How Bruin genetic scientists are reawakening hibernating follicles.
By John Harlow
Ancient Egyptians rubbed their bald heads with a mixture of dates, dog’s paw and donkey’s hoof; Celtic cures involved mice in a jar. Native Americans turned to yucca juice. Throughout human history, there have been a number of existential quests: for knowledge, for peace, for riches — and for a cure for baldness.
Hair loss is caused by a multitude of factors, including aging, stress, hormonal imbalances and bad genetics. Despite advances, few remedies have ever worked for more than one in three people, leading the bereft to experiment with questionable treatments or endure costly surgeries. The drugs Rogaine and Propecia have offered glimmers of hope for the follically challenged, but even bigger breakthroughs may be imminent.
UCLA scientists have now identified a small molecule that, when prompted, can waken long-slumbering but undamaged follicles. The researchers have dubbed the transporting molecule “PP405” (perhaps as a tribute to another headache L.A. residents have to deal with, the 405 freeway).
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9 Comments
Traubenfuchs
The majority of men can fully stop hair loss with oral finasteride.
Some need the stronger dutasteride for it.
Both medications are known to stop and even revert hair loss, but the real regrowth usually happens if you additionally take oral minoxidil.
I am on dut+min for years now.
Neither of those three is without side effects though and they can‘t revive „truly dead“ follicles, so this is great news.
BMc2020
What good are luxurious locks if they surround a 50 year old face?
(do an image search for a guy named phil spector)
plun9
Does Betteridge’s law of headlines apply here?
bigmattystyles
I guess it's all a matter of perspective but having suffered from some very mild pain and lifelong depression and OCD, I would trade my thick ass 43-year old beautiful blond locks for some baldness if only to be free of my other ills.
My point, and I know I have no right to, but when I see all these otherwise super healthy men spend so much time worried about their (lack of) hair, it's hard to sympathize. But hey, everyone has a cross to bear I suppose.
bigbacaloa
[dead]
nico
Looks like they might be close to a generally available treatment. It says they've had successful human trials and they are expanding them
Also:
> the scientists have co-founded a medical development company called Pelage Pharmaceuticals. Backed by Google Ventures, last year the company raised $16.4 million in funding to shepherd further trials and win official clearances
apples_oranges
I had a hair transplant. Watched soap operas on a bed for 5 hours while they worked on me, and now I have hair like 80s Richard Dean Anderson. (Was nearly Patrick Stewart before.)
Until this treatment is ready I recommend what I did. :)
sarreph
If the later trials succeed and this gets turned into a commercially-viable product, the amount of money this will generate is going to be nuts.
slashyellow
It's always disappointing when the subject of baldness comes up. It's an unpleasant issue that affects men, and nobody takes it particularly seriously. The article (from the university that developed this even) use it as a place to make bad jokes about LA traffic.
Also kind of not great to see people in this thread with very over-confident but incorrect advice (just use oral finasteride – not saying it can't help but it has side effects and isn't a cure-all).
Believe me, before I struggled with it, I had all the same comments, like just cut it off etc. But you don't really ever know how something will affect you until it happens.
If there are men, and it is mostly men, who are struggling with this in this thread I know it can really suck. I hope this treatment works and helps.