Tuesday, 2 April 2013

Future Hair Loss Treatment: Where Is the Cure?

Hair restoration is a multi-billion-dollar industry, so much so that attempts of developing a cure for baldness should be no news.

Science and technology is on an unfaltering pursuit of producing a miracle treatment, not only to restore hair but also to boost millions of scathed egos.

However, while none of these developments is commercially feasible for the time being, these purported future hair loss treatment methodologies shoot up the hopes of millions of hair loss sufferers around the world.

Below are some of the most promising future hair loss treatment techniques:

    Bioengineered Hair Follicle Tissue

A group of Japanese researchers led by Takashi Tsuji successfully used bioengineered hair follicle tissues derived from adult stem cells in treating naturally bald mice.

When transplanted into the bald mice, the bioengineered hair follicles underwent the same process of hair growth and cycling. Scientists expressed that this technique will be the ultimate hope for people with alopecia.

In the next three years, the group will begin clinical trials on humans. Researchers add that this treatment may already be available in the next ten years.

    Hair Clones

In this technique, hair follicles are re-created or cloned to act like donor hairs in a traditional hair transplantation procedure. As a matter of fact, this is an evolutionary concept of the traditional hair transplantation procedure.

With hair cloning, donor hair cells, which are taken from the existing hair follicles, are grown in vitro (outside the body). Once the hair cells multiply, they are injected back into the scalp in the hope to regrow hair.

On the downside, scientists will have to conduct larger clinical trials to understand the potential and limitations of hair cloning completely.

    Protein Blockers

Recently, a group of researchers discovered a “new” major cause of hair loss in many men: prostaglandin D2 (PGD2).

PGD2 is a kind of protein that inhibits hair growth. This protein has been found in excess levels in men with severe androgenetic alopecia or pattern baldness.

In mice models, PGD2 levels rose just before the onset of the catagen phase. These findings suggest that protein blockers may come in handy to stop hair loss miraculously and restore hair.

    Genetic Testing

While the aforementioned techniques are corrective, genetic testing is all-preventive. In other words, this measure could prevent hair loss before it could even occur.

The biopharmaceutical company, deCODE genetics Inc., in Iceland renders a personal genotyping service, predicting whether a person will lose his or her hair in the future.

If a person is tested positive, then she or he can begin using conventional treatments such as low-level laser therapy, topical minoxidil, or saw palmetto extracts.

Hopefully, with further studies and clinical trials, these professed future hair loss treatment techniques can become the ultimate cure for baldness.

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