There are certain discoveries that attract a lot of correspondence, and this is one of them.
I've heard from multiple people hoping that a new finding from our Lu Q. Le, MD, could be the cure for their hair loss. The discovery got a lot of news coverage, and people are understandably excited. So I wanted to share with you what Dr. Le found and where we go from here.
Dr. Le's discovery upends our understanding of how our hair grows. He and his team found that under-appreciated stem cells in the upper and middle sections of our hair follicles play a vital role in hair growth. These stem cells form what is known as "the bulge" at the bottom of the follicle, from which hair grows. The cells then continue to migrate downward to resupply the bulge. When the stem cells are depleted, hair growth stops.
Based on their findings, Le and his team believe that keeping the stem cells active to ensure the follicle has adequate supply for hair growth could offer a new way to combat hair loss, and to even regrow hair that has been lost. The scientists are continuing to study that, and are excited about the potential of the approach. But it's not a treatment, not yet. And it will take a lot more research before we could even begin the clinical trials that would be needed for a new treatment to regrow hair.
But he and his team are working on it, and we'll continue to update you as they make progress.
As always, we appreciate the interest. Thanks for reading.