An estimated 85% of men will experience hair loss or male pattern baldness in their lifetimes. Even though we naturally shed and replace up to 100 strands of hair daily, this cycle is interrupted in men with male-pattern baldness, resulting in hair loss over time.
Although genetics are typically the main driver for hair loss, it can also be caused by diseases such as anemia, scalp infections, chemotherapy or radiation treatments, stress and diet problems.
Kerala University researchers have developed a treatment that could arrest the development of a rare type of hair loss called primary cicatricial alopecia (PCA). PCA is mainly caused by inflammation and results in irreparable damage to hair follicles that ultimately leads to permanent hair loss. About 7% of patients in specialist hair loss clinics suffer from primary cicatricial alopecia.
Researchers recently succeeded in slowing the influence of the hair loss disorder by controlling the production of cholesterol in hair cells. A research team from Advanced Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research in Cutaneous Biology (AcREM-Stem) and the university’s zoology department found that speeding up cholesterol production in hair follicles and lessening inflammation could halt abnormal loss of hair in people with PCA.
Lead study author Nikhila Leemon explains that PCA is an autoimmune condition which affects the skin, causing irreparable damage to hair follicles on the head and replacing the follicles with fibrous tissue. Given that this itching, fibrous and painful tissue is one of the most common symptoms of alopecia and most types of hair loss have similar histological and clinical findings, diagnosing and treating PCA can be tricky.
This study is part of research efforts focused on improving the diagnosis and treatment of hair loss in men. The team of scientists was building on prior research indicating that inhibiting cholesterol biosynthesis caused fibrosis (scarring) and permanently damaged hair follicles. This research also proposed that a modified cholesterol biosynthetic pathway could help regulate tissue fibrosis in patients with primary cicatricial alopecia.
With this in mind, the research team studied how disruptions in hair follicle cholesterol production accelerated epithelial-mesenchymal transition and caused scarring or fibrosis of hair follicles. Team members found that they could reduce the inflammation brought on by primary cicatricial alopecia by accelerating cholesterol biosynthesis in the brain.
This could potentially allow hair loss specialists to alleviate the impact of PCA in men by addressing the underlying mechanisms that target hair follicles in the head and cause hair loss.
While those R&D efforts are conducted, some companies such as Jupiter Wellness Inc. (NASDAQ: JUPW) are already selling products aimed at alleviating different forms of hair loss. Patients can seek their doctors’ guidance about the suitability of those products for their needs.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Jupiter Wellness Inc. (NASDAQ: JUPW) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/JUPW
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