SIT information request form now available online!

AN ANNOUNCEMENT WE HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR

It was just about a year ago when Dr Carl Bazan's name was first mentioned in the hair loss community as another serious contender in Hair Multiplication research. Most researchers were reluctant to comment on Dr. Bazan's protocol as few were familiar with his work. 

THAT WAS THEN...

In January 2004, Dr. Bazan might have forever changed the world's landscape in hair restoration advancements as his name "might" be eternally dubbed as the first in the world to successfully multiply human hair both in-vitro and in-vivo, as well as offering this procedure commercially to patients around the globe.

Hair Today, More Tomorrow...
WHAT IS HAIR MULTIPLICATION?

Touted as the holy grail for hair restoration, the term "Hair Multiplication" was first coined by Dr. Coen Gho in The Netherlands whose research has fueled endless controversies all over the world. Nowadays, the term "Hair Multiplication" is commonly used to refer to a cell based, tissue engineered treatment for hair loss. To put it simply, it is a minimally invasive high tech surgical procedure where hair cells are extracted from a small donor site in the scalp, cultured and multiplied in a lab before replanting into the balding areas of the patient for regrowth. The world's obsession with Hair Multiplication lies in the fact that in theory, the procedure will deliver an unlimited supply of donor hair to the patient with little or no complications at all. An international race has been going on for years with top researchers from Canada, England, Mexico, Japan, The Netherlands and United States all trying to be the first to offer a commercial protocol of Hair Multiplication. So will the " trophy" end up in Dr. Bazan's hands this year? It remains to be seen.

S.I.T - DR. BAZAN'S HAIR MULTIPLICATION PROTOCOLS

The proprietary term for Dr. Bazan's Hair Multiplication procedure is called Scalp Impregnation Therapy (SIT). According to Dr. Bazan, his SIT procedure will be available commercially for both men and women in September 2004 on a first come first serve basis. Patients will have to be at least 30 years old with a Norwood 5 minimum requirement for male subjects and Ludwig 3 minimum requirement for female subjects. We are unsure how committed Dr. Bazan really is to this self imposed release date of September 2004 for SIT but we feel that even in the unlikely event of a postponement, it will not be far off from September 2004. 

The treatment is administered to the patients in terms of cultured hair cells suspension quantified in ounces. Just like any medical breakthroughs, the price for SIT is not cheap. It ranges from $22,000 for 1.0 oz to $36,000 U.S. for 2.5 oz. 

Fiction meets Reality.
Good bye scalpel. Good bye Transplants. Hello petri dish ?

The treatment is expected to be the least invasive of all surgical hair restoration procedures currently available in the world. A 20 minute impregnation session can yield up to 6,000 hairs and the level of discomfort is negligible in comparison with existing surgical procedures. No skin biopsy or patch test is necessary prior to the procedure and no bandages are required post surgery. Patients can resume most activities in as little as 2-3 days after the procedure. A minimum stay of 10 days in Mexico for the initial treatment plus several return visits are usually required . The procedure is 100% performed exclusively by Doctor Bazan and will leave virtually no scars on the patients. 

"6,000 thousand, medium-thickness, 
wavy, brunette hairs for Room 4, please...." 
Will this be a routine order in hair clinics in the near future?

Not only did Dr. Bazan stun the world with a much sooner than expected release date for his SIT procedure, it is equally fascinating that Dr. Bazan is already talking about allogenic protocols in his hair multiplication research. Up till now, all the researchers in the world have been focusing on autologous procedures where the patient's own cells are used in the hair multiplication process. Allogenic protocols involves donor cells from an individual other than the patient himself. Allogenic procedures can, in theory, give a patient hair color and hair texture that is different from what he or she is born with. 

A HairSite EXCLUSIVE Q&A WITH DR. BAZAN - Part I
= HairSite

What are the reasons for only accepting patients who are at least 30 years old ? 

Dr. Bazan:  As per our accepted trial protocol. Age brackets (p>30 / p<55) are temporary.

What are the reasons for only accepting patients who are at least Norwood 5 or for the case of female patients, Ludwig 3?

Dr. Bazan: As per our accepted trial protocol class brackets (N>=5) (L>2) are temporary.

On average how many hairs can a 1 oz. ex-SIT procedure produce?

Dr. Bazan: Depending on donor & recipient quality, 1 oz of ex-SIT suspension could produce a range from 3,500 to 7,500 hairs. It will get standardized as we fine tune some technical difficulties. The highest level of standardization will probably come from a-SIT protocol (using "super-donor" hair).

Does your September 2004 release date apply to both ex-SIT (autologous) and a-SIT (allogenic) ?

Dr. Bazan: Fully open Dp-HM and limited (but still commercially open) ex-SIT. The a-SIT protocols (the most advanced) will be commercially launched in 2005-6.

In our last interview, you mentioned that all test patients responded to impregnation and different techniques yielded different degree of regrowth for your patients. Can you tell us which of your impregnation technique consistently yields the maximum regrowth for patients ?

Dr. Bazan: Better consistency = Dp-HM. Better yield = ex-SIT

What are the chances that you have to postpone the release date of SIT? Is September 2004 a definite ? 

Dr. Bazan: It is certainly possible, but not probable, as far as we know today. We are trying to avoid certain "external" pressures and difficulties that may compromise the September 2004 launch.  

Does SIT work by rejuvenating existing hair follicles or does it actually create brand new follicles?

Dr. Bazan: Both, to a certain extent. However, I cannot elaborate further at this point (classified). 

Now that SIT will be available to the public very soon, does it mean that people with hair loss will no longer need to consider traditional hair transplant or FUE as an option?

Dr. Bazan: Maybe FUE transplants for the hairline, eyelashes, eyebrows, beards, etc. Remember SIT is not ideal for reconstructing the hairlines. 

Are the HM hairs all of the same diameter as healthy hair? If there is some level of variation in hair shaft diameter? What is the typical variation (in terms of a ratio of thick:thin in an average responder?

Dr. Bazan: In Dp-HM and ex-SIT the "new" hair is a copied-hair. As normal as the donor is.

According to your website, the research is a joint venture with Itzan HumanaLab. Can you tell us more about Itzan HumanaLab? What is Itzan HumanaLab's role in this joint venture, their background etc ? 

Dr. Bazan: Bazan Institute conceptualized and developed the protocols. Itzan HumanaLabs (a branch) funds the projects and launches the trials. More venture funding is needed in order to open more centers to satisfy demand.

Will your SIT procedure be suitable for patients with alopecia areata? Have you successfully treated any patients with alopecia areata, burn patients and other alopecias?

Dr. Bazan: Classified.

Can you provide a list of some of the side effects or possible complications associated with the SIT procedures? For example, shock fallout, possible tumors growth, etc.?

Dr. Bazan: The global description will be released prior to commercial launch (Sept 2004).

Do you have plans to open more clinics or license your technique to other doctors in order to meet the demand?

Dr. Bazan: It depends on the demand. We envision multiple impregnation centers (worldwide) but one centralized matrix-culture center and QC in Aguascalientes where the classified reproduction will be performed. Once a-SIT (allogenic-Scalp Impregnation Therapy) protocol is fully ready for release, the serum will be shipped by request to any impregnation center by next-day couriers. There are two very large corporations initially interested in launching the world-wide project. They are not from the USA. We are just studying their presentations.

Can we expect to see some before and after photos of your SIT patients?

Dr. Bazan: Most certainly yes. For the time being, you can view the world's first hair multiplication photo by clicking here on HairSite or on our website at www.itzan.com. Other photos will be published in due time (we are still under "X" phase, limited disclosure allowed). 

Can you explain why your SIT procedure is so expensive when it only takes 20 minutes to administer the injection? What are some of the costs involved in administering the SIT treatment to your patients ?

Dr. Bazan: The impregnation time is short yet extremely delicate and very complex. But in order to get to that ready-stage, immense work such as tissue sampling etc. has to be completed. They are all very long, difficult and expensive steps. Patient's subsequent visits are already covered with the initial payment so we think this is very cost effective when compared to any other options. We are talking about unlimited donor supply here. Tissue engineering is not a simple, inexpensive hobby that is commonly pursued by people.

Can you tell us what types of cells do you extract and culture for the procedure?

Dr. Bazan: In general they are related to the Dp (Dermal papilla). Further info is highly classified. Good try !

Will allogenic hair preserve donor characteristics? 

Dr. Bazan: Yes, but we do not know if permanently. A hair is known to mimic surrounding hair. So maybe in the long run it will partially become similar in texture-color-thickness-growth habits (clicling) to pre-existing hairs.  In the event that it never changes in characteristics (which is still a probability), we will supervise the patient's choice of new hair to better match characteristics and get a normal looking head of hair. 

There are rumors you already received some HM....

Dr. Bazan: Yes, I received some HM (successful) and plan for more, budget permitting (I am a known hair-a-holic).

Will you impregnate patients with no hairloss, like if someone just desires to have more hair (models, etc) ?

Dr. Bazan: Some have already attempted to register with us. But the present protocol has strict age and "Norwood / Ludwig" class brackets, and obviously we must respect them in order to comply with guidelines.  

Click here for Part II of our interview with Dr. Bazan 

SIT information request form 
now available online

Dr. Bazan's news archive

Nov 10, 2004
Dr. Carl Bazan's Scalp Impregnation Therapy & Hair Multiplication November 2004 Update.

Jun 14 - Jun 20, 2004
Followed up questions answered by Dr. Carl Bazan about his hair multiplication experiments.

May 17 - May 23, 2004
Hair Multiplication: Part II of our interview with Dr. Bazan regarding Scalp Impregnation Therapy and Dermal Papilla Hair Multiplication procedures. 

Jan 12 - Jan 18, 2004
Hair Multiplication: Worldwide premiere coverage. First ever Hair Multiplication photo in the world featured in HairSite. 

Jan 05 - Jan 11, 2004
Hair Multiplication: Worldwide premiere coverage. The world's most anticipated news in surgical hair restoration advancements - Dr. Carl Bazan to introduce Hair Multiplication in 2004. 

Nov 10 - Nov 16, 2003
Hair Multiplication & Hair Transplant: Interview with Dr. Bazan: Scalp Impregnation Therapy & Follicular Unit Extraction hair transplant. 

Nov 03 - Nov 09, 2003
Hair Transplant: Dr. Bazan's FUE harvesting video now available on HairSite. 

Jun 30 - Jul 06, 2003
Hair Multiplication: Preview of upcoming news or announcement by Dr. Carl Bazan on Scalp Impregnation Therapy (S.I.T).

Jan 20 - Jan 26, 2003
Hair Transplant: Dr. Carl Bazan's Stripless FUE  Hair Transplantation Workshop now accepting new patients. 

Dec 23 - Dec 29, 2002
Dr. Bazan's stripless FUE hair transplantation workshop: offering tremendous cost savings for patients interested in excision free hair transplantation. 

Sep 23 - Sep 29, 2002
Dr. Bazan's S.I.T Disclosure: Dr. Bazan disclosed information about his Scalp Impregnation Therapy (S.I.T) research, a new development in hair restoration research that may rival Dr. Gho's HAIRmultiplication procedure.