By Renee Jacques, Allure
If you suffer from serious hair loss—either because of stress or because of a condition like alopecia—a doctor won't have much more than sympathy to offer you. But that might soon change. Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have found that two drugs that are already on the market can cause hair to grow back in certain situations.
[post_ads]The scientists used two FDA-approved drugs that block a group of enzymes called Janus kinase (JAK) on the hair follicles of mice whose hair follicles no longer functioned. After the drugs were applied topically for ten days, ample hair grew out of the follicles—the hair came in thicker and darker than it had been before. (One of the JAK-inhibiting drugs is commonly used to treat blood diseases; the other is approved for rheumatoid arthritis.) The scientists also tested the treatment on human hair follicles that were grafted onto mice, and the results were similar.
While this research is exciting, it should be noted that the researchers studied the effect of these drugs only on a specific kind of hair loss: alopecia areata, an autoimmune condition that affects hair follicles. Taken systemically, the drugs appear to turn off the signal that causes the autoimmune attack, and applied topically, they seem to do something to the follicle itself. Angela M. Christiano, one of the main researchers on the project, is cautiously optimistic that these drugs could reinvigorate the hair-growing cycle in people whose follicles are lying dormant.
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"The drug could potentially influence the start of a human hair cycle as well as extending it," says Christiano in a video explaining the research. "So that opens up the possibility of treatment for a wide range of hair disorders, not simply male or female pattern hair loss, but another group of disorders, like chemotherapy-induced alopecia." However more research is needed to see if the same effect occurs on those kinds of hair loss.In the meantime, if you're suffering from hair loss, check out our tips on how to style your hair. And watch the video below to get more details about the results of the study (and to see some mice growing a lot of hair):
[post_ads]The scientists used two FDA-approved drugs that block a group of enzymes called Janus kinase (JAK) on the hair follicles of mice whose hair follicles no longer functioned. After the drugs were applied topically for ten days, ample hair grew out of the follicles—the hair came in thicker and darker than it had been before. (One of the JAK-inhibiting drugs is commonly used to treat blood diseases; the other is approved for rheumatoid arthritis.) The scientists also tested the treatment on human hair follicles that were grafted onto mice, and the results were similar.
While this research is exciting, it should be noted that the researchers studied the effect of these drugs only on a specific kind of hair loss: alopecia areata, an autoimmune condition that affects hair follicles. Taken systemically, the drugs appear to turn off the signal that causes the autoimmune attack, and applied topically, they seem to do something to the follicle itself. Angela M. Christiano, one of the main researchers on the project, is cautiously optimistic that these drugs could reinvigorate the hair-growing cycle in people whose follicles are lying dormant.
[post_ads_2]
"The drug could potentially influence the start of a human hair cycle as well as extending it," says Christiano in a video explaining the research. "So that opens up the possibility of treatment for a wide range of hair disorders, not simply male or female pattern hair loss, but another group of disorders, like chemotherapy-induced alopecia." However more research is needed to see if the same effect occurs on those kinds of hair loss.In the meantime, if you're suffering from hair loss, check out our tips on how to style your hair. And watch the video below to get more details about the results of the study (and to see some mice growing a lot of hair):
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