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Hair Loss Linked to Aging Process
by Matthew Dello Russo
Anyone who has noticed hair starting to clog the shower drain knows the dread that comes with it; hair loss is an extremely common (and stressful) occurrence that plagues millions of individuals each year. Feel like there’s less volume to your mane than usual? Before you head out and spend a single penny on hair regrowth products or schedule a consultation with a specialist, consider the alternative; many times, hair loss is uncontrollable and determined entirely by your genes.
The good news is that some hair loss is completely normal, and not always a bad sign. In fact, the average person sheds 50 to 100 hairs each day. This is because of your natural hair growth and scalp-cell regeneration cycles.
A recent study - led by Emi Nishimura at Tokyo Medical and Dental University - may have uncovered new causes for hair thinning and hair loss in both men and women; hair is renewed by stem cells that are able to theoretically continue dividing and making new hair follicle stem cells, but eventually, these stem cells start to age and fall apart. The constant loss and regrowth of hair and the stress it puts on the follicle itself may be forcing the follicle into inactivity. These chemical changes cause the follicle to shrink and eventually stop producing new hair altogether.
The regrowth cycle of hair is driven by stem cells that are able to divide and replicate, creating new hair when dead hair falls out. It appears that as the human body ages, these stem cells age too – leading to reduced efficiency and eventual destruction of the regrowth cycle in that cell.
Nishimura’s report explains that this shrinkage and death of cells is normal in many parts of the body during the ageing process, and illustrates how it happens in hair follicles.
“Our research revealed that hair follicle stem cells change their fate to be eliminated from the skin in response to DNA damage,” he writes to TIME. The resultant depletion of stem cell pools miniaturization of these aged hair follicles.”
Simply put, these hair follicles start to shrivel and die as a response to constant environmental stressors and agitators, like UV rays, harsh winter winds, and chemicals in the air. Nishimura’s study was such a massive success because they were able to identify a chemical that triggers the shrinkage and destruction of follicles, and believes that it might be possible to slow the process or stop it all together in the near future. Counteracting this chemical and aiding the stem cells could revolutionize the way that hair loss is treated, and may prove to be a boon in the multi-million dollar industry.
If you or someone you know would like more information about hair loss and how to treat it, please feel free to schedule a consultation or contact one of our representatives today!
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