| |
General |
| 1. |
Could you give us a
realistic timeframe as to when Hair Multiplication will be
available to the public ? |
| Response |
I
am aiming to introduce HM worldwide within 5 years. |
| 2. |
Will the HM procedure be introduced in selected
cities in the Netherlands before it becomes available to the mass
market worldwide ? |
| Response |
Yes. |
| 3. |
What would be the average cost in US $ for someone who is a
Norwood class 3, class 4, class 5, class 6 or class 7 ? |
| Response |
My
goal is to make this affordable for everyone. I do not have an
estimate of the eventual cost at this point. We are currently
trying to streamline and simplify the procedure in order to bring
the cost down. I have no intention of taking advantage of the
situation and make everyone pay an exorbitant price for the
treatment. We are trying to implement certain controls and
mechanisms to make sure that this treatment is affordable
worldwide. |
| |
Technical questions:
|
| 4. |
What hair quality can we expect ? Same as our normal
growing hair ? |
| Response |
Yes. |
| 5. |
Can HM recreate a natural hairline ? |
| Response |
Yes,
and the results are more natural than traditional hair
transplants. |
| 6. |
Do we still need traditional surgical hair
transplant to complement the results after the HM procedure has
been performed ? |
| Response |
No. |
| 7. |
Will the new hair be permanent ? |
| Response |
Yes. |
| 8. |
Can HM create new follicles in donor area scars that resulted from traditional hair transplantation
? |
| Response |
I
have not conducted experiments in this area at the moment. |
| 9. |
What kind of density can be achieved, in hairs/cm2 ?
Can a second HM procedure give a greater density ? |
| Response |
More information will be
forthcoming. |
| 10. |
Can HM be used to increase density in hair
transplant patients ? |
| Response |
Yes. |
| |
Limitations & Side Effects |
| 11. |
Are there any limitations and issues regarding direction of
hair growth ? |
| Response |
This
is not an issue at all. Direction of hair growth will be like
normal hair. |
| 12. |
What are some of the potential side effects ? Cancer
risks, tumors, and hair fallout etc ? |
| Response |
None
according to my clinical trials. |
| 13. |
Will the HM procedure produce scarring ? |
| Response |
No.
This is not like traditional hair transplants. |
| |
Timing
|
| 14. |
How long does it before the new hair follicles start
to grow from the time when we first visit your clinic ? |
| Response |
More information will be forthcoming. |
| 15. |
How many visits to your clinic would be needed to apply HM for
someone who is a Norwood class 7 ? |
| Response |
No
definite answer at the moment. Again, we are trying to streamline
the procedure at the moment so that we can reduce the number of
visits required. Note that HM is not a static technology. Similar
to hair transplant, HM can always have room for improvement. We
expect that as we progress over time, there will be first
generation HM, second generation HM and so on, each better and
more improved than the previous. |
| 16. |
Can the follicle harvesting be done here in the US by an accredited lab and
the follicles shipped to Holland for culturing, thus eliminating the need for
two separate trips? |
| Response |
The
procedure will be totally self-sufficient in each country. We do
not envision patients from overseas being required to come to the
Netherlands. Our goal is to allow people pursue HM without leaving
his or her home country. Exportation of cells can be a very
complicated matter and there may be numerous restrictions involved
depending on where you live. There will be labs set up in your
home country along with the facilities to perform the
procedure. |
| |
Candidates |
| 17. |
What is the success rate of HM ? Does it work for
everyone ? Who would be the best candidates ? |
| Response |
More
information will be forthcoming. |
| 18. |
Will HM work for someone who has diffuse pattern
balding ? |
| Response |
Diffuse
alopecia is mostly caused by an internal disease or may be related
to someone's immune system. This cannot be treated by HM. However,
if the diffuse pattern is caused by alopecia androgenetic,
then HM could be beneficial. |
| 19. |
Can the HM procedure be performed on women ? |
| Response |
Yes.
HM was originally developed for women. However, in our clinical
studies we have to count the number of hairs that have been
regenerated and the easiest way to facilitate that is to start
with a totally bald area. Since bald male patients are easier to
find than bald female patients, until now we have only treated
bald men. |
| 20. |
Can HM procedure be performed on alopecia
areata patients ? |
| Response |
No. |
| 21. |
Can HM be used to treat people with loss of
eyelashes ? |
| Response |
We
have not conducted experiments in this area. A lot depends on the
cause of hair loss. |
| |
Other |
| 22. |
Would you consider offering a waiting list for those
who are anxious to have this procedure done ? If so, how can we
sign up for the waiting list ? |
| Response |
No. |
| 23. |
Will you attend the International Society of Hair
Restoration Surgery seminar in Hawaii this December ? |
| Response |
This
question is no longer applicable. |
| |
Additional
Questions Suggested in the Member's Forum |
| 24. |
Can you
explain why there are two websites registered your name ? |
| Response |
HM
is only a small part of my practice. I do research in many areas
and the websites were registered for the entire spectrum of my
work. |
| 25. |
Does your
technique work by stimulating existing follicles (that are
dormant) or does it work by multiplying the hairs cells and
planting them on balding areas ? |
| Response |
This
procedure is not invented to stimulate dormant hair cells. New
hair cells are cultured and multiplied before they are injected
into balding areas. |
| 26. |
Have you
heard of a procedure called Dermal Fusion by Ryan Livingston in
Canada ? Do you know anything about this hair restoration
technique ? |
| Response |
No. |
| 27. |
Does the
new hair exhibit the same hair cycles as a normal hair, i.e.:
anagen, catagen and telogen etc ?. |
| Response |
Yes. |
| 28. |
Will the
new hair be vulnerable to DHT and other causes of male or female
pattern baldness ? |
| Response |
Not
likely because the new hair is created using stem cells extracted
from permanent hair. |
| 29. |
A
rhetoric question, but could you please confirm that you indeed
have already begun human trials ? |
| Response |
We
started human trials years ago. |
| 30. |
Would
funding be helpful in expediting the introduction of HM to the
mass market ? |
| Response |
Funding
is not a big issue here. Financial resources are not our primary
concern and I am not in favor of accepting public funding in
exchange for a minority share of this project. There are many
issues involved and it is not as simple as it looks. |
| 31. |
Can
HairSite contact you again in six months for an update ? |
| Response |
Yes,
if my schedule permits. However, I cannot promise anything at the
moment. Note that it is to everyone disadvantage when we receive
phone calls and emails everyday inquiring about HM. It will only
serve to slow down the progress of our work. When HM becomes
official, everyone will have a fair chance to learn more about
this procedure. We have no intention to promote mystery on the
subject. |
| 32. |
Any
final comments ? |
| Response |
I
have treated thousands of hair loss patients over the years and I
can certainly relate to how devastating hair loss can be to one's
emotional well beings. I sympathize and feel for those whose lives
have been affected by this condition. It is an uphill battle and
one may easily lose focus of what is truly and deeply meaningful
to his or her life during the process. Look at everything around
yourself and try to stay grounded. Life is always more bearable
when you learn to appreciate and be grateful to what you already
have. On the other hand, life is always inadequate when you
constantly obsess with things you don't have. I am not here to
exploit people's feelings. HM is real and everyone will have his
or her fair chance in due course. |
