. The doctor takes 10 before and 10 after photos with the hair and lighting positioned differently in each photo. They then cherry pick the ones to fit their narrative. How great it would be to have clear results in photos. If it doesn’t happen, there’s a reason for it.
“Dr. Gentile and his team found that a combination PRP + Microneedling + Laser treatment protocol led to great hair growth results. However, hard to tell which of the three made the most impact” the only thing that probably worked was microneedling. I highly doubt PRP and stupid laser treatment (basically snake oil) did anything lol.
For some time now, this hypothetical baldness cure has taken on a surreal aspect …
Somewhat crazy to think that within the comments on this website we are still talking about future treatments, minoxidil, finasteride, rosemary oil, laser helmets, PRP, etc. The world we should be like to be living in – Everyone talking about the different companies that are offering something that actually gets our hair back. It could be an on going treatment or a real cure that gets back 70-100% of your hair back and we are arguing over which company gives the best result. Sounds more like a dream at this point.
It would of been nice when ‘Merck’ hit the lottery with ‘Propecia’ back in 1997 (23 years ago) putting those profits back into research and development and coming out with something better. I honestly can’t wait for one of these new companies that’s comes out with something that really shakes up the industry and all of us jump ship but knowing these bigger players, after a certain amount of time, once that technology goes off patent they will swoop in and buy it up. Either way just wish one of these companies would come out with something that actually works, does not have to be a cure, although would be awesome to have that option even if the price is not affordable. I guess we will wait and see.
Hopefully Follica can increase there 44% result record in phase 3. Maybe 70% or higher?
Yeah, that would be pretty awesome. Histogen announced stock purchase a few days ago. We just need Organ Technologies to release some kind of update. I guess when we see Lebron James, Jude Law, David Beckham and Jamie Fox all going to Japan, we will know haha.
Does anyone know what will happen if guy with hair transplants ALSO does Tsuji’s treatment (theoretically if it comes to fruition)? Will the transplanted hair be in the way of new hair coming in? I’m a NW3.5 and considering a FUE for the temple region.
the transplanted hair will not be in the way of the new hair, they might fall out to regrow again. I’m also considering a FUE on the temple region, have you checked the price yet?
@Lorence, yes I have. I’m strongly considering the procedure with Dr. Cole in Alpharetta, GA. It’s going to be about $8/graft. With his CRP added to it (PRP on steroids), all of his patients see complete growth at about the 4 month mark, as opposed to 12-15 months with other surgeons.
It feels like we are waiting for Godot my friends
Yes unfortunately we have been waiting for millennia … Why should we be the lucky ones …
Cots/Dhurat better be right about microneedling, otherwise I am torturing my scalp with 1.5mm needles fruitlessly.
I was using a dermaroller and derma stamp, but I wasn’t happy with the results. I purchased the Dr. Pen A6S, and it works much better. I use the 36 needles at the 1.5 mm setting at Speed 6. I spray minox on my scalp before starting.
Netshed I stopped needling as I was losing more hair. I think it makes it worse unless your on fin or minox.
^ Anecdotal bit: I microneedled/dermapenned my hairline weekly without fail for 1 year. It did absolutely nothing for me. No worse, no better. I suspect it’s the micro-wounding PLUS topical application/injection that produces the results.
I derma stamped once every 10 days for a couple months . It thinned out my hair so I stopped. Slowly gaining the hair back I think. We are doing it wrong and should just wait for follica . All those reddit succees stories are prob bs and just the person showing his hair loss in reverse order
I don’t know man, when I read about he dermarolling stuff it seems like you have to be a nasa engineer to pull it off correctly, there are so many things in count, and also everyone seem to use a different technique ( pen leght, depth, number of penetrations, how many times you have to do it in the same area, every how many days, ecc ). Also one of my fear is that it might damage your scalp tissue in the long run, It might be irrational but I just can’t help but believe so
I agree. Without better guidelines/consensus, it’s pointless. If I need to wait six to nine months to know if a protocol isn’t working (or maybe hurting), how many years of macerating my scalp at different depths and frequencies will it take until I know which is right? How much damage/scarring will I cause, and how far will it set me back? Mjones is right. I’ll wait for follica. I don’t really want to pay them money for a recurring clinic visit for a procedure easily done from home with compounds cheaply available otc, (especially since we aren’t really expecting a “cure” from their treatment), but I’m done with self experimentation. It won’t take long for their protocols to become public. You need to be a NASA engineer AND a doctor, with infinite patience and a high threshold for tolerating pain if you are going to go down this road. I’m done chasing anecdotal reddit white-rabbits. That ain’t science.
I wrote about this before, but scalp infections, even if rare, do happen to diy-ers. Happened to me. I’m very curious to find out if this is why follica has shifted to a clinic-visit model, and away from an at-home device. Liabilities could sink them.
Sorry .. but I can’t stop complaining … I’m losing more and more ground every day… and there’s still NOTHING out there.
Lorence are you on the big 3? I probably asked but I forgot
I’m on the big two, no nizoral, it made my hair worse
I share the feeling that microneedling (with 1.5mm) might even do more harm than good.
Maybe we destroy some tissue which is significant for the hair follicles that are still alive.
All in all, AGA is a mess.
Talk with some men in private about their bald spots, and they all want a solution for it. Of course, women, children and men, nobody wants scalp hair loss.
Medics have downplayed the negative effects which AGA has on people for too long.
Then they started researching it but underestimated the complexity of it.
They found by accident a chemical/drug that inhibits a5reductase, and thought that was/is the all-in solution.
Now, after 20/25 years with a reasonable amount of research, there are still too few smart people researching/tackling it.
A lot of dermatologists still sitting on their hands and waiting for their colleagues to solve the puzzle.
They should be working (parttime) in the lab too, instead of fulltime telling their AGA patients there is still nothing except a5reductase inhibitors.
And then we have our Japanese friend … is he still on schedule for release?
Who will be the first human to get a $350.000 hair miracle performed?
Is anyone familiar with the Evolve compounding pharmacy? They offer some pretty interesting formulations with (hypothetically) synergistic compounds. I’m considering the Minox/trentinoin combo or Latanoprost/Fin. I’m unclear how they derive the concentrations of the compounds though, so that is a bit worrisome to me.
https://evolvecompanyinc.com/available-medications/
So people who tried microneedling said that they recorded poor progress or even worse. From what I ve seen those used 1.5mm needles. What about the others who used 0.5mm ? I remember someone posted a study and I remember that best results were from 0.5mm needles and it had to be followed a certain pattern, can t really recall.
Lorence- when did you start the big 2? Did you use 1mg fin? What norwood were you when you started? How old?
I’ve been using 1mg fina plus 5% minox for more than 20 years, when I started I was 25 years old, back then I was a norwood 2, now I’m a norwood 3 with diffuse thinning on top, I use toppik to make it look better, if I don’t use hairspray and other camouflage products it looks horrible, it takes me half an hour at least to fix my hair, the result is ok but it always feels as if I’m wearing an helmet, I really hate the stress…
Now I’m 47, can you immagine the struggle?…
Yup totally understand lorence. I have been using fin for 18 years and minox for 6 years and nizoral for 16 years. I started as nw1.5 and now I am nw 2.5 -3 diffuse. It takes me a solid 30 mins as well to fix my hair. Have to blow dry it every morning after shower or else my hair looks flat and mess. Receding as well. All the men on my mom and dad side are nw 6+. So I wont complain being a nw2.5 and have to use blow dryer. I could be nw7 many years ago. Hopefully lorence SM or follica will halt our loss and thicken up our diffuse loss. Treatments always work better for diffuse thinners. The fact that fin worked for us for over 10 years is good. I noticed it lose effect after my 12th year. Diffuse picked up and the scalo burning. Rogaine helped in thickening it up the past fews but that is losing effect too. Plus rogaine thinned out the places I applied it but thicken the other parts of my scalp. Gotta love these treatments lol
Do you think hair cloning will help us? I’m nw2.5 with diffuse. 13 years on fin. My hair line sucks , so depressing.
@Alexander Any level of hair loss sucks but atleast you’re not me I’m a Norwood 5! And I’m only 23 I’ve been a Norwood 5 since 2017 but I’ve been on Finasteride ever since because I don’t want to get to a NW 7. My hairline sucks I go into deep depression a lot i wear a hat every time I leave the house. I want to keep the hair I have and I also want my hair back but I can’t get a transplant because I’m younger then 25 so it’s very depressing I just have to wait and wait and wait for hair follicle cloning (not replicel or UK hairclone bullshit) I know Dr tsuji can help because I’ve lost all hope in the United States and European researchers they are way too slow and they give us false hope BS. Start the damn trails already! we get it you can clone hair on a mouse lol now do it on a human!
https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/30/eaba1685.full
Has it stop your hair from further lose since your on fin?
@billa so i started in august 2017 it stopped my hair loss completely and saw regrowth of miniaturized hairs but then in the summer of 2019 i notice frontal forelock area looking kind of thin again but not a huge difference and my crown has not thinned at all since starting on fin in 2017, so far i’m happy. but i still want hair cloning cause being a nw5 sucks it looks so shitty
Eat sh*t, grow hair!
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/esmagazine/faecal-recognition-the-secrets-hiding-in-your-gut-a4268101.html%3famp