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6 October 2005
Hope In Sight For Female Hair Loss 
Female pattern hair loss (an overall thinning) affects a large percentage of women, with one in five women over the age of 30 and one in two women aged 60 or more suffering from the condition. As well as unwelcome changes to the hair, the condition can also have devastating psychological effects on sufferers, say Australian researchers. "Most women diagnosed with female pattern hair loss are stunned to discover that the condition exists, that they have it, and that so many women are affected by it," Monash University researcher Sebastiana Biondo said. "This lack of awareness and understanding is also not limited to the general public - many hair and health professionals are unaware of how common the condition is and how distressing it is for sufferers." Co-researcher Francesca Collins added that most people didn't realize the anxiety, grief and sense of helplessness associated with the slow, progressive condition. "Many women don't go out, became anxious or depressed, preferring to hide the condition because of a sense of embarrassment," she said. "They also don't feel confident about asking a doctor about the condition or possible treatments. By the time they do something months and sometimes years may have passed before any treatment is started." To tackle the problem, the Australian researchers have set up a new group therapy program Halo (short for hair loss), that has achieved positive outcomes in dealing with the psychological effects of hair loss. "The Halo program is all about training women to feel confident, empowering them to communicate with their doctors, as well as developing relaxation strategies and providing information on medical treatment options available," said Collins.
And while group therapy is helping women cope with hair loss in Australia, researchers in Europe report on a breakthrough in stem cell technology that could regenerate a complete head of hair. The exciting findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Working with mice, the researchers have discovered that certain cells inside the hair follicle are actually multi-potent stem cells, capable of developing into the many different cell types needed for hair growth and follicle replacement. They believe that these cells could be used for long-term follicle renewal in humans. "With the progeny of a single stem cell, it would be theoretically possible to generate the complete hair bulb of a human being, and one that would last for years," explained researcher Yann Barrandon, from Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne. The ability of the stem cells in hair follicles to repeatedly regenerate all the different cell types of the follicle and sebaceous glands has important implications for regenerative medicine. The method could one day be used to regenerate hair on patients suffering severe burns or hair loss for other reasons. Source: Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Research Australia
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