Hair

A team of Harvard scientists has finally solved the mystery of how acute stress causes hair to turn gray. The researchers discovered when stress triggers the "fight or flight" response, it depletes pigment-producing stem cells in hair follicles.

By stopping a newly discovered muscle movement that is key to the shedding of old follicles, scientists believe they may one day be able intervene to help men hang onto their hair.

A prototype har-growth-stimulating device is self-powered and unobtrusive enough to hypothetically fit under a baseball cap.

​Outside of expensive transplants and drugs with questionable effectiveness, a proper treatment has continued to elude the great number of scientists working in the realm of hair loss. But sources of optimism are never far away, the latest coming out of Japan’s Yokohama National University.

An avenue that keeps promising to deliver hair regrowth is through induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSCs. Scientists have again uncovered new possibilities in this area, managing to use the versatile cells to generate hair that looks and acts like the real thing.​

New research demonstrates a way to grow human hair follicles using 3D printed molds. This is the first time human hair follicle cells have been grown completely in lab conditions, opening up a potentially unlimited source of hair follicles for future hair restoration surgical procedures.

​Our bodies need vitamin D, but many peoples' indoor lifestyles keep them from getting enough via sunlight exposure. So, how can someone find out just how high their D levels are? Well, blood sampling works, although levels can now also be determined simply by analyzing one of the person's hairs.

​​The sonic hedgehog gene carries far greater responsibility than its playful suggests. Scientists have now tapped into its unique properties to regrow hair on damaged skin thought incapable of doing so, opening up new research opportunities for drugs to restore hair growth in those with baldness.

A new case study published in the journal JAMA Dermatology reveals a young patient suffering from severe eczema along with a longstanding case of alopecia totalis has displayed major hair regrowth after being treated with a newly approved eczema drug.

Dyson has recently started to cast its eye beyond spotless living rooms and hospital-grade kitchen floors. Its latest creation puts its expertise in sucking and blowing air around to use in a high-powered hair styling machine that can apparently be used to create all kinds of 'dos.

​Studies have already shown that by irradiating bald skin using red lasers, hair follicles can be stimulated into growing new hair. Unfortunately, though, such laser setups are large, cumbersome and energy-inefficient. With that in mind, scientists have developed a wearable LED photostimulator.

An intriguing new study from Columbia University Irving Medical Center has found that the same gene associated with a condition responsible for autoimmune-related hair loss could be recruited to help our immune cells better target tumors.