Operation Restore
Locks of Love
National Alopecia
Areata Foundation
|
THE HAIR RESTORATION REPORT August 2004 Congratulations! You have been selected to receive this issue of the "HAIR RESTORATION REPORT." This report contains tips on how to make the most out of the hair you already have, slow the hair loss process and more effectively plan and manage the restoration of your hair. In This Issue: · Scientific Breakthroughs in Hair Restoration · Hair Care Products · Give Us Your Feedback · Virtual Hair Restoration Consultation · One-On-One with the Doctor ------------------------------------------------- Scientific Breakthroughs in Hair RestorationMy Hair is Resting and Won’t Wake Up.Most men who lose their hair have a hereditary condition called androgenic alopecia. These men have increased levels of a hormone known as 5(alpha)-reductase, which converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The DHT in turn causes hair follicles to miniaturize, sprouting shorter and finer hairs before eventually dying out. It also causes the growth phase (anagen phase) of hair follicles to become shorter, and the rest phase (telogen phase) to be longer. But researchers are discovering that this rest phase can be shortened. The October Journal of Clinical Investigation reported that scientists at the Weil Medical College of Cornell University succeeded in nudging hair follicles out of their rest phases -- at least in mice. According to Neil Sadick, M.D., Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Dermatology at Cornell University Medical College, they used an altered form of cold virus to deliver what they have named the "Sonic hedgehog" gene (after a video-game character), which plays a central role in hair follicle development. This therapy spurred the mice to sprout new hairs, presumably by causing those in the rest phase to enter the growth phase. Researchers say further study is needed before it is known if this therapy could potentially help those with male pattern baldness. Lend Me Your Hair?Another potential treatment for balding was described in the November issue of Nature. Researchers found it was possible to grow hair follicles and hair from donated follicle cells. Hair follicles are one of the few immunoprivileged parts of the body -- that is, they are protected from the immune system so the body doesn't treat them as foreign and attack them. Researchers thus wondered if they might be transplanted from one person to another without triggering an immune response and therefore rejection. Hair follicle cells, donated from the arm of a male scientist, were implanted into the arm of a female scientist. A few weeks later, she grew large, thick, dark hairs -- unlike her own -- in the area of the transplant. In what is currently a standard hair transplant, follicles are transplanted from one part of the patient's scalp where hair is present, to another where hair is sparse. In other words, more hair is not being created, but just spread around. The amount of coverage that can be obtained depends on how many active hair follicles still remain. If the cell-transplant approach were to develop into a viable technique, it would actually create new hair follicles and have distinct advantages over current methods. "There's no limitation to the number of new hair follicles," says Peter B. Cserhalmi-Friedman, M.D., one of the study's authors and an Associate Research Scientist in the Department of Dermatology at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at New York City's Columbia University. "Because you don't have to remove a follicle from someplace else, it can probably be used not only on people with good hair on one part of their scalp but also on people without any hair." But don't start looking for an ideal donor yet. Any new techniques in this area would probably not be available for at least another decade, says Sadick. Sell Me Some Stem Cells.New research showing that bald mice can grow hair after being implanted with a type of stem cell could lead to an eventual cure for baldness according to a group of scientists. According to Dr. George Cotsarelis, co-author of the study and a University of Pennsylvania dermatologist, the research marks the first time that "blank slate" stem cells were able to induce hair growth. The study was released in April in the journal “Nature Technology.” In an interview, Cotsarelis said, "We've shown for the first time these cells have the ability to generate hair when taken from one animal and put into another. You can envision a process of isolating existing stem cells and re-implanting them in the areas where guys are bald." Many scientists have been researching whether hair follicles contain "blank slate" stem cells that can give most humans a full head of hair for life. These stem cells differ from embryonic stem cells, whose use is controversial because embryos are destroyed in the process. Biologists who study hair cautioned that a baldness cure is still some years away. Stanford University biologist Anthony Oro cautioned, "Like with any stem cells, the amount of information needed to get us from a stem to a fully developed organ is a lot. It will require a lot of things to go right and we are still along way off." It’s All in the Genes.Researchers in Japan have found two genes that affect male pattern baldness, a company involved in the study said this month, possibly taking a step toward a cure for the scourge of millions of men. Japanese household goods manufacturer Lion Corp said that its joint study with the University of Tokushima in western Japan had discovered that two types of genes relate to both hair growth and hair loss functions. The genes are Bone Morphogenetic Protein, which helps make bones, and ephrin, which helps make blood vessels. The researchers made their discovery by extracting hair growth cells from the scalp and conducting a genetic analysis, the company said. Lion said the team also found that a plant-derived ingredient, called 6-benzyl aminopurine, could help revitalize the two genes and help restore hair growth. The company, which already sells hair-nourishment products in Japan and Korea, aims to develop a new hair-loss treatment using their findings, a spokeswoman said. But she said the company could not say how soon it would develop a new product as research is still in its early stages. All of these sciences are, at best, a decade away from any practical use. And sadly, the costs will be prohibitive to most people for another decade or two following that. There are many hurdles each scientific "breakthrough" must clear before the public can benefit. And nearly 99% of all scientific breakthroughs never come to fruition. We'll keep you posted. If you have any questions regarding hair restoration, please give us a call. We look forward to hearing from you. 800.242.6900Best regards,  24520 Hawthorne Blvd. Suite 240 Torrance, CA 90505 ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- Click here to view our upcoming seminars. Call 1-800-242-6900 for Reservations - By Appointment Only
|
