Hair

Researchers have identified a particular microRNA molecule that appears to regulate hair regeneration. This could be a new drug target for hair loss, bypassing the promising stem cell treatments without needing to grow and transplant whole cells.

A landmark study is offering evidence to suggest age-related hearing loss is primarily caused by accumulated damage to inner ear sensory hair cells, and hair-regeneration technologies may offer new treatments to restore hearing loss in old age.

Technology could really use some more sustainable sources, and now researchers at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) have turned to an unusual one. The team has shown that human hair from barber shops can be used to create OLED displays.

Researchers have shown a stem-cell-based topical solution can regrow hair in both male and female subjects with common pattern baldness. The small trial found the treatment both safe and effective, with larger trials hoped to validate the results.

It was just a couple of years ago that we heard about a kinder, gentler hair dye that incorporated graphene. Well, scientists have now had success utilizing another, less exotic substance – synthetic melanin.

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.