According to materials provided by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, The drug bimatoprost that is used to treat glaucoma actually grows human hair.
It’s been commercially available and even promoted as a way to lengthen eyelashes, but recent studies show that it can actually grow human hair from the scalp.
“We hope this study will lead to the development of a new therapy for balding which should improve the quality of life for many people with hair loss,” said Valerie Randall, a researcher involved in the work from the University of Bradford, Bradford, UK. “Further research should increase our understanding of how hair follicles work and thereby allow new therapeutic approaches for many hair growth disorders.”
Related to this new study, Randall and colleagues conducted three sets of experiments. Two involved human cells and the other involved mice. The tests on human cells involved using hair follicles growing in organ culture as well as those taken directly from the human scalp. In both of these experiments, the scientists found that bimatoprost actually led to hair growth. The third set of experiments involved applying bimatoprost to bald spots on mice. As was the case with human cells, the drug caused the hair to regrow.
“Given that the drug is already approved for human use and its safety profile is generally understood, this looks like a promising discovery that has been right in front of our eyes the whole time.”
Another article discusses research being done on the regenerative abilities of the Spiny Mouse. Evidently to escape predators, this mouse sheds it’s scalp/skin and is able to re-grow it.
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