Joe K.
2015-04-10 22:51:59 UTC
LOS ANGELES, April 10 (UPI) -- By age 50, nearly half of all men
will exhibit signs of male-pattern balding -- a V-shaped
receding hairline and thinning on the crown of the head. But new
research suggests strategically plucking hair follicles can
encourage regrowth.
In a study at the University of Southern California's Keck
School of Medicine, researchers found that plucking a specific
amount of hair in a precise pattern results in significant
regeneration.
The idea-turned-experiment began when visiting scholar Chih-
Chiang Chen arrived in Los Angeles from the National Yang-Ming
University and Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan. Chen had
been studying the effects of hair follicle injuries. His
research showed that surrounding follicles are coaxed into
overdrive when a nearby injury is detected.
He hypothesized that by plucking hairs scientists could trick
local follicles into thinking an injury had occurred. So Chen
and his colleagues tested different pluck patterns and methods.
Mice served as the first test subjects.
When plucking hairs in a low-density pattern from a loosely
defined area, no regrowth was observed. But when researchers
plucked hairs from a highly concentrated area -- a circle
ranging from 3 to 5 millimeters -- significant follicle
regeneration occurred. By plucking just 200 hairs, researchers
encouraged the sprouting of anywhere from 450 to 1,300 new
hairs, both inside and outside the plucked area.
"It is a good example of how basic research can lead to a work
with potential translational value," lead researcher Cheng-Ming
Chuong, a professor of pathology at the Keck School, explained
in a press release. "The work leads to potential new targets for
treating alopecia, a form of hair loss."
Researchers say their findings illuminate the idea of "quorum
sensing," a process that dictates the reactive behaviors of a
group. The concept describes how a group responds to stimuli
that affects some but not all. By varying the number and
concentration of plucked hairs, researchers honed in on the
critical threshold required for the hair follicles to react in
concert.
Once the threshold -- or "quorum" was met -- local immune cells
sent out chemical signals calling for a response (in the form of
new hair).
"It's a really nice piece of science. The idea of quorum sensing
is smart," Chris Mason, a professor of regenerative medicine at
University College London, told BBC News.
It's not clear, however, whether the new science can actually
help cure or treat baldness. As Mason points out, the revelation
relies on a patient still having a decent amount of hair.
"Could you tap into the pathway with a cream or injection? That
could well be possible -- or maybe don't wait until you're
totally bald?"
The new study was published this week in the journal Cell.
http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2015/04/10/Properly-plucking-
hairs-can-encourage-new-follicles/7511428676096/
will exhibit signs of male-pattern balding -- a V-shaped
receding hairline and thinning on the crown of the head. But new
research suggests strategically plucking hair follicles can
encourage regrowth.
In a study at the University of Southern California's Keck
School of Medicine, researchers found that plucking a specific
amount of hair in a precise pattern results in significant
regeneration.
The idea-turned-experiment began when visiting scholar Chih-
Chiang Chen arrived in Los Angeles from the National Yang-Ming
University and Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan. Chen had
been studying the effects of hair follicle injuries. His
research showed that surrounding follicles are coaxed into
overdrive when a nearby injury is detected.
He hypothesized that by plucking hairs scientists could trick
local follicles into thinking an injury had occurred. So Chen
and his colleagues tested different pluck patterns and methods.
Mice served as the first test subjects.
When plucking hairs in a low-density pattern from a loosely
defined area, no regrowth was observed. But when researchers
plucked hairs from a highly concentrated area -- a circle
ranging from 3 to 5 millimeters -- significant follicle
regeneration occurred. By plucking just 200 hairs, researchers
encouraged the sprouting of anywhere from 450 to 1,300 new
hairs, both inside and outside the plucked area.
"It is a good example of how basic research can lead to a work
with potential translational value," lead researcher Cheng-Ming
Chuong, a professor of pathology at the Keck School, explained
in a press release. "The work leads to potential new targets for
treating alopecia, a form of hair loss."
Researchers say their findings illuminate the idea of "quorum
sensing," a process that dictates the reactive behaviors of a
group. The concept describes how a group responds to stimuli
that affects some but not all. By varying the number and
concentration of plucked hairs, researchers honed in on the
critical threshold required for the hair follicles to react in
concert.
Once the threshold -- or "quorum" was met -- local immune cells
sent out chemical signals calling for a response (in the form of
new hair).
"It's a really nice piece of science. The idea of quorum sensing
is smart," Chris Mason, a professor of regenerative medicine at
University College London, told BBC News.
It's not clear, however, whether the new science can actually
help cure or treat baldness. As Mason points out, the revelation
relies on a patient still having a decent amount of hair.
"Could you tap into the pathway with a cream or injection? That
could well be possible -- or maybe don't wait until you're
totally bald?"
The new study was published this week in the journal Cell.
http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2015/04/10/Properly-plucking-
hairs-can-encourage-new-follicles/7511428676096/