Despite being a regular occurrence, hair loss can significantly affect a person’s self-esteem and, in turn, their physical and emotional health. Prospective studies into the possible uses of stem cells for hair loss treatment provide hope for individuals experiencing the condition today and in the future.
What leads of stem cells to the various forms of hair loss?
• There are numerous underlying reasons for hair loss in both men and women.
• Androgenetic alopecia is one of the most prevalent types of hair loss (often referred to as pattern baldness in both men and women). Experts believe androgenetic alopecia results from stem cells the overstimulation of hair follicles by the hormone androgen, even if the exact origins of this type of hair loss are not fully understood.This ultimately causes hair thinning and loss due to a shortened growth cycle.
• Another very frequent condition that affects hair follicle growth is alopecia areata. The immunological privilege that hair follicles have is compromised by an autoimmune illness of stem cells.
• In addition to the adverse effects of some medical treatments, such as chemotherapy, other reasons of hair loss include the effects of elevated cortisol levels from stress, trauma, and bereavement.
Which options are on offer right now?
• Due to the prevalence of hair loss, there is a proportionally high demand for hair restoration, augmentation, or transplantation therapies.
• Currently, drugs such as finasteride and minoxidil, topical medications including prostaglandins and cetirizine, Low Level Laser Therapy, and Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy are used to treat hair loss.
• Numerous natural substances, including niacin, sage, and green tea, are also believed to help stop hair loss.
• Significant progress has also been made in the study of stem cell therapy for hair loss in recent years.
• In more than a thousand clinical trials, the application of stem cells from hair follicles, adipose tissue, and umbilical cord blood for hair replenishment or even regeneration is now being studied.
Using hair follicle stem cells
• Chemical stimulation is necessary for the mesenchymal stem cells that differentiate into hair follicles to start the differentiation process.
• Hair development ceases and follicular degeneration sets in when this chemical activation is not achieved.
• Two medications that can trigger this activation in mesenchymal stem cells isolated from hair follicles have been discovered by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Treatment for hair loss using umbilical cord blood
Researchers from the US and China investigated a potential alopecia areata treatment.
Their technique, known as “Stem Cell Educator” therapy, entailed taking a patient’s blood and circulating it through a closed-loop device containing multipotent cord blood stem cells before giving it back to them. This procedure essentially reversed the immune-privilege breach that the disease had caused in the hair follicles by giving them a ring of protection from the immune system, replenishing rather than replacing the existing follicles.
The trial’s participants showed notable improvements in their hair growth, which is encouraging for alopecia areata patients given there is presently no known solution for the condition.
These instances demonstrate that the future of hair loss treatments appears to be a growing number of stem cell therapies, even though there is still a long way to go before any of them receive formal approval.
