Latest Hair Loss Research

Hair loss can be tragic for both men and women a like. The most common form of hair loss is hereditary baldness. While this can happen to women, it is much more common in men. Those who develop hereditary baldness have some options.

Rogaine and hair transplants are the most popular ones. Understanding what causes hereditary baldness has helped medical science advance with new treatments. First Let’s take a look at how hereditary baldness happens:

Hereditary Baldness is Extremely Common

Some may think that they’re alone with their hair loss. It simply isn’t true. Two out of three men lose some of their hair within their lifetime. On some men, it’s more apparent. They are balding to a higher degree. Other men, it is less noticeable. Some of the causes and treatments can be suggested by research studies:

There May Be A Cell That Causes Hereditary Baldness

At Colombia University, researcher Angela Christiano found that a pathway is sometimes active inside our stem cells that may have something to do with hereditary baldness. This pathway is called a JAK-STAT inhibitor. These stem cells only rest in our hair follicles, and the pathway is often active in balding men. They demonstrated that JAK inhibitors cause baldness on mice. This suggest they may play a part in hereditary baldness; however, there have been no human studies as of yet.

Oncostatin

There may be a component to male pattern baldness that has something to do with our immune cells. This is from another study done by Angela Christiano and her crew. These immune cells produce a substance that isn’t well known called Oncostatin. This substance may leave your hair follicles in a state of dormancy.

If these cells are inhibited by Csf1R, which is an antibody, it will spark the hair growth process. This inhibitor may be a promising method for reducing hair loss in those suffering from baldness.

The Latest Hair Loss Research On How To Treat It

-Growing New Hair Follicles In A Dish

Stem cells have been grown in labs to do everything from replacing body parts to helping burn victims. Recently, hair follicles have been made from stem cells. This treatment may help replace hair follicle transplants. There’s a problem with traditional hair follicle transplants. Your body will reject any hair from a downer, and you only have so many healthy hair follicles left as they start dying. It may be difficult to move them around to make it look like you have more hair if they have already died off to a large degree.

When taking your stem cells, a lab could theoretically create hair follicles that your body will not reject. For some reason, human steam cells have been extremely resistant to this process. It has shown minimal results. In no situation were enough steam cells produced to show any significance. Perhaps this treatment will advance and a new, more successful study will take over the spotlight as the latest hair loss research that designed a brilliant alternative to going bald. This study was also conducted by Columbia.

-3D Printing

This one is interesting. Colombia recently had a team wrap human skin around a mold made with a 3D printer. Human volunteers donated their hair follicles cells to go inside the skin. A cocktail of hair growth chemicals was fed to them. New hair growth came as a result.

-Vitamins

There have also been some studies that have shown Vitamins to be helpful in reducing hair loss.

-A Drug That Could Stop It In Its Tracks?

Some men have been taking Finasteride to slow down their hair loss. Some have even seen new hair growth. You may be able to stop your hair loss; however, it is more likely it will just slow it down. There is no wonder drug that’s going to stop male pattern baldness at this point in time. You must continue to take it to receive it’s benefits. There are some possible side effects that are serious in nature. You may be at a greater risk for prostate cancer. While it has been around for thirty years and is not a product of the latest hair loss research, many men are unaware of its existence. There is something beyond over-the-counter options for men who are going bald.

Newest Drug To Stop Hair Loss

Researchers at The University of Manchester have found that an osteoporosis drug may help prevent hair loss with very few side effects. They began by studying Cyclosporine A, but the deadly side effects identified were common and numerous. Researchers have yet to release what this drug is called. Some of the studies conducted on this secret drug have suggested that it may also increase hair growth.

Supplements slowing hair loss

Some of the latest hair loss research also provides evidence that some supplements cause the slowing of hair loss and even help to stop it completely. New studies have shown that DHT (Dihydrotestosterone), a sex hormone responsible for body hair may contribute directly to baldness. DHT binds to hair follicles in the scalp and makes it very difficult for the healthy hair to survive. During normal hormonal process, testosterone in males is converted into DHT. Too much is not good for the scalp. In fact, we are led to believe DHT is the mail culprit for male hair loss. According to WebMD, even though women have less testosterone than men, even this small amount if converted into DHT can be the cause of hair loss in women.

Now there are supplements you can buy which inhibit the conversion of testosterone into DHT. Thus allowing the healthy follicles to continue to grow as normal.

Studies have also show that Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLP) also helps hair growth.

Why Haven’t We Found A Cure For Hair Loss?

Drugs that grow hair often come with a lot of side effects. Many of these drugs have an unidentified mechanism for their ability to grow hair. For instance, minoxidil was found to grow hair in those who used the medication for hypertension. The reason for the hair growth effect was never identified.

While we’ve studied what hair is made out of, why it grows on healthy scalps, and a lot of the mechanisms for hair loss, it is still extremely difficult to figure out why our bodies lose hair through hereditary baldness. This is a strong process that is extremely difficult to stop; however, more and more research comes out every year that may help identify the problem. Hopefully, there will come a treatment that promises full and lasting results. Currently, the most permanent option is a traditional hair transplant. This cannot be done if you’ve lost most of your hair follicles already. More research is coming out in 2020.