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Tens of millions of people around the world suffer from baldness or thinning hair.
And while there have been numerous developments and treatments for people who suffer from baldness, there hasn't been that one miracle cure that works for everyone.
However, that may be about to change.
According to research, published in the journal Nature, "mice with deep skin wounds can grow new hair," scientists said in a finding that offers real hope for a baldness remedy for humans. The mice regenerated hair at the site of the wound via molecular processes similar to those used in embryonic development.
The findings are a real scientific breakthrough, because they prove mammals possess greater regenerative abilities than previously believed.
Dr. George Cotsarelis, a dermatology professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia who led the study, said the findings dispel the long held notion that hair loss is permanent in people and other mammals, and that once they are lost new hair follicles cannot grow.
The theory behind the study would be to apply compounds to get epidermal cells to turn into hair follicles. This means there is a real possibility for a remedy for male-pattern baldness and other types of hair-loss.
During the study, scientists made relatively large wounds on the backs of adult mice, and discovered that if a wound reached a certain size new hairs formed at its center, with the skin undergoing changes mimicking stages of embryonic hair-follicle development.
Cotsarelis, who is associated with Follica Inc., the company that has licensed the patent on the process from the University of Pennsylvania, said it probably would be five years or before a treatment that was proven safe for humans was possible.
However, Dr. Cheng-Ming Chuong, a professor of pathology at the University of Southern California who was not involved in the study, was not so optimistic. He said, "while the study was promising, it's important to bear in mind that human skin differs from mouse skin.
"Repair and regeneration appear to be in direct competition," Chuong said.
"It's a fact, fast-closing wounds help the survival of wild animals, repair often dominates regeneration.
However, in the practice of real world medicine, physicians are trained to close wounds as soon as possible, thereby not leaving enough time for regeneration to occur."
So what does all of this mean?
I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
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Author Steve Peterson is the owner of the hot new family website, HomeandFamily101.com
http://homeandfamily101.com
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