Potential breakthrough in hair loss treatments: Insight into the techniques scientists are exploring for stopping baldness.
Spillin' the dilly on balding, huh? Folks have been swearin' 'bout hair loss remedies, but it's about time we got some real answers. You'd think we'd know more than we do about male pattern hair loss, what with 80% of men dealing with it, right?
But nope, we've just been sufferin' in silence. Not anymore, though! Scientists reckon they've cracked the code on what's goin' on up there and how to stop it. The secret? Freezin' and clonin' your scalp hair. Sounds like a plot from a sci-fi movie, I know, but a yawn from the folks who like that stuff.
What Fuels Male Pattern Baldness?
What most folks think is hair fallin' out is really just shrinkage. That's right, you ain't actually losin' your hair—it just gets smaller and smaller until it's barely visible.
So, why do our whiskers shrink away? Thanks to a special type of skin cell called dermal papillae that surrounds the base of hair follicles. These buggers are crucial for decidin' hair formation, growth, thickness, and overall health.
When baldness hits, the number of these cells around each follicle (which should be around 1,000) takes a dip. Not shockingly, the specialized cells that bite the dust thanks to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the active form of testosterone. Yeah, that hormone we all owe our puberty to is takin' hairs out of action.
Seemingly, the dermal papilla cells on the top of the head are most susceptible to a premature demise, leavin' us lookin' like mediaeval monks. Genes play a part in this, as they kick off the development process way back in the womb.
Recent research published in Experimental Dermatology revealed that the cells responsible for baldness and those that ain't come from totally different populations of cells. Think of it like a tickin' clock that started tickin' right from the conception.
Your Hair's Clone Troopers?
Since we know DHT-ruined dermal papilla cells are to blame for baldness, scientists are on the hunt for ways to replace 'em. Hair cloning, also called hair multiplication, is a leading contender in that race. Yep, it involves cloning, just like it sounds.
Hair cloning ain't widely available yet, and when it hits the market (in the next few years), it'll cost thousands of bucks, or at least as much as a fancy hair transplant.
"Of course, it'll be more expensive in the early days, but as we can scale up and save money, the price will come down," says Paul Kemp, CEO at HairClone. "We're guessin' it'll be about the same as a high-level hair transplant."
But unlike a hair transplant, cloning can be done before any significant balding goes down, and chances are, no one'll be able to tell you've had any treatment whatsoever.
The process works like this:
1. Bankin' Follicles
Healthy, non-miniaturized hair follicles are snatched from areas where hair growth is still strong and then frozen for use down the line. Sadly, the younger these cells are, the better.
2. Multiply City
The extracted follicles head to the lab, where the dermal papilla cells are separated and bred like rabbits.
"We can multiply 'em over a thousand times, so you can get over a million cells from one follicle," Jennifer Dillon, head of research at HairClone, told BBC News.
3. Clone Wars
After multiplying, the dermal papilla cells are re-implanted into the baldin' areas of the scalp to restore the glory of your locks. They're just waitin' on regulatory approval before they can get 'em back into the field.
The Next Best Thing?
Cloning might be the buzzword these days, but it ain't the only game in town. In November, a study in Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology suggested that fat cells taken from the belly could be used to regenerate hair via autologous fat grafting (AFG). Yeah, not as cool-soundin' as hair clonin', but it doesn't involve freezin' hairs until ya have Dolly the Sheep hairs in yer scalp.
AFG falls under the umbrella of stem cell therapies, which utilize versatile cells that transform into various cell types in order to regenerate.
Another hopeful treatment on the horizons (yes, there's always more hope) aims to harness microRNA to stimulate hair growth. A microRNA treatment could potentially be less invasive, as it might be delivered as a topical solution instead of surgery.
The Scoop on Availability
Like hair cloning, several stem cell and microRNA treatments are tryin' to get clinical approval, so they could be available within the next few years. But while the hope for a cure for baldin' don't seem to be fadin', some experts are urge caution.
"Unfortunately, things that have shown promise in the lab have not demonstrated much efficacy in clinical studies, and so the timeframes for a treatment keep changin'," says Claire Higgins, a tissue regeneration researcher at Imperial College London.
She thinks that the key to a successful treatment lies in identifies a specific target that makes some dermal papilla cells vulnerable to baldin' but others not. "We know how the hair follicle physically changes leadin' to baldin' ... but it's unclear what drives this change in the first place."
But don't get intimidated, Kemp reckons baldin' treatments will undergo a revolution within the next few decades.
"I'm thinkin' it's somewhat analogous to dentistry," he says, "in that, in previous generations, you'd wait to lose yer teeth and then get dentures, which is kind of like a hair transplant.
"Whereas now, dentistry is progressin'. You have fillin's, bridges, crowns, and all sorts of things to maintain yer dental appearance throughout yer life.
"In the future, people will maintain the same degree of hair throughout life too. You won't know whether it's just the luck of nature or whether it's due to treatment."
The Final Word
Male pattern baldness might be a common occurrence, but it ain't welcome. With modern science on our side, we might just be able to say adios to those baldin' blues.
Sources:
- Experimental Dermatology. “Non-European lineage distribution of epidermal stem cells during head formation.” https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/exd.13491
- Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. “Autologous Fat Grafting as a Potential Hair Restoration Method.” https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jocd.13309
- Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. “ review on hair cloning therapies and their potential anticancer effects.” https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jocd.13572
- U.S. National Library of Medicine. “Overview on hair follicle miniaturization and disease: three decades of scientific progress.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4641230/
- In the future, science and technology may provide answers to the evolution of medical-conditions like male pattern baldness, a health issue that affects a significant portion of the population.
- The future of hair loss treatment could involve cloning hair follicles, a process that would involve freezing and multiplying dermal papilla cells, which are crucial for hair growth.
- Recent researchpublished in Experimental Dermatology suggests that the cells responsible for baldness and those that aren't come from different populations of cells, much like two separate lineages.
- Another promising treatment for baldness is autologous fat grafting (AFG), a type of stem cell therapy that uses fat cells taken from the belly to regenerate hair.
- MicroRNA treatments are also being developed to stimulate hair growth, potentially offering a less invasive option compared to surgery.
- While the availability of these treatments is still a few years away, experts like Paul Kemp predict that baldness treatments will undergo a revolution in the next few decades, akin to how dentistry has transformed over time.
