TLDR Stem cell treatments can potentially treat baldness, with one trial showing hair growth after injecting a hair-stimulating complex, and no safety issues were reported.
In 2011, researchers, including Cheng-Ming Chuong and George Cotsarelis, were investigating stem cell treatments for baldness. Chuong's study highlighted the role of activator and inhibitor signaling in hair growth, while Cotsarelis found that balding men had similar stem cell populations to non-balding men, but early progenitor cells were reduced by over 80%. A trial involving 25 men with male pattern baldness showed that injecting a hair-stimulating complex resulted in the growth of 25 new hairs near the injection site, which continued to grow for at least two years. No safety issues were reported. Another company, Intercytex, was working on isolating dermal papilla cells to stimulate hair growth, but faced challenges in growing the cells.
176 citations,
April 2011 in “Science” Hair stem cell regeneration is controlled by signals that can explain different hair growth patterns and baldness.
235 citations,
January 2011 in “Journal of Clinical Investigation” Men with baldness due to androgenetic alopecia still have hair stem cells, but lack specific cells needed for hair growth.
829 citations,
May 2007 in “Nature” Hair follicles can regrow in wounded adult mouse skin using a process like embryo development.
854 citations,
February 2002 in “The journal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology” Understanding hair follicle development can help treat hair loss, skin regeneration, and certain skin cancers.
73 citations,
July 1956 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Adult human skin can grow new fine hair follicles after a deep exfoliation treatment.
October 2023 in “Biomaterials” Nanotechnology could improve hair regrowth but faces challenges like complexity and safety concerns.
47 citations,
May 2012 in “Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews-Developmental Biology” The conclusion is that understanding how feathers and hairs pattern can help in developing hair regeneration treatments.
60 citations,
July 2011 in “Stem Cells and Development” Certain signals and genes play a key role in hair growth and regeneration, and understanding these could lead to new treatments for skin regeneration.
1 citations,
July 2018 in “Elsevier eBooks” Heredity and hormones cause common hair loss, and topical minoxidil is the first recommended treatment.
October 2024 in “Biology” Dermal papilla cells can help regrow hair and are promising for hair loss treatments.