Medtopicwriter

New discoveries pave the way to stopping male pattern baldness.

A recent study, published in the Journal of science translational medicine from the University of Pennsylvania, claims that scientists have finally laid their hands on the holy Grail in beauty treatment. The study indicates that researchers have identified the presence of a particular protein in abnormal quantities on the scalp of bald men.  Scientists believe that this protein, called Prostaglandin D2 (PGD2), holds the key to male pattern baldness.

Currently, people have access to many different treatment options for treating male pattern baldness, but none of them gives truly satisfactory results unless, of course, you go for hair transplantation. The findings of this study may soon give doctors and scientists a clear idea about what actually causes male pattern baldness and could help them develop better treatment options.

Basics About Male Pattern Baldness

In male pattern baldness, the normal hair follicles get replaced by smaller and thinner ones, which grow for a very short duration of time, disabling the normal cycle involving the replacement of old hair follicles with new ones. This is a very common problem in men under 70 years of age and approximately 8 of 10 men will experience baldness at some point in their lives.

Not only have the researchers involved in this study identified the protein PGD2, they’ve also discovered one of its derivatives called 15-dPGJ2, which may also have a part in causing male pattern baldness. They’ve also identified a particular receptor known as GPR44 that also plays an active role in inhibiting hair growth in both men and women. This receptor may provide the focus for future medications targeting androgenetic alopecia.

Prostaglandins and Hair Growth Inhibition

In many past studies, scientists did not believe that prostaglandins had a crucial role to play in inhibiting hair growth, but a study involving mice debunked the myth. Researchers now believe it only makes sense that some kind of prostaglandin inhibitor process stops hair growth.  They’ve not found any relevant and substantial evidence for a cause of baldness through the study of hair follicle stem cells, leaving prostaglandin-inhibiting process as a possible culprit.

The new research reveals that the hair follicle stem cells remain intact beneath the scalp and it is because of the action of some kind of activator or inhibitor that the scalp cannot grow hair in spite of having the stem cells intact.

There’s hope on the horizon for male pattern baldness.

Earlier, people used to think that the hair follicles died premature deaths and that caused baldness, but this and other studies proved otherwise.  These new discoveries and the studies that put aside inaccurate beliefs about the cause of baldness carry the potential for a future that’s full of thick, healthy hair.

In this milestone study, researchers used 15-dPGJ2, the PGD2 derivative to treat normal hair and found that the treated hair had stunted growth and ultimately died off.