Why The Biology And Science Of The Growing Hair Will Shed Light On Baldness

By Eugene Yeng


Learning about the biology and science of the growing hair can shed light on the problem of balding. It is important to understand that hair cells are constantly reproducing. The follicle, or dermal papillae, is the biological site of growth. Dermal means skin or cuticle and papillae means processes or outgrowth.

If these sites are damaged or destroyed in some way, for example by second degree burns, the makeup of the dermal papillae may be changed. This does not mean that the site will no longer produce. Because the human body is able to repair and regenerate cells, the dermal papillae that have been damaged will regenerate and be active again when the skin returns to normal.

The new growth will have a different look than the original hairs. Growth may also be sporadic, may be thinner than before, and can be fuzzy. An example of this change is the patient who undergoes chemotherapy. Although there was no trauma to the skin, the drug kills all cells so the patients hair will fall out. Regrowth after treatment often produces a different type of growth than the person had before treatment. Irregular growth will also happen with transplantation.

Contrary to what most think, new growth comes up in groups of three strands not strand by strand. Although most new growth takes about one month for on inch, healthier scalps can often grow faster while other individuals have slower growth times.

Our hairs will naturally fall out about every five months and will be replaced with new stronger healthier strands. These new strands push out the old ones replacing them under normal conditions. Unfortunately, this does not happen with male pattern baldness, the strands that are lost are not replaced. Scientists are currently looking for ways to promote new growth.

Currently, balding is treated by cosmetically covering it up, surgical restoration or transplant, and medical treatments. However, things are changing, science has already shown that certain vitamins and minerals are necessary for healthy follicles and growth. The right combination of sulfur containing supplements, vitamins, and minerals are essential for promoting healthy hair. All of these remedies have limitations and no particular one works for everyone.

With private labs and universities currently working to find remedies for this problem, treatment options look as though they will improve. Cloning and gene therapy are two approaches that will likely succeed. There are specific genes in the follicles that have been identified as causing dysfunction in growth when mutation takes place. Several diseases that can cause balding involve some type of genetic development. While biologists focus their attention to fixing errors in genetics, cloning deals with using stem cells to grow new follicles. The cells, collected from donors, are processed in the laboratory.

When we consider the biology and science of growing hair, we can easily see that these treatment option will soon be at the forefront of the remedies for baldness. People will no longer consider the condition of baldness as something they just have to live with since current work is pointing toward a permanent cure.




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