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Scientists in South Korea Say They May Have Baldness Cure
by April Maguire
If you're worried about baldness, then you're probably right. According to the most recent statistics, more than 60% of men experience a noticeable amount of hair loss by the time they reach 35. By the age of fifty, that number climbs to more than 80%. For men, those are scary odds, and women don't fare all that much better. In women, baldness occurs roughly 40% of the time by the age of 40, and it only increases with age.
For most of these sufferers, the problem is androgenic alopecia. Although it's often just called male-pattern baldness, it's the most common type of hair loss for women as well, responsible for more than 90% of all cases. With this condition, a testosterone derivative known as dihydrotestosterone causes the hair follicles to gradually shrink. These follicles produce hairs that are finer and finer until they stop producing hairs at all, resulting in thinning and baldness. Fortunately for hair loss sufferers around the world, however, scientists in South Korea may have found a way to stop androgenic alopecia in its tracks.
A Cure for Baldness
One of the main culprits for androgenic alopecia is a protein called CXXC5. When this protein binds with a second protein known as "Disheveled," then follicles shrink and hair loss occurs. Recently, a team of scientists at Choi Kang-yeol of Yonsei University in Seoul developed a way to keep these two proteins apart. They developed a biochemical compound that they called PTD-DMB, which is a grouping of amino acids that inhibit the interaction of these two key proteins.
When PTD-DMB was applied to mice in a laboratory setting, hair loss in the mice slowed at first and then stopped altogether. Even more surprising, mice that were already bald even grew some of their hair back. It seems that, at least based on these initial findings, the team may have developed a cure for baldness.
Unfortunately though, these results are only preliminary, and there is still a lot of work to be done. More trials will be needed, and it's still unclear whether or not PTD-DMB will have the same effect on humans as it does on mice. And even if it does, there is no telling what, if any, side effects will result.
Still, these results represent an important first step. Currently, there are no reliable cures for hair loss, so the PTD-DMB compound is sorely needed. And given the number of sufferers, a surefire treatment would be cause for mass celebration around the globe.
If you or someone you know would like to learn more 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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