Cirino Regenerative Technique and AlopeciAI: what was presented at the Advanced Hair Clinics workshop

Does a patient who asks for a transplant always need one? And can someone see, from the very first assessment, where their hair loss may be heading over the coming years? The workshop held on 8 September by Advanced Hair Clinics revolved around these two questions.

Dr. Pablo Cirino, a physician and researcher from Brazil, presented the technique he has developed and applied it to four patients in front of the participants. Plastic surgeon Dr. Anastasios Vekris presented AlopeciAI, an artificial intelligence tool for assessing hair loss that is still in development. The workshop was followed by professionals from the field both in the room and online, from various countries, creating a particularly interesting environment for the exchange of knowledge and clinical experience.

Dr. Cirino (MD, PhD) has developed the Cirino Regenerative Technique, which he originally called the Combined Regenerative Technique and has presented internationally. It is a minimally invasive microinjection technique through which therapeutic agents are applied directly to the scalp, at the level of the hair follicles.

CRT™ is not proposed as a replacement for hair transplantation. In selected patients it can come first, with the aim of preserving the hair that is already there and, where feasible, improving its appearance. The approach rests first on making use of the patient’s existing follicular potential. If a transplant is needed later, the two treatments can be combined.

Dr. Cirino has been using the technique for around ten years and, according to his clinic’s records, has treated approximately 10,000 patients with it. At the workshop he said that around 40% of those who had initially come for a hair transplant ultimately did not need one after CRT™ was applied. These are figures from his own practice and not a result that can be generalized to every patient.

Among the cases he showed, those involving patients with a previous transplant stood out — patients who had not been satisfied with the density or the overall appearance. Some arrived at his practice convinced they needed a second procedure. Some had begun to believe that their own hair was at fault, because the result of the first procedure had been, in his words, “poor.” For some of these patients he proposed CRT™ first. There were patients who ultimately did not need a second transplant and were satisfied with the result.

In the before-and-after photographs and videos Dr. Cirino presented, the changes were not confined to density. In a number of patients, according to him, there was improvement in the quality and appearance of the hair as well. In some photographs, gray hairs even appeared darker later on. He was clear that this is not an aim of the treatment and that he cannot promise it.

He also dwelt on something that is often lost when results are discussed: not all patients respond in the same way. Age, the extent of the thinning, the condition of the hair follicles and each person’s history affect what they can realistically expect. That is why every case is assessed separately, before deciding whether the patient can benefit from CRT™.

Two of the questions raised concerned what happens outside the clinic. Asked about red light therapy, Dr. Cirino answered that he recommends it as a complementary measure for patients who have the time to apply it consistently at home. In a further question on the role of nutrition, he said that he works with nutritionists, to whom he refers patients for a program adapted to their needs, with options such as pumpkin seed oil. CRT™, as emerged from his answers, was not presented as a standalone solution.