Hair Loss

J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2009

Latanoprost in the treatment of eyelash alopecia in alopecia areata universalis.

Modified and edited for hair loss treatment blog

Coronel-Pérez IM, et al

Abstract Objectives The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of latanoprost in eyelash alopecia areata (AA). Design This study is a 2-year prospective, non-blinded, non-randomized, bilateral eyelash alopecia controlled study. Setting The setting of this study was Trichology Unit, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, Seville, Spain. Patients We conducted a survey of 54 subjects with AA universalis treated with the protocol of the Trichology Unit of our Department.
Control group comprised 10 subjects who received injections of 0.5 mg/cm(2) of triamcinolone acetonide (TAC) in their eyebrows and 1 mg/cm(2) of TAC injections in affected scalp. The treatment group included 44 subjects who received the same treatment as the control group in scalp and eyebrows but they also applied a drop of latanoprost 0.005% (50 mug/mL) ophthalmic solution in their eyelid margins every night. Subjects were reviewed every 3 months for 2 years. Results Forty subjects finished the study and four subjects were lost to follow-up. In the treatment arm of this study, the course was well tolerated and uncomplicated. Both investigators and patients evaluated the regrowth. The results we obtained were: complete hair regrowth in 17.5%, moderate regrowth in 27.5%, slight regrowth in 30% and without response in 25%. Moderate and total hair regrowth constituted a cosmetically acceptable response. The treatment was continuous and the response remained without any side effects. No patients had cosmetically acceptable eyelash regrowth in the control group. Conclusions Latanoprost may be an effective drug in the treatment of eyelash AA because it induces acceptable responses (total and moderate) in 45% of the patients. A formal, blinded prospective unilateral controlled study will permit further understanding about this promising therapeutic agent for eyelash AA.

Modified and edited for hair loss treatment blog

J Cosmet Dermatol.2009;8:83

Pattern hair loss in males:
El-Domyati M, et al

Edited for Hair regrowth blog

BACKGROUND: Male pattern hair loss is a common hair disorder, resulting from genetic, endocrine, and aging factors leading to follicular miniaturization. Inflammation is a potential player in this process. AIMS: To study the histopathological and ultrastructural changes occurring in male androgenetic alopecia (AGA). Patients/methods Fifty-five subjects were included in this study. Skin biopsies were subjected to examination, immunohistochemical staining for collagen I and ultrastructural study. The frontal bald area of patients showed an increase in telogen hairs and a decrease in anagen/telogen ratio and terminal/vellus hair ratio. Follicular inflammation was almost a constant feature and showed a significant inverse correlation with perifollicular fibrosis. Follicular inflammation plays a role in pattern hair loss in early cases. Over time, thickening of perifollicular sheath takes place due to increased deposition of collagen, resulting in marked perifollicular fibrosis, and sometimes ends by complete destruction of the affected follicles in advanced cases of hair loss.

Hairloss treatment and hair regrowth

Biol Trace Elem Res. 2010 Jan 5

Fluorine-Induced Apoptosis and Lipid Peroxidation in Human Hair Follicles In Vitro.
Wang ZH, et al

editd for hair loss treatment blogs

Fluoride is an essential for human body; however, exposure to high amounts of fluoride is correlated with hair loss. To date, little is known about the mechanism(s) of how fluoride affects hair follicles. Here, we demonstrated that sodium fluoride (NaF) significantly inhibited hair follicle regrowth in vitro, but low NaF showed little influence. Moreover, treatment with high levels of NaF resulted in a marked increase in terminal dUTP nick end labeling-positive cells in the outer layer of the outer root sheath, the dermal sheath, and the lower bulb matrix surrounding dermal papilla. Furthermore, the enhanced apoptosis was coupled with an increased oxidative stress manifested as higher malondialdehyde content. Additionally, the presence of selenium considerably antagonized the effects of middle NaF on hair follicles, with regard to either the suppression of hair regrowth or the induction of oxidative stress and apoptosis. In conclusion, exposure to high levels of fluoride compromises hair follicle regrowth…. .

Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2009;17:287

edited for conciseness.

An update on hair restoration therapy.
Lee TS, Minton TJ.

This study is aimed towards clinicians involved in hair restoration. We review recent literature on this topic. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent studies discussed in this article focus on various aspects of follicular unit transplant surgery, including hairline design and associated complications. In addition, a relatively new surgical technique termed follicular unit extraction (FUE) is discussed. Larger series in FUE have recently been published, adding to the growing body of literature on this technique. SUMMARY: Follicular unit strip surgery continues to be the gold standard of hair replacement technique. FUE has been used by several authors with success and further refinements may increase its utility in hair restoration surgery.

FASEB J. 2009 Dec 21.

Identification of novel hair-growth inducers by means of connectivity mapping.
Ishimatsu-Tsuji Y,et al

The aim of this study was to identify novel inducers of hair regrowth using gene expression profiling at various stages of hair-growth induction. First, we analyzed gene expression at the onset of hair growth in mice induced by cyclosporin A (CsA), a well-known hair-growth inducer, using DNA microarray analysis. The results unveiled genes involved in the step-by-step progression of hair regrowth, including increases in melanin biosynthesis and decreases in immune response at d 2 and the subsequent stimulation of cell proliferation at d 4, followed by the up-regulation of hair specific keratins at d 7 after CsA treatment. With the use of the connectivity map (Cmap), agents that had a similar “gene signature” to that of the profiles of CsA-treated mice were identified. Several agents, including CsA, were identified by the Cmap and were evaluated for hair induction activity in vivo. One of the proposed agents, fluphenazine (from the d 2 signature) actually induced hair growth in vivo, and the subsequent application of 5 mM iloprost (from the d 4 signature) significantly enhanced the hair-growth effect of fluphenazine. From these results, Cmap analysis was proven to be a useful method that connects gene expression profiles of complicated biological processes, such as hair-growth induction, to effective agents.

Edtide for hair lotss treatment and regrowth blog

Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg.2009;17:287
An update on hair restoration therapy.

edited for hair loss blog

Lee TS, Minton TJ.

This study is aimed towards clinicians involved in the rapidly developing field of hair restoration. We provide a review of recent literature on this topic. Recent studies discussed in this article focus on various aspects of follicular unit transplant surgery, including hairline design and associated complications. In addition, a relatively new surgical technique termed follicular unit extraction (FUE) is discussed. In recent years, larger series in FUE have been published, adding to the growing body of literature on this technique. Follicular unit strip surgery continues to be the gold standard of hair replacement technique. FUE has been used by several authors with success and further refinements may increase its utility in hair restoration surgery.

Clin Genet.2009;76:332
Hereditary hair loss and the ancient signaling pathways that regulate ectodermal appendage formation.

Van Raamsdonk CD.

All epidermal appendages, including hair, teeth, and nails, begin as a thickening of the ectoderm. This placode arises from a primary induction signal sent from the underlying mesenchyme to the overlying epidermis. In mammals, the precise arrangement of hair follicles in the skin is due to the amount and distribution of signals that promote and inhibit hair placode formation. Continued development of a hair follicle after placode formation requires a complex cross-talk between the mesenchyme and epidermis. Here, I will review recent studies in humans and mice that have increased our understanding of the role of these signaling pathways in normal development and in hereditary hair loss syndromes. The study of normal hair development may suggest ways to restore or eliminate hair and might identify possible targets for the therapy of basal cell carcinoma, a cancer which strongly resembles embryonic hair follicles.

edited for hair loss blog

Arch Dermatol Res. 2006;298:131

Induction of cellular immunity against hair follicle melanocyte causes hair loss.
Nagai H, et al

Hair loss due to Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease. Although it has been hypothesized that the autoimmunity is mediated by T cells and that hair follicle melanocyte is one of the targets, definitive evidence is lacking. We here demonstrate that AA-like lesions can be induced in mice by inducing CD8(+) T-cell-mediated immunity to hair follicle melanocytes. We found that hair loss was induced in mice-bearing interleukin-12-producing B16 melanoma cells by the depletion of CD4(+) T cells, accompanied by vitiligo-like coat color change. The alopecic lesions varied in size from pachy to extensive. In many instances, hair loss developed and was followed by the regrowth of white hairs. Histological analysis revealed that mononuclear cells infiltrated in and around the bulb region of hair follicles. Furthermore, immunohistochemical examination clearly showed the intra-follicular infiltration of CD8(+) T cells. Neither the vitiligo-like coat color nor AA-like lesions were induced when CD8(+) T cells were codepleted. These observations indicate that the induction of CD8(+) T-cell-mediated immunity against hair follicle melanocytes causes alopecia. It is thought that there are many types of AA with different mechanisms, targets etc. Although hair follicle melanocytes have long been thought to be one of the targets of AA, evidence to support the hypothesis is sparse. Therefore, we believe that our observation is significant to support the hypothesis.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1988;85:7739

Evidence that the effector mechanism of skin allograft rejection is antigen-specific.
Rosenberg AS, Singer A.

edited for hair loss blog

In vivo rejection responses are initiated by specific T-cell recognition of foreign antigens…., but it is not certain if the effector mechanism mediating the actual tissue injury is also antigen-specific. snip… Trunk skin from B6 in equilibrium with A/J allophenic mice was grafted onto immunoincompetent mice and allowed to heal and regrow hair that was both black and white, reflecting the genetic mosaicism of the allophenic grafts. One month after engraftment, the H-2b nude animals were reconstituted with syngeneic H-2b T cells reactive against H-2a allodeterminants. An obvious rejection response ensued involving antigen-nonspecific inflammatory destruction of the epidermis and complete hair loss. Despite the intensity of the nonspecific inflammatory response, the foreign skin grafts survived. Importantly, the allophenic grafts regrew hair and the predominant color of that hair was black, providing visual proof that syngeneic B6 melanocytes and hair follicle cells had not been destroyed. Thus, these results demonstrate that although the intense inflammatory component of skin graft rejection responses is capable of damaging superficial epidermal cells nonspecifically, it does not cause rejection of skin allografts. Rather, rejection of skin allografts is mediated by antigen-specific effector T cells that assess individual cells within the dermis of the graft for expression of foreign histocompatibility antigens.

Hair Loss Treatment at the Proctor Clinic