What if the future of anti-aging was already within you? Acorn Biolabs, a regenerative medicine company, is leading a shift in aesthetics with its new personalized treatments derived from hair follicle stem cells. These treatments harness your own body’s biology to rejuvenate skin and hair, making anti-aging as unique as your DNA.
Featured Experts
- Dr. Drew Taylor is CEO of Acorn Labs
- Dr. Doris Day is a board-certified dermatologist in New York
- Dr. Haideh Hirmand is a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York
- Dr. Jean Carruthers is an ophthalmologist and facial aesthetic expert in Vancouver, BC
A Natural Enhancement
Central to Acorn’s innovation is the concept of a secretome. While growth factors are widely used in aesthetic treatments, secretomes go further. They encompass exosomes, proteins and structural molecules like collagen and elastin that drive cellular repair and enhance cell-to-cell communication.
“Growth factors are just one part of the equation,” explains Dr. Drew Taylor, CEO of Acorn Biolabs. “A secretome includes other substances that benefit nearby cells, like exosomes carrying growth factors, mRNA and even DNA segments.”
Think of it like this: growth factors are a single ingredient in a dish, while secretomes are the full recipe—combining all the essential components that work together to help your cells repair and regenerate more effectively. “Our preclinical studies showed that secretomes derived from hair follicles contain much higher levels of specific growth factors for skin and hair compared to PRP,” says Dr. Taylor. “This means more precise and effective results.”
Collecting and Harnessing Your Cells
The treatment begins with a quick, non-invasive procedure to collect a few hair follicles from the scalp. “The hair follicles that are harvested will regrow, with no scarring or long-term consequences to the scalp. It’s virtually painless and can be done in the office,” says New York dermatologist Doris Day, MD, who recently underwent the procedure herself.
Once collected, the hair follicles are shipped to Acorn’s cryogenic facility, where the cells are preserved and turned into a personalized serum. These preserved cells retain their youthful qualities, ensuring that the resulting serum is rich in bioactive materials tailored for skin or hair rejuvenation.
How Your Personalized Serum Is Used
Patients enrolled in Acorn’s Early Access Program receive 12 vials of personalized serum, which can be applied topically after in-office treatments such as microneedling, laser resurfacing, or used daily at home.
New York plastic surgeon Haideh Hirmand, MD, highlights the safety and consistency of using a patient’s own cells instead of PRP or exosomes. “This is a product that is concentrated, produced in a consistent way and contains the same factors as PRP, but with greater reliability because it’s cultured. The growth factors are two to 34 times stronger than those in PRP, though we don’t know if that translates to two to 34 times more efficacy. Additionally, it contains autologous exosomes, which are powerful, preventative and regenerative messaging molecules.”
According to Dr. Hirmand, the program is priced comparably to PRP, which has pleasantly surprised many of her patients, who assumed the cost would be hundreds of thousands. “I see this as a disruptive technology. What’s fascinating is the ability to take your younger cells, freeze them and then use them 10 or 20 years later.”
A New Frontier
Vancouver, BC ophthalmologist Jean Carruthers, MD, widely recognized as a visionary for her work in developing botulinum toxin for cosmetic use, describes the treatment as a significant modern advancement. “It’s not often that a true innovation comes to market,” she says. “Acorn’s unique approach—preserving a patient’s healthiest, youngest cells and creating custom products from them—marks an exciting new frontier in our field.”
“This is a personal serum from your stem cells, banked at a younger age to enhance your skin and hair health over time,” says Dr. Taylor. “It’s a new era in aesthetics, where regenerative medicine empowers patients to age gracefully with solutions tailored to their biology.”
