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This procedure was done by Dr. Prevel. He has been using acell since July 2007 and has treated over 250 patients for wounds / scars. But the scars / wounds have to be bad enough for him to be willing to use acell.
Regarding the photo, I don't believe that she turned her arm. It looks like all the photos are taken from the same angle. If the last photo was taken in september / October 2008 then at this point she would be 5 - 6 months post op. I would be curious to see a current photo.
Bad enough? Why does it have to be bad enough if technically acell can remove all scars it it is truly scarless healing? Can I be a candidate if I have scars on the face?
Seriously im really getting sick of life. Having waited 2 years for the cure and being told ""its near...its near" but never " its here...". Dr robert jones' patient seemed like he scarred. Honestly, im not expecting it to grow hair back. If he is going to test on another patient it will take several months again. It wouldnt be long before it is half a year removed from 2009.
cant you find another problem to fix while your waiting for this treatment. There isnt anything you can do to make it go faster unless your famous and have tons of money. I know it sucks but time heals all wounds.
This procedure was done by Dr. Prevel. He has been using acell since July 2007 and has treated over 250 patients for wounds / scars. But the scars / wounds have to be bad enough for him to be willing to use acell.
Regarding the photo, I don't believe that she turned her arm. It looks like all the photos are taken from the same angle. If the last photo was taken in september / October 2008 then at this point she would be 5 - 6 months post op. I would be curious to see a current photo.
Bad enough? Why does it have to be bad enough if technically acell can remove all scars it it is truly scarless healing? Can I be a candidate if I have scars on the face?
Seriously im really getting sick of life. Having waited 2 years for the cure and being told ""its near...its near" but never " its here...". Dr robert jones' patient seemed like he scarred. Honestly, im not expecting it to grow hair back. If he is going to test on another patient it will take several months again. It wouldnt be long before it is half a year removed from 2009.
cant you find another problem to fix while your waiting for this treatment. There isnt anything you can do to make it go faster unless your famous and have tons of money. I know it sucks but time heals all wounds.
OKay, okay. I'll wait. But I just have these mood swings all the time, its just a part of me now. I'll be patient
I moved this post from another thread as it is most appropriate for this thread:
Just found out that LifeCell ( http://lifecell.com/products/ ) will be launching their product, Strattice, to cosmetic surgeons at the end of February.
Here is some info on Strattice from their website:
Stratticea is a sterile reconstructive tissue matrix that supports tissue regeneration. It is derived from porcine dermis and undergoes non-damaging proprietary processing that removes cells and significantly reduces the key component believed to play a major role in the xenogeneic rejection response.
In a primate model, Strattice demonstrated rapid revascularization, cell repopulation and white cell migration as early as 2 weeks post implantation and mature vascular structure at 6 months post implantation. Strattice is recommended for use in soft tissue reinforcement, including hernia repair and breast reconstruction.
Incidentally, Acell will be launching their wound matrix to cosmetic surgeons sometime this year, most likely within the next 2 - 5 months according to the VP of Acell.
I moved this post from another thread as it is most appropriate for this thread:
Just found out that LifeCell ( http://lifecell.com/products/ ) will be launching their product, Strattice, to cosmetic surgeons at the end of February.
Here is some info on Strattice from their website:
Stratticea is a sterile reconstructive tissue matrix that supports tissue regeneration. It is derived from porcine dermis and undergoes non-damaging proprietary processing that removes cells and significantly reduces the key component believed to play a major role in the xenogeneic rejection response.
In a primate model, Strattice demonstrated rapid revascularization, cell repopulation and white cell migration as early as 2 weeks post implantation and mature vascular structure at 6 months post implantation. Strattice is recommended for use in soft tissue reinforcement, including hernia repair and breast reconstruction.
Incidentally, Acell will be launching their wound matrix to cosmetic surgeons sometime this year, most likely within the next 2 - 5 months according to the VP of Acell.
sounds like good news. thanks for the update. its great that its coming out for plastic surgains.
This article is from last year about the first soldier who got tested with the pigs bladder powder to see if he will grow back a digit !
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/
Once in the website, you need to click on your top left hand side which says VIEW ALL STORIES BY DATE and type 9/28/08 The article is titled STEM-CELL PROCEDURE GIVES HOPE FOR REGROWING LIMBS.
The product may help regrow fingers, but regrowing fingers and healing burns are two different things and I have yet to hear any news of the product in healing burns.
Indeed, the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine seems to be using different approaches.
See a newsweek article: http://www.newsweek.com/id/136309
"Dr. JArg Gerlach at the University of Pittsburgh's McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine is isolating patients' own skin stem cells from a small patch of healthy skin. Then, using a specially developed skin-cell gun, he sprays them onto the wounded area in a fine mist. Over a period of two to six weeks, the cells grow into functional skin, including dermis, epidermis and blood vessels. There is little scarring, and because Gerlach includes the patient's own pigment cells in the mix, the new skin looks natural. In one pilot study, he treated eight patients in Germany with good results." (Anne Underwood, the Newsweek issue dated May 19, 2008)
The product may help regrow fingers, but regrowing fingers and healing burns are two different things and I have yet to hear any news of the product in healing burns.
Indeed, the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine seems to use different approach.
See a newsweek article: http://www.newsweek.com/id/136309
"Dr. JArg Gerlach at the University of Pittsburgh's McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine is isolating patients' own skin stem cells from a small patch of healthy skin. Then, using a specially developed skin-cell gun, he sprays them onto the wounded area in a fine mist. Over a period of two to six weeks, the cells grow into functional skin, including dermis, epidermis and blood vessels. There is little scarring, and because Gerlach includes the patient's own pigment cells in the mix, the new skin looks natural. In one pilot study, he treated eight patients in Germany with good results." (Anne Underwood, the Newsweek issue dated May 19, 2008)
I've corresponded with Dr Gerlach over email, and asked him about the results with his stem cell spray gun. Here's a list of my questions and his answers. Some answers were helpful, and some answers were not terribly clear:
Q: Concerning the stem cell spray gun + bioreactor. Would you be able to shed some light on the cosmetic outcome of the burn victims that were treated with your system?
A: The surgeon describes the result as superior to conventional burn treatment
Q: Were there any third degree burn patients? If so, was the newly regrown skin of a drastically different texture than the surrounding skin?
A: We focus on deep dermal IIA wound right now ...
Q: As far as third degree burns as well as abrasions that go through the full thickness of the skin are concerned - how well have those sights healed as far as blending in with surrounding skin?
A: Since we have not treated such wounds, I can not answer this question, sorry
Q: Lastly - Do you think regenerating full thickness wounds with no scarring is a real possibility for the future, say within ten years?
A: I think, it will, we and others just need some more time to work on these topics. Our actual focus is acute burns, but that will lead to scar treatment after injuries on a long run. Probably in around 6 years, clinical studies on such topics will be planned.
Q: Lastly - Do you think regenerating full thickness wounds with no scarring is a real possibility for the future, say within ten years?
A: I think, it will, we and others just need some more time to work on these topics. Our actual focus is acute burns, but that will lead to scar treatment after injuries on a long run. Probably in around 6 years, clinical studies on such topics will be planned.
I thought that it is very near. We still have to wait another 6 years?!!?
Q: Lastly - Do you think regenerating full thickness wounds with no scarring is a real possibility for the future, say within ten years?
A: I think, it will, we and others just need some more time to work on these topics. Our actual focus is acute burns, but that will lead to scar treatment after injuries on a long run. Probably in around 6 years, clinical studies on such topics will be planned.
I thought that it is very near. We still have to wait another 6 years?!!?
Keep in mind that this is just the opinion that ONE doctor has, given his personal experience with stem cells and burns.
Thank you, holdontohope.
Have you asked him when will the stem cell spray gun be available for physicians to treat deep second degree burns?
No, I haven't, but I know it's been used on patients, so it can't be far off.
i thought it was around last halloween we would know if acell works on acne scars or not!lol!can it be obtained by a physician or not?my doctor would get it for me if it was avaible.
As long as your doc either works in the US or has a US mailing address he can order acell. Just have him call up the company.
i thought it was around last halloween we would know if acell works on acne scars or not!lol!can it be obtained by a physician or not?my doctor would get it for me if it was avaible.
nikkigirl, you have to understand that Acell itself is not going to do anything for your scarring if it's simply applied over your untouched scarred skin. You have to remove the scar tissue first, and then apply Acell to the area. Not only that, but there's a pretty strict protocol that needs to be followed: i.e. keeping the wound and the acell totally moist at all times, reapplying Acell as frequently as possible, etc.
So you're going to have a detailed plan in place (this is called a treatment protocol) before you can even put the Acell to good use. If you have isolated scars, then perhaps excision, then using Acell as an "implant" to facilitate regeneration would be a good option. Problem is there isn't a form of Acell that degrades slowly, so you couldn't put it into a stitched up wound and expect it to be there the whole time. Acell is working on a version of their product that takes much longer to degrade. This is awesome because it will be able to be used in surgical procedures where stitches have to be made. The acell will be able to be sutured into the wound, and it will dissolve slowly as the wound heals.
The problem is that I haven't seen any photographic evidence of Acell, or any other ECM (extracellular matrix), being used for facial scar revision. It's probably been done before, but I'd love to see the evidence...photographically. Kirk, do you have any photographic evidence of ECMs being used in facial scar revision? If so, the images would be very helpful. Even if you don't have photographic evidence, do you know of any specific case studies performed using ECM in FACIAL SCAR reconstruction? Any info would be helpful. Thanks.
Furthermore, no one has as of yet, developed and carried out a treatment protocol for using ECM in scar revision. I know a lot of people on this board are ready to do so, if they could get their doctors interested. That brings me to a question for anyone reading this post: Who on here has scars they plan on having excised? If so, are you interested in using Acell inside the suture site? Are you planning on, or have you already, spoken with your doctor about using Acell? Just curious! Would love to know!
right.......i was stating that we need maybe a abrasion or co2 laser before the gel is applied.i remember the scar eating med that was mentioned a few months ago.if availible my doc would get me acell in a heartbeat.i have aready spent over 25k on various treatments that havn't done that much.if someone really wanted to do clinical trials it could be done on a very small scarred area.say about one square inch of skin.its not that big of a deal.even things that have been approved have drawbacks and side effects.if it is approved and it has to be applied every so hour it will be up to the patient to do the aftercare anyways because a doc can't be around 24/7 to watch every single patient.you know how it is nowdays when a doc gives you 15 minutes of their time and then off to the next patient.thats why it is up to us to be well informed on post op care.my doctor doesn't know anything about it but is open to all new treatments,and i am not the type that sues if anything goes wrong.i just think if this stuff was as great as its cracked up to be we would be doing clinical trials on acne scarring by now.how much knowledge does it take to sand a small section of skin and apply the stuff?
right.......i was stating that we need maybe a abrasion or co2 laser before the gel is applied.i remember the scar eating med that was mentioned a few months ago.if availible my doc would get me acell in a heartbeat.i have aready spent over 25k on various treatments that havn't done that much.if someone really wanted to do clinical trials it could be done on a very small scarred area.say about one square inch of skin.its not that big of a deal.even things that have been approved have drawbacks and side effects.if it is approved and it has to be applied every so hour it will be up to the patient to do the aftercare anyways because a doc can't be around 24/7 to watch every single patient.you know how it is nowdays when a doc gives you 15 minutes of their time and then off to the next patient.thats why it is up to us to be well informed on post op care.my doctor doesn't know anything about it but is open to all new treatments,and i am not the type that sues if anything goes wrong.i just think if this stuff was as great as its cracked up to be we would be doing clinical trials on acne scarring by now.how much knowledge does it take to sand a small section of skin and apply the stuff?
I think you hit on a good point, nikkigirl. We can't wait for a cumbersome clinical trial to be carried out. That's already been DONE anyways! Acell has already approved. We just don't know how effective it is on regenerating facial skin to look like surrounding uninjured skin. If someone has photographic proof otherwise, then please post it on this thread. Right now, the burden is on people like you and me to take the risk to try it on the face. I am quite honestly, not willing to be the guinea pig. You seem like you would actually be wiling to do something like sand down a quarter size piece of skin on your face and see if Acell does the job. I wouldn't recommend it, but we're never going to know how effective it is on healing facial skin wounds until it's tried on an existing wound or someone does a skin excision and uses Acell.
My question for you, nikkigirl, is this: Do you have any acne scarring that is fairly isolated that you could have excised? If so, would you be wiling to leave the wound unsutured and try and see if Acell would regenerate things fully?
Is anyone willing to do this? I'm not asking anyone to do this, I'm simply wondering if there is anyone out there who would.
We're never really going to know just how affective Acell is at regenerating facial skin until it's used on an unsutured, full-thickness wound....on the face. I simply can't imagine, however, that anyone would be willing to try this.
If someone is going to try Acell anytime soon, using it after excision, etc., please let us know so we can help you properly document the experience!
right.......i was stating that we need maybe a abrasion or co2 laser before the gel is applied.i remember the scar eating med that was mentioned a few months ago.if availible my doc would get me acell in a heartbeat.i have aready spent over 25k on various treatments that havn't done that much.if someone really wanted to do clinical trials it could be done on a very small scarred area.say about one square inch of skin.its not that big of a deal.even things that have been approved have drawbacks and side effects.if it is approved and it has to be applied every so hour it will be up to the patient to do the aftercare anyways because a doc can't be around 24/7 to watch every single patient.you know how it is nowdays when a doc gives you 15 minutes of their time and then off to the next patient.thats why it is up to us to be well informed on post op care.my doctor doesn't know anything about it but is open to all new treatments,and i am not the type that sues if anything goes wrong.i just think if this stuff was as great as its cracked up to be we would be doing clinical trials on acne scarring by now.how much knowledge does it take to sand a small section of skin and apply the stuff?
Nikkigirl,
If you have your doc call Acell, they can probably provide him / her with photos of how their acellualr matrix has regenerated tissue to its original state before it was wounded / scarred. Acell is collecting photos from physicians who are using their product on a variety of wounds. The reps at acell will work with your doc in deciding on the most appropriate treatment regimen using acell. It will most likely entail excising the scar and suturing the acell scaffold into the wound and / or simply applying the powder over the wound several times a week for a few weeks all the while keeping the wound bandaged and moist according to Acell's guidelines. You can also improve healing using low level laser therapy (LLLT) which can be done at home. You can find detailed info about where to purchase your own LLLT unit and how to use it on this forum.
Keep us posted.
Good luck
Kirk, do you have any photographic evidence of ECMs being used in facial scar revision? If so, the images would be very helpful. Even if you don't have photographic evidence, do you know of any specific case studies performed using ECM in FACIAL SCAR reconstruction? Any info would be helpful. Thanks.
See below.
We don't know the effects of Acell on humans, but we should have some serious evidence of its effectiveness on animals before we can decide what to do next.
Could anybody point to an article about Acell regenerating the skin without scars in animals?
Could you help us?
Isosflous
We do know the results on humans but even if we didnat we are mammals anyway and use the same extracellular matrix scaffold for our intercellular tissues to crawl up and organize it to site specific tissue
This stuff is denatured(crosslinked) you do not want crosslinked ECM as the more crosslinked the ECM the more you get fibrous tissue encapsulation. But still the result here is 100% site specific tissue on the face of the human mammal
Here is another example of an accelular matrix, called alloderm, that is not denatured, as you can see visually again complete scar free healing has occurred in the hand.
The results of the facial wound are very impressive, however, the hand looks like it has definitely scarred. In the last photo of the hand on the doorknob, it is turned hiding the knuckles/top of the hand, but you can see the difference between that area and the area of the thumb - is it just me? or does anyone else see it?
Thank you, kirk.
The man in the first three photos seemed to be doing traditional dermabrasion and the wound created was only confined to the upper reticular dermis.
Acell is developing an injectable form of ECM. According to the article http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1820176...Pubmed_RVDocSum
"the clinical utility of an ECM biologic scaffold for
many clinical applications is typically restricted to topical administration
or to invasive surgical procedures that can accommodate
variations of the two-dimensional sheet forms."
So they are developing the 3-D gel form, which should be more suitable for wounds where necrotic tissues form and for excisional wounds which are closed by sutures, as Dr. Jones' patient did.
The results of the facial wound are very impressive, however, the hand looks like it has definitely scarred. In the last photo of the hand on the doorknob, it is turned hiding the knuckles/top of the hand, but you can see the difference between that area and the area of the thumb - is it just me? or does anyone else see it?
yea i see it as well. also the hand it turn to much and we cant get a good look at the burn marks.