It happens to almost all men. For some it can begin at a very early age, while others escape it until later in life. However, balding will eventually catch up to nearly all men. While most men dread the day that they no longer have hair, there might be a new way to help fight back. It is possible that the day of hair plugs and cream are gone. A study has recently been conducted in which scientists were able to grow completely new hair using human skin samples. What this means for men is that it could be quite possible to naturally re-grow hair in your later years.

How It Works

The studies make use of a cell that is known as dermal papilla. These cells have the ability to grow new hair follicles. The interesting thing is that they still work when they are injected into skin that is not supposed to grow hair. The study was conducted on mice and worked as expected. Skin samples were taken from seven different individuals and then cloned so that they could be used multiple times. These cells were then grafted onto the backs of mice. When the cells were injected onto the mice’s backs, hair began to grow. Not only did the hair grow, but the hair was healthy.

It might be a surprise to learn that this technique has actually already been around for decades. Unfortunately, scientists could not figure out why the dermal papilla cells from humans did not work in the same way as they did with mice. However, scientists have recently discovered a relatively simple way to make the process work with human cells. To put it in laymen terms, the petri dish is flipped allowing the human cells to group together.

Alternatives

This research could be groundbreaking for the hair loss industry. It is estimated that Americans spend roughly $3.5 billion on a year basis trying to prevent or beat hair loss. Sadly, the realistic viewpoint is that most hair loss treatments are simply placebos. For some people they will work, however for the vast majority of people will continue losing their hair. In American today, an estimated 80 million people are struggling with hair loss. It is especially hard for women to overcome losing their hair. While wigs are an alternative for many women, there is a big difference between a wig and re-growing your own hair naturally.

Researchers have been praised for their work in the industry. Although it is appearing that hair loss could finally be treated with something that really works, there is still much work to be done. At this point in time, it is unclear when the procedure will be available to the public. Making the jump from the laboratory to the market can take a long time. However, for those that are suffering from hair loss it should come as a big relief that help is on the way. Perhaps in the future, hair loss will simply be something that is looked back on and is no longer an issue.