Scientists find 'cure for baldness'

A reliable cure for baldness is one of the holy grails of medical research, and scientists in the USA believe that they may have found it.

At present, baldness can only be addressed with a hair transplant or other treatments which take a long time, but researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, believe that they have identified a protein which can stimulate new follicle growth rapidly, and which could be applied in a gel.

Experiments to date have only been carried out on mice, but Dr George Cotsarelis – who headed the research team – is confident that the results can be replicated in humans.

"If it all went perfectly then possibly in two to three years we would have a product," he said.

The protein works like an acne cream, by gently damaging the skin in order to kick-start a "wounding" process. This allows skin cells to take on the characteristics of stem cells, and if nudged in the right direction, grow new hair follicles.

Carol Michaelides, a consultant at the Philip Kingsley Trichological private clinic in London, told Medical News Today that a treatment for hair loss of this sort would be "a huge step forward".
 
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