Faculty Opinions Recommendation of Bald Scalp in Men With Androgenetic Alopecia Retains Hair Follicle Stem Cells but Lacks CD200-Rich and CD34-Positive Hair Follicle Progenitor Cells
January 2011
in “
Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature
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TLDR Bald men with male pattern baldness still have hair stem cells, but lack certain cells needed for hair growth.
The study investigated the role of stem cells in androgenetic alopecia (male pattern baldness) and found that there is no loss of stem cells in the hair follicles of affected individuals. Instead, the condition is attributed to a defect in the conversion of stem cells to progenitor cells, leading to hair follicle miniaturization. The researchers identified specific cell markers that distinguish between stem and progenitor cells and observed a decrease in the number of progenitor cells in bald scalps. This finding suggests that the potential for hair growth is not lost in androgenetic alopecia and that future treatments targeting the conversion of stem cells to progenitor cells could be promising.
