Imagine preserving your youthful cells today and using them in the future for aesthetic enhancements and regenerative treatments. This cutting-edge service already exists and promises to redefine how we approach aging. Acorn Biolabs has developed the world’s first noninvasive, follicle-based cell cryopreservation service and the benefits are limitless, including helping to slow skin aging—and it costs $200 a year, about the same as a year of streaming service subscription.
Featured Experts
- Dr. Drew Taylor is the founder of Acorn Biolabs
- Dave Elliot is the director of partner success for Acorn Biolabs
- Dr. Terri Phillips is the chief medical affairs officer for Merz Aesthetics
How It Works
Acorn Biolabs collects and preserves your cells through a simple collection of hair follicles. Dave Elliot, Acorn Biolabs’ director of partner success, explains, “We are using the cells that we’re collecting, but ultimately, what we are collecting are the building blocks of your body. Your stem cells make up every cell in your body and you can collect those stem cells from lots of different places, painful and invasive places like the bone. However, we’ve been able to collect those stem cells by plucking our hair follicles.”
Once the hair follicles are collected, they are placed in a controlled environment. Over the span of 28 days, these cells produce valuable growth factors and matrix molecules, essential for various regenerative treatments. The preserved cells from your hair follicles are rich in growth factors, collagen, hyaluronic acid and other essential components that contribute to skin and hair health.
“So, [you are] using your own cells to produce your growth factors, matrix molecules and your exosomes,” Elliot elaborates. “This is your hyaluronic acid. This is your collagen stores. All the growth factors that are responsible for hair regrowth, breaking down scar tissue, or accelerated healing. We’re getting all of those cells as well.”
Acorn Biolabs’ cryo-preservation service not only allows you to use these products in the near term but also offers the promise of utilizing them far into the future. You’re essentially banking your cells today to reap the benefits decades later when you may really need them. Dr. Drew Taylor, founder of Acorn Biolabs, adds, “We believe the future of aesthetics is ultra-personalized, which is why we’re developing products leveraging a person’s own cells, which we can collect early in life and use later when the person desires treatments like hair and facial rejuvenation procedures.”
Age-Defying Benefits
The benefits of Acorn Biolabs’ cryo-preservation program are manifold. By preserving your cells at a younger age, you ensure that you have access to the most potent and viable cells for future treatments. This future-proofs your aesthetic treatments against the natural aging process. “Imagine when you’re 64 or 74. You’re now going back to these younger cells to create these growth factors and matrix molecules to reintroduce them to your skin or hair,” Elliot explains.
Using your own cells means there’s no risk of allergic reactions or incompatibility issues, making treatments safer and more effective. This personalized method is leading the way in regenerative medicine and aesthetics. Recently, Merz Aesthetics led a Series A funding round for Acorn Biolabs, investing in the company’s expansion and research into regenerative aesthetic applications.
“They are the precise intersection of personalized aesthetics right with me just wanting my unique face and regenerative aesthetics,” says Dr. Terri Phillips, Merz’s chief medical affairs officer. “Imagine if you could take your beautiful healthy 20-year-old, 18-year-old cells just from a hair follicle and preserve them. And then as time progresses, use your own healthy cells to treat any aesthetic outcome using your own genetic material.”
Future Applications
Acorn Biolabs is not just focused on current applications; the company is also investing in the development of future products derived from your own cells. These advancements hold promise for a wide range of treatments, from aesthetic enhancements to potentially life-saving therapies.
“We are going into our clinical trials right now,” Elliot says. “And we are looking to test it for specific use cases. Think of it as a post-laser treatment like PRP. It’s beneficial as a topical after a treatment that distresses the skin, like post-laser, microneedling and stamping for the scalp right for hair regrowth.”
Unlimited Potential
The company aims to create an open platform where individuals can use their preserved cells for various treatments. “We can’t tell you what to do with them, they’re your own cells,” Elliot asserts. “We do have a couple of rules. The rules are that whatever the therapy is, it needs to be fully compliant with the FDA. But outside of that, in the future, you can culture your cartilage cells and 3-D print it if you choose. It doesn’t need to be with Acorn.”
