Treating hair loss has come a long way in the past decade. Hair transplant procedures are getting more and more reliable and scientists are constantly discovering new ways to regrow hair and prevent hair loss. Recently, a team of Japanese scientists has reached a discovery that could be a major breakthrough and help us regrow hair faster than we thought was possible.
The Research and Its Implications
A team of Japanese scientists led by professor Junji Fukuda of the Yokohama National University focused on creating ‘hair follicle germs (HFGs)’ – cellular aggregates that are responsible for hair growth. While previous studies only managed to create up to 50 of these germs at once, Fukuda’s team managed to grow over 5.000 in just a couple of days.
To achieve these results, the scientists used dimethylpolysiloxane – a silicone often used to cook McDonald’s fries. However, the scientists note that this compound on its own won’t help you regrow hair faster so eating fries will yield no results.
Human Trials and Current Treatment Comparison
While current medications like finasteride and minoxidil can be used to slow down hair loss, they are not as effective in reversing it. The same can be said for hair transplant procedures – they use the hair from the back of your head and transplant it to the areas with hair loss, but they can’t improve hair volume.
Since the study was done on mice, we’re not sure whether dimethylpolysiloxane will have the same effects on humans. Human trials are still at least five years away.
Conclusion
This new discovery seems to present a great solution to regrow hair faster than all existing treatments. However, we’re still a couple of years away from human trials that will give us more conclusive answers.
