Scientists at National Taiwan University have developed a serum that restored hair growth in mice within 20 days, raising hopes for potential baldness treatment in humans.
The research, published in Cell Metabolism, focused on what happens in the skin when hair follicles regenerate. The team discovered that when the skin is injured or mildly irritated, immune cells move into the underlying fat tissue, signaling fat cells to release certain monounsaturated fatty acids like oleic acid and palmitoleic acid.
A research team at National Taiwan University, led by Lin Sung Jan from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, published a study on October 22 demonstrating the serum’s efficacy. Lin said the team was intrigued by how fat tissue influences hair growth, finding that after skin irritation, fat cells called adipocytes shrink just before hair begins to regrow.
Lin, a professor in the department of Biomedical Engineering and department of Dermatology at the National Taiwan University, told Newsweek that though the fatty acids were not tested in human skin directly in clinical trials, results suggest they might work in humans.
In experiments conducted on mice, researchers found that the serum stimulated fat cells in the skin, which helped regenerate hair follicles. Professor Sung Jan Lin even tested the serum on himself.
However, Dr. George Cotsarelis from the University of Pennsylvania said he was not certain this finding could have any implications for the treatment of human baldness. Dr. Luis Garza, a professor of Dermatology at Johns Hopkins University, noted that skin irritation could have unintended consequences such as decreasing the efficacy of normal barrier function, which is important to keep out allergens.
While the results are very promising, the scientists emphasize that the treatment is still at a pre clinical stage and has not yet been proven in large human trials. The 20 day regrowth result has so far been achieved only in mice, whose hair growth cycle is much faster and whose physiology is different from the human scalp.
The research team has officially received a patent for the serum and is preparing to test different concentrations on the human scalp. If successful, the product could be introduced as a non prescription hair care serum designed to treat baldness and thinning hair safely and effectively.
For Ghana, hair loss affects both men and women across all age groups. If proven effective in humans, this natural fatty acid based approach could offer an affordable alternative to expensive hair transplants or chemical treatments for Ghanaians struggling with baldness.
