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In the future, will baldness recede from the lives of men?

Hair-inducing side effects reveal a new use for an old drug

November 12, 2012


A glaucoma eye-droplet may do for hair what Viagra does for many men: help them grow what they once could but currently cannot. A recent paper has scientists eyeing the already approved drug bimatoprost as a new treatment for male-pattern baldness.

Similarly to the discovery of the little blue pill’s, ahem, enhancing effects, bimatoprost’s restorative properties were discovered by accident. Glaucoma patients had fuller, longer and thicker eyelashes as a side effect of using bimatoprost droplets. Naturally, the cosmetic industry took note and in 2008 the FDA approved it for additional use as pharmaceutical mascara. But now scientists have shown that it works for hairs on the head – at least in mice and petri dishes.

Researchers from the U.S. and the U.K. tested whether the drug would work on the scalp, using hair follicles in a lab culture and bald spots on the heads of living mice. Both cases showed that scalp follicles grew hair when treated with bimatoprost. The study also identified that the drug works through hormone receptors in the follicle.

One would think that with the billions of dollars there for the taking, more would be done to understand baldness, with the aim of slowing or reversing it. But for all the pharmaceutical approaches currently available or in development, preventing hair-loss had initially been just a side effect. Rogaine started out as minoxidil, a drug for high blood pressure. Propecia (aka finasteride) and Avodart (aka dutasteride) were first used to treat enlarged prostates.

The bare truth is that we don’t know what causes baldness. We know it’s hereditary, but the evidence that it is passed through the mother is thinning as fast as the hair on your uncle’s head. A study of 1125 balding, Caucasian men shows that a pair of genes can make men seven times more likely to experience hair loss, but the exact mechanism of why hair stops growing is unknown. These genes were not on the X chromosome – which men only get from their mother – but on chromosome 20, of which everyone has two. The leading theory for why people, especially men, lose hair is that follicles have a genetically linked sensitivity to a hormone called dihydrotestosterone. However, this hormone is known to regulate hair growth all over the body, so it still can’t explain why men only lose the hair on their heads.

Who knows if bimatoprost will become a billion dollar bonanza like Viagra. Phase II and III clinical trials will likely still be needed. But if it does pan out, millions of middle-aged men could have one less thing to worry about (stress, ironically, can be a cause of hair loss). Now, if only there were a drug that could fix chronic back pain.

About the Author

Andrew P. Han

Andy Han studied astronomy and the history of science at Dartmouth College, but his main interests have expanded to include evolutionary biology and genetics as well. Having preferred non-fiction to fiction since the age of six, he is on a mission to find out as much as he can about the Universe. An avid athlete and eater, he’s excited for all New York has to offer, especially SHERP.

Discussion

5 Comments

emad says:

There are several sources to investigate specific shampoos, research studies which can be accessed to determine the effectiveness of many of these products.

ANTONY says:

Why in the future? Bald people need now this treatments mother of god….

Sergiu says:

Of this hair loss problem I had me and terrifies me when I remember the situation beforehand. What can I say, I tried dozens of products, without any exaggeration, but with poor results until I found a product that changed my life literally. I felt like giving results from the early days of use, and now my hair is full and strong, and trust in me is another. Who really wants to certainly use a product for hair loss or regeneration warmly advise you to try this product because it is the best. I bought it from the link below, I wish you health.

I think it’s already receding, it’s in the process of receding. Just a matter of time. There are a lot of legit products out there that are working, for a fact I was a baldy in my early 30s, but the hair came back! :D

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