Hair loss continues to be a problem among men. The scientific community’s latest solutions to the disorder include tweaking skin cell function to make it restore hair growth.
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine found that a protein molecule known as SCUBE3 induces dermal papilla cells found in the bottom of hair follicles to grow hair. Their experiment involving injection of SCUBE3 into the hair of mice showed that the protein produces new hair. Their latest research was published in July in the journal Developmental Cell, Gizmodo reported.
For human application, the UoC researchers are exploring the development of microbeads containing SCUBE3 for injection into balding scalps, according to study author Maksim Plikus, professor of developmental and cell biology and chief scientific officer of hair biotech company Amplifica.
Taking the arthritis drug called baricitinib can treat alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder that can cause complete baldness along the body and scalp, according to Gizmodo. Baricitinib works by suppressing the specific parts of the immune system that attack hair follicles in people with the condition, the report said.
Meanwhile, the topical hair loss drug minoxidil now has an oral version that seems to work and Wired reported that Turn Biotechnologies is exploring the use of mRNA technology used in making Covid-19 vaccines to rejuvenate dormant stem cells within hair follicles.
The mentioned treatments, however, is not applicable to some person’s hair loss like that of American beauty Merrick Bourgeois.
Bourgeois’ video on TikTok showing her problem went viral, racking up 289,000 views, The Sun reported.
In the video, the woman narrates she was curling the eyelashes in her left eye when her hand slipped. She then shows her left eyelids with the unnoticeable four strands of upper lashes remaining and shows the curler where the ripped eyelashes, including follicles, are sticking.
She ends her video with a warning to viewers to be careful and pay attention when curling eyelashes. The advice is surely appropriate for clumsiness.