Researchers discovered that stem cells taken from fat tissues have growth hormones that can work on hair. They used those stem cells to create a new solution that triggers hair regrowth among people with male-pattern baldness.
Androgenetic alopecia or also known as male-pattern baldness or female-pattern baldness is caused by genetics, and hormonal and environmental factors. According to the researchers from Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital in South Korea, it affects about 50% of all men and a similar percentage among women over 50 years old.
The researchers recruited 29 male and nine women patients or 38 people with common baldness to participate in their study. The participants rubbed the new solution into their scalp two times a day. After 16 weeks, they found a significant increase in hair count.
New Solution Against Male-Pattern Baldness
Male-pattern baldness is not a life-threatening condition. However, it can lower one's self-esteem and psychological wellbeing in people with the condition. Some FDA approved medications in the United States to treat hair loss though proven effective, can have side effects like the loss of libido and erectile dysfunction.
Daily Mail reported that scientists discovered the new medication when they found connective tissue let off growth hormones that help cells develop. They examined the stem cells in detail and found that they could activate numerous growth factors that increase the size of the hair follicles.
Researcher Professor Sang Yeoup said that recent studies have shown that the newly developed solution can promote hair growth in both men and women with Androgenetic alopecia. "However, no randomized, placebo-controlled trial in humans has explored the effects and safety of adipose-derived stem cell constituent extract (ADSC-CE) in male pattern baldness," he added.
The participants of their study were middle-aged people with alopecia to identify whether ADSC-CE solutions could work to cure their condition.
Half of the 38 patients being studied were given ADSC-CE solution, and the other half is the placebo solution without the growth hormones. The participants applied a solution- either the experimental or placebo- to their scalps with their fingers. They did it twice a day for 16 weeks.
"At the end of 16 weeks, the group that received the ADSC-CEs had a significant increase in both hair count and follicle diameter," said Young Jin Tak, the senior author of the study. The researchers published their study in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine.
What Did their Results Say?
Their findings suggest that the ADSC-CE solution can have 'enormous potential' as an alternative to other hair growth solutions currently available as they increase hair density and thickness. The researchers recommend conducting another study with a large and diverse population to confirm the benefits of ADSC-CE on hair growth and explain how mechanisms responsible for the action of ADSC-CE in humans.
According to Anthony Atala, editor-in-chief of STEM CELLS translational medicine and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the new solution created from adipose tissue cells proves to be both safe and effective. Also, it offers hope to those people suffering from the pattern baldness condition.
