Is it possible to regenerate hair follicles

But Propecia and Rogaine have been available for decades. They have proved modestly effective at slowing hair loss, but they cannot entirely prevent or reverse it. The physiology of balding has long vexed even the most entrepreneurial of scientists. Despite a rare confluence of commercial forces and scientific interest, generating new hair remains outside the realm of the possible.

This could be changing, though—and not owing to new packaging of the same old medicines. Of all the parts of the body to create in a lab, hair could seem like the simplest. But hair is much more complex to make than many researchers initially expected.

To produce a single, hardy strand, the body relies on thousands of stem cells called dermal papillae at the base of each hair follicle. When a hair follicle goes dormant, it cannot be restored. The answer, then, lies in generating new hair. Pancreatic cells could replace those that stopped producing insulin in people with type 1 diabetes.

Immune cells could be used to attack tumors. Nerve cells could be used to repair spinal-cord injuries. Columbia psychologists and psychiatrists prepare for a tsunami of mental-health issues caused by the collective trauma of the pandemic. Our brains may be even more vulnerable to air pollution than previously thought.

General Data Protection Regulation. Columbia University Privacy Notice. David J. Winter Read more from David J. The Mental Weight of COVID Columbia psychologists and psychiatrists prepare for a tsunami of mental-health issues caused by the collective trauma of the pandemic.

The Complex Legacies of Lyme Disease A new clinic at Columbia specializes in treating patients with long-haul symptoms. Conversely, blocking release of Wnt proteins prevented follicle regeneration. The scientists are optimistic that the finding could lead to a salve or other product to combat human hair loss—and, perhaps, even to regenerate hair where the sun now shines by performing dermabrasion to the bald scalp and slathering ointment on the wounds. Already a subscriber?

Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. See Subscription Options. Discover World-Changing Science. Aside from a few, fleeting empirical observations in the s, adult mammals appear to be lacking regenerative abilities.

Just ask anyone whose hair follicles have died—the result is baldness.