A new wound enhancing product has recently become available that is showing exciting potential benefits in hair restoration. ACell MatriStem(TM), is a biological product that has FDA approval that is being produced by a US company, ACell. MatriStem(TM), is an extracellular matrix (ECM), which is the part of the space between every cell in every animal species and has the ability to be transferred from animal to human without concern of rejection. ECM’s constituents contains growth factors, special proteins and glycoproteins, that causes angiogenesis( the ability to promote new blood vessels), recruit adult stem cells that are tissue site specific, causes minimal inflammatory reaction and is anti bacterial in nature. What this means to hair restoration is that MatriStem has the following potential benefits;
1. To enhance the growth of follicular unit grafts, obtained via strip excision or FUE, to yield more robust, lush growth of hair,
2. produce softer more normal , scalp like tissue as opposed to fibrotic scars with scalp strip excision or FUE extraction.
3. may allow for growth of plucked body hairs to regenerate and grow where transplanted ( auto-cloning).
While the results to date are preliminary, more on-going testing, evaluating and studies need to be performed. I have been using ACell MatriStem on appropriate patients in my practice and am anxiously following the results. If you would like more information or would like to know if you are appropriate for this technique as part of your procedure, please contact me: paul@drcotterill.com
