6-Gingerol Inhibits Hair Shaft Growth in Cultured Human Hair Follicles and Modulates Hair Growth in Mice

    February 2013 in “PLOS ONE
    Yong Miao, Yabin Sun, Wenjun Wang, Bo Du, Shuyu Xiao, Yijue Hu, Zhiqi Hu
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    TLDR 6-Gingerol, found in ginger, may slow down hair growth and could be used for hair removal.
    The study from 2013 found that 6-gingerol, the main active component of ginger, actually inhibits hair growth rather than promoting it as traditionally believed. In vitro tests showed that 6-gingerol decreased the Bcl-2/Bax ratio in human dermal papilla cells, leading to cell apoptosis and suppressed hair shaft elongation in cultured human hair follicles. In vivo experiments with mice demonstrated that 6-gingerol prolonged the telogen phase and delayed hair regrowth. The study concluded that 6-gingerol has the potential to be used as a hair removal agent. The research involved 180 hair follicles from 3 volunteers and 36 female C57BL/6 mice, but noted the need for further research due to the small sample size.
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