A recent announcement from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania may soon have balding men and women jumping for joy.
Hair Loss Treatment Breakthrough?
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Scientists at the university announced that they have identified unusually high concentrations of the lipid (fatty acid) compound called Prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) in non-hair bearing areas of balding scalps. Investigating further, they determined that PGD2 appears to inhibit hair growth when binding to the GPR44 receptor.
Scientific Study
To further prove this, researchers examined scalp tissue from 22 balding men between the ages of 40 and 65 and discovered that levels of PGD2 were approximately three times higher in the bald scalp tissue. Additionally, they were able to induce baldness in mice by introducing both Prostaglandin D2 and its G Protein Coupled receptor (GPR44).
Complications
While exciting, this discovery reveals only one more step in the complicated hair loss process that involves multiple attributes. This includes the critical role of the male androgen hormone dihydrotestosterone or DHT. Furthermore, it is not yet clear if blocking the GPR44 receptor will regrow hair in bald men or if it will merely prevent balding in those who have not suffered the effects of androgenetic alopecia (genetic thinning hair). The impact of PGD2 on female pattern baldness is also not fully understood at this time.
Potential for Future Hair Loss Treatments
Drugs purposed for blocking the GPR44 receptor for the treatment of asthma are already in development and are currently in the final stages of FDA testing. Thus, new hair loss treatments capable of slowing, stopping or even reversing the effects of hereditary balding may be right over the horizon. But given all the extensive testing drugs designed for a specific purpose must undergo, a new viable treatment for genetic balding may still be several years in the making.
Thus, balding individuals shouldn't give up their current treatment regimen just yet and stick to proven hair loss drugs that really work. This includes the FDA approved treatments Propecia (Finasteride), an oral DHT blocker (antiandrogen) for men only and Rogaine (minoxidil), a topical hair growth stimulator for men and women.
Men and women with extensive hair loss may also want to research and consult with leading hair restoration physicians regarding their options, including possibly considering surgical hair transplantation. Hair transplant surgery however, isn't for everyone and men and women considering this option are strongly advised to do their own due diligence researching the procedure, physicians and the benefits, limitations and potential risks that go along with it.
Hair Loss Cure? Recent Discovery of PGD2 (Prostaglandin D2) Brings Hope For Ending Hair Loss
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