Who Would Help Fund A Kerastem Therapy?

[Dench57]

Dear Mr *****

That's a horribly rude way to start a letter. Very unprofessional imo.

 

[buckthorn]

That's a horribly rude way to start a letter. Very unprofessional imo.

hahaha... Dench, just f*cking cure us already. I know you're capable of this. Thanks.

 

[parisienne]

That's a horribly rude way to start a letter. Very unprofessional imo.

"Hello, friend"

 

[I.D WALKER]

There answer was unsatisfactory. I see what they are doing and it poorly reflects their level of professionalism.
If you're up for the task I would encourage you to pressure them. Be assertive, be firm, and use your leverage constructively. Remember it's a buyer's market. therefore speak with authority, you are at the wheel as an informed consumer. Show them you can take care of business when you put your agenda needs first. Don't relent until your needs/demands are met. Good luck

That's pretty crappy. I could understand them having that position if you were local to their clinic but I'm assuming they know you're from out of town.

I would also like to think they understand that offer a fairly unique treatment that only a handful of places in the world offer at the moment. They're obviously going to get inquiries from out of town.

Doesn't make much sense to me. Looks like I'm going to be taking a leap of faith with you at BelPrime.

 

[Blackber]

There answer was unsatisfactory. I see what they are doing and it poorly reflects their level of professionalism.
If you're up for the task I would encourage you to pressure them. Be assertive, be firm, and use your leverage constructively. Remember it's a buyer's market. therefore speak with authority, you are at the wheel as an informed consumer. Show them you can take care of business when you put your agenda needs first. Don't relent until your needs/demands are met. Good luck

It's a sellers market. They have what we (might) need, and we don't have any other options. Not to mention Kerastem isn't the only thing they offer so they probably already have a stable/successful business. Unfortunately we don't mean much to them.

 

[kiwipilu]

someone on a french forum has already had the treatment on 25th of january in Geneva. sounds legit. I will keep you updated as soon as he gives updates.

Like I said he had the procedure (CHF 7000.-) at concept-clinic. The guy actually gave it a go because he has already had 3 hair transplants. The Doctor told him it could save(???) him 10years. two days after the procedure he had swelling on he forehead which is normal according to the Doctor. Two days later it was gone. He had no shockloss. For regrowth he should have a consultation on the 3months mark and that's soon...

 

[Blackber]

Like I said he had the procedure (CHF 7000.-) at concept-clinic. The guy actually gave it a go because he has already had 3 hair transplants. The Doctor told him it could save(???) him 10years. two days after the procedure he had swelling on he forehead which is normal according to the Doctor. Two days later it was gone. He had no shockloss. For regrowth he should have a consultation on the 3months mark and that's soon...

Thanks for following up on this, it's much appreciated and what makes this community great. Glad to hear there was no shockloss but I'm not sure if he's the best candidate to judge this treatment on.

Kerastem has clearly said that this treatment is for people with early hairloss history. If this patient has had 3 hair transplant's so far that would leave me to believe he was/is much further down the road.

---

Update: I'm scheduled for a Skype consultation tomorrow morning. I'll update you guys afterwards. It's obviously going to be the same presentation but I'll give you my thoughts.

 

[Blackber]

Hey Guys,

I had my Skype consultation earlier with Dr. Katarina Andjelkov at the Belprime clinic.

She was very nice and seemed honest with me. I saw the same presentation the other guys saw which showed the breakdown of the procedure and showed some before and after photos. Three of the four photos were the Kerastem photos that have been floating around for a while and the last photo was the older NW6 patient that the other forum members mentioned. That patient had the most regrowth. He definitely moved up a few Norwood levels, but the regrown hair didn't look super thick. Considering his advanced age and hairloss and that Kerastem is aimed at younger people with a short history of hairloss his results were impressive.

Dr. Andjelkob stressed to me that this procedure is not a miracle (at least not yet) and is more helpful for people like me - young (28 yrs old), diffuse thinner, hairline intact, and no slick bald areas. She felt that I was a prime candidate although she stressed that I manage my expectations.

She said most people experience a regrowth of 10-30%, but she also stressed these aren't her statistics. The 10-30% figure is based off the Japanese clinic and previous clinical trials - she did not want to be held to those numbers. She mentioned that the Japanese clinic has performed these procedures more than her clinic or the Swiss clinic, and has the software to accurately/statistically track changes therefore they have the most information.

As of right now BelPrime does not track changes statistically, they only track changes by eye and how happy their patients are. She shared a new software with me which she plans to implement this year which will help them accurately track differences between before and after the procedure down to every single follicle - pretty cool stuff. She said she's performed this procedure on roughly 20 patients over the past two years and just about all of them are happy with the outcome. They all felt their existing hair was stronger and less fell out. Some patients experienced regrowth and other didn't but were still happy because they felt a difference in their existing hair and were able to maintain.

They definitely follow the Kerastem procedure and I was impressed with how clean and methodically they carry out the treatment. The presentation showed a biopsy of someone's scalp after the procedure and you could clearly see the new layer of fat under the follicles. The fat is injected under your scalp through approximately 6 different entry points to cover the top of your head with a thicker needle. The stem cells are injected at the root of your follicle with an injection device that has a thinner needle. She said other clinics might inject the stem cells by hand with a normal syringe which is fine but they use this injection device because it allows them to inject the stem cells repeatedly at a precise depth they want to target - the device seems similar to Replicel's injection device.

All in all I had a good vibe from her. I respected what she told me and she could tell I had reasonable expectations. She encouraged me to think a lot about it and didn't push me or try to sell me on it. She stressed that she wants me to be happy with the outcome especially since I'd be making a long trip (I live in NYC).

I'm in the process of renewing my passport which should take a couple weeks. Over that time I'm going to put a lot of thought into this but my gut tells me I'm probably going to give it a shot. If this helps ease my mind by maintaining my existing hair, regrowing a little and bridging the gap to a more permanent treatment it's well worth the money. If not, $5k is not a life changing loss. Any future treatment will be more effective if I have more hair to start with.

If anyone has any questions feel free to reply in this thread or PM me.

Thanks.

 

[TheShining]

Hey Guys,

I had my Skype consultation earlier with Dr. Katarina Andjelkov at the Belprime clinic.

Thank You Blackber for sharing. Can you tell us (me) a little about the potential risk involved in this? Is there a chance that it ruins your hair or make future treatments harder after this procedure? Otherwise I am also willing to gamle $5k on this - if worst case scenario is that nothing happens.

Good luck!

 

[Blackber]

Thank You Blackber for sharing. Can you tell us (me) a little about the potential risk involved in this? Is there a chance that it ruins your hair or make future treatments harder after this procedure? Otherwise I am also willing to gamle $5k on this - if worst case scenario is that nothing happens.

Good luck!

Hey Shining,

Your fear is the same fear I have. I don't have any slick bald spots and probably dont look like I'm losing any hair to the untrained eye if my hair is dry. But the whole top of my head is thinning bad - obviously noticeable when my hair is wet.

I know I'll be bald eventually (unless something ground breaking comes out) but I'm trying to enjoy the hair I have left for as long as I can. After hearing so much about people getting PRP and getting MASSIVE sheds and losing all their remaining hair it defintiely makes me a little nervous, but BelPrime said there is no shock loss.

Member kiwipil is on a French hairloss website where a member there had Kerastem performed and said there was no shock loss.

This will not have any negative effect on future treatments as far as I know. For me it's looking like it's worth a shot - no shock loss, no side effects, nothing to lose but $5k. If I can maintain what I have without having to use ****ty topicals (my body cant handle finasteride) I'll be VERY happy. If I get some regrowth I'll be ecstatic.

 

[Bad_Wolve]

Hey Guys,

I had my Skype consultation earlier with Dr. Katarina Andjelkov at the Belprime clinic.

She was very nice and seemed honest with me. I saw the same presentation the other guys saw which showed the breakdown of the procedure and showed some before and after photos. Three of the four photos were the Kerastem photos that have been floating around for a while and the last photo was the older NW6 patient that the other forum members mentioned. That patient had the most regrowth. He definitely moved up a few Norwood levels, but the regrown hair didn't look super thick. Considering his advanced age and hairloss and that Kerastem is aimed at younger people with a short history of hairloss his results were impressive.

Dr. Andjelkob stressed to me that this procedure is not a miracle (at least not yet) and is more helpful for people like me - young (28 yrs old), diffuse thinner, hairline intact, and no slick bald areas. She felt that I was a prime candidate although she stressed that I manage my expectations.

She said most people experience a regrowth of 10-30%, but she also stressed these aren't her statistics. The 10-30% figure is based off the Japanese clinic and previous clinical trials - she did not want to be held to those numbers. She mentioned that the Japanese clinic has performed these procedures more than her clinic or the Swiss clinic, and has the software to accurately/statistically track changes therefore they have the most information.

As of right now BelPrime does not track changes statistically, they only track changes by eye and how happy their patients are. She shared a new software with me which she plans to implement this year which will help them accurately track differences between before and after the procedure down to every single follicle - pretty cool stuff. She said she's performed this procedure on roughly 20 patients over the past two years and just about all of them are happy with the outcome. They all felt their existing hair was stronger and less fell out. Some patients experienced regrowth and other didn't but were still happy because they felt a difference in their existing hair and were able to maintain.

They definitely follow the Kerastem procedure and I was impressed with how clean and methodically they carry out the treatment. The presentation showed a biopsy of someone's scalp after the procedure and you could clearly see the new layer of fat under the follicles. The fat is injected under your scalp through approximately 6 different entry points to cover the top of your head with a thicker needle. The stem cells are injected at the root of your follicle with an injection device that has a thinner needle. She said other clinics might inject the stem cells by hand with a normal syringe which is fine but they use this injection device because it allows them to inject the stem cells repeatedly at a precise depth they want to target - the device seems similar to Replicel's injection device.

All in all I had a good vibe from her. I respected what she told me and she could tell I had reasonable expectations. She encouraged me to think a lot about it and didn't push me or try to sell me on it. She stressed that she wants me to be happy with the outcome especially since I'd be making a long trip (I live in NYC).

I'm in the process of renewing my passport which should take a couple weeks. Over that time I'm going to put a lot of thought into this but my gut tells me I'm probably going to give it a shot. If this helps ease my mind by maintaining my existing hair, regrowing a little and bridging the gap to a more permanent treatment it's well worth the money. If not, $5k is not a life changing loss. Any future treatment will be more effective if I have more hair to start with.

If anyone has any questions feel free to reply in this thread or PM me.

Thanks.

thanks for the information. i think i will also give them a chance. nothing is going to be out, at the minimum of 5 years. this is my last chance to keep my hair.

 

[TheShining]

This is very exciting!
My hair is probably a little worse than yours but I am also a diffuse thinner with no bald spots. If they could make it just a liiiiittle bit thicker would make me ecstatic.

What if they improve the Kerastem procedure in a few years, and you allready have made the treatment at an early stage. Will you then not be able to do it again? Do we know if they have ever tried with multiple procedures at the same patient and if not, why?

I will give it another thought and try to investigate the safety issues further, but most likely I will also give it a try. Please keep us updated Blackber. I will cross my fingers that you get > 30 % regrowth!

EDIT: I dont know if it meens anything but the clinic seems very small with the same two people on all the pictures, and the address does not look very fancy. https://www.google.se/maps/place/Be...6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x9855196c70cc2e98!6m1!1e1

 

[TheShining]

I've been inside TheShining and it's fancy as it gets. Too fancy in fact.

Thanks. Aproximatly how many people are working there?

 

[Blackber]

Like I said he had the procedure (CHF 7000.-) at concept-clinic. The guy actually gave it a go because he has already had 3 hair transplants. The Doctor told him it could save(???) him 10years. two days after the procedure he had swelling on he forehead which is normal according to the Doctor. Two days later it was gone. He had no shockloss. For regrowth he should have a consultation on the 3months mark and that's soon...

I highly doubt this will save that patient 10 years. If it did people would be lined up around the world for this treatment. BelPrime was very modest in describing what results I should expect if I go forward with the treatment.

There seem to be conflicting informations on PRP. Someone posted a study on positive efficacy of PRP on hair loss while others say what you said, that they've read or heard that people lost even more hair on PRP.

Can anyone provide any links to info on these bad cases with PRP please? Belprime clinic is offering PRP as well, I am thinking of doing it since it's cheaper.

In my personal experience almost everyone I've ever read get PRP performed on the forum has had negative things to say about it. It either didn't do anything or caused a massive shed which they never recovered from. I think PRP might be useful but there's really no standard in how it's performed. Different doctors have different methods and I believe that contribute's to the volatility of PRP's results i.e. different injection depths, quantities, etc.

I saw one forum member awhile post that he thought it was more beneficial to people getting hair transplant's because it helps with the recovery and healing process which made sense to me but who knows.

thanks for the information. i think i will also give them a chance. nothing is going to be out, at the minimum of 5 years. this is my last chance to keep my hair.

I feel the same way.

I've been inside TheShining and it's fancy as it gets. Too fancy in fact.

Well that makes me feel a little bit better from that street view the place did look kind of shady lol.

 

[Blackber]

Thanks for explaining that about PRP Blackber.

I have no objection on their facilities, I was actually surprised by the design and decoration of the room when I've entered, the main room/lobby where they greet clients looks like sci fi with the low lights and everything. Looks expensive. But that's just my aesthetic observation, doesn't mean their treatment is any better because of that. They have their clinic in the first floor of the building, the whole building is not theirs, that's why it looks like a normal building.

- - - Updated - - -

Btw. the facade of the building looks good in my opinion, renovated and everything. For comparison look at the facade of the building from across the street.

Anytime! Again that's just my opinion/observation of PRP.

Yes, I agree them having a fancy office doesn't make it any more likely the treatment will work but it does bring a degree of comfort versus walking into a dump. After watching their presentation I was impressed with how clean and organized they were so it makes sense they have a nice facility as well.

 

[lynney45]

Hey Guys,

I had my Skype consultation earlier with Dr. Katarina Andjelkov at the Belprime clinic.

She was very nice and seemed honest with me. I saw the same presentation the other guys saw which showed the breakdown of the procedure and showed some before and after photos. Three of the four photos were the Kerastem photos that have been floating around for a while and the last photo was the older NW6 patient that the other forum members mentioned. That patient had the most regrowth. He definitely moved up a few Norwood levels, but the regrown hair didn't look super thick. Considering his advanced age and hairloss and that Kerastem is aimed at younger people with a short history of hairloss his results were impressive.

Dr. Andjelkob stressed to me that this procedure is not a miracle (at least not yet) and is more helpful for people like me - young (28 yrs old), diffuse thinner, hairline intact, and no slick bald areas. She felt that I was a prime candidate although she stressed that I manage my expectations.

She said most people experience a regrowth of 10-30%, but she also stressed these aren't her statistics. The 10-30% figure is based off the Japanese clinic and previous clinical trials - she did not want to be held to those numbers. She mentioned that the Japanese clinic has performed these procedures more than her clinic or the Swiss clinic, and has the software to accurately/statistically track changes therefore they have the most information.

As of right now BelPrime does not track changes statistically, they only track changes by eye and how happy their patients are. She shared a new software with me which she plans to implement this year which will help them accurately track differences between before and after the procedure down to every single follicle - pretty cool stuff. She said she's performed this procedure on roughly 20 patients over the past two years and just about all of them are happy with the outcome. They all felt their existing hair was stronger and less fell out. Some patients experienced regrowth and other didn't but were still happy because they felt a difference in their existing hair and were able to maintain.

They definitely follow the Kerastem procedure and I was impressed with how clean and methodically they carry out the treatment. The presentation showed a biopsy of someone's scalp after the procedure and you could clearly see the new layer of fat under the follicles. The fat is injected under your scalp through approximately 6 different entry points to cover the top of your head with a thicker needle. The stem cells are injected at the root of your follicle with an injection device that has a thinner needle. She said other clinics might inject the stem cells by hand with a normal syringe which is fine but they use this injection device because it allows them to inject the stem cells repeatedly at a precise depth they want to target - the device seems similar to Replicel's injection device.

All in all I had a good vibe from her. I respected what she told me and she could tell I had reasonable expectations. She encouraged me to think a lot about it and didn't push me or try to sell me on it. She stressed that she wants me to be happy with the outcome especially since I'd be making a long trip (I live in NYC).

I'm in the process of renewing my passport which should take a couple weeks. Over that time I'm going to put a lot of thought into this but my gut tells me I'm probably going to give it a shot. If this helps ease my mind by maintaining my existing hair, regrowing a little and bridging the gap to a more permanent treatment it's well worth the money. If not, $5k is not a life changing loss. Any future treatment will be more effective if I have more hair to start with.

If anyone has any questions feel free to reply in this thread or PM me.

Thanks.

Blackber you mentioned 3 of the 4 Kerastem photos have been floating around for a while, do you know where i can find them please so i can take a second look? Or can you link them in your reply please?

 

[Blackber]

Blackber you mentioned 3 of the 4 Kerastem photos have been floating around for a while, do you know where i can find them please so i can take a second look? Or can you link them in your reply please?

Here you go Lynney. FYI they're all located on Kerastem's website. Just google Kerastem.

- - - Updated - - -

Dimmed and colorful atmospheric lights in the lounge waiting room is what I meant. Low lights doesn't mean anything in English.

Yup I knew what you meant lol.

 

[Blackber]

Blackber, I've seen these too I'm sure I've seen 3 or 4 of them that were their patients. Have you seen the dark blonde guy with longer hair combed backwards shot from the front showing his hairline?

No I didn't. What type of hairloss did he have? Was he younger? What were his results like?

The only pictures I saw were the 3 I posted for Lynney and then the older patient with grey hair who was a NW6 and had significant regrowth.

The 3 I posted above obviously did not have significant regrowth but they did regrow some and their hair looks healthier and stronger. If I could get those results and it helps me maintain until something else comes out without using topicals I'll be very happy with the treatment.

 

[Bad_Wolve]

very interesting news, thank u vince. this makes the the decision harder, if we should go with belprime or the concept clinic in switzerland.

 

[polo]

If the results by the swiss clinic are genuine, then this could be a cure. Just have to wait it out to see if the results are permanent. Either way this big for the male pattern baldness and fpb community.