Exhaustive Analysis of Scalp Hair Regression: Subjective and Objective Perception from Initial Hair Loss to Severe Miniaturization and Drug-Induced Regrowth
January 2021
in “
Plastic and Aesthetic Research
”
TLDR Hair loss reduces hair thickness and coverage, but drug treatments mainly revive dormant hairs rather than reverse thinning; patients often undervalue their hair loss severity.
The study "Exhaustive analysis of scalp hair regression: subjective and objective perception from initial hair loss to severe miniaturisation and drug-induced regrowth" involved 570 patients (480 females and 90 males) and examined hair loss and regrowth. The study introduced new diagnostic approaches, the density of nanohair and Hair Mass Index (HMI), and found that hair loss means decreased productivity and increased "time to complete coverage". The study also found that drug-induced hair regrowth mainly reflects re-activation of resting-dormant terminal hair follicles, not reversal of miniaturised hair follicles. The study also found that most patients underestimate the severity of their hair loss. The study concluded that the HMI method might substantially improve communication between professionals and patients, and that the Scalp Coverage Scoring (SCS) method can detect improved hair productivity. The study also found that miniaturised scalp hair follicles are not prone to regrow thicker hair in the long term, and regrowth can be rapidly initiated from rarely cycling or dormant terminal units.
