What a year! While it’s been an incredibly unique year, especially coming out of 2020, there has still been much and more going on in the world of Hair Restoration and Hair Transplantation, not to mention Hair Care and Hair Loss.
Today we’re going to look back on the past year and hopefully share some insights into the world of Hair Restoration!
Runaway Hair Stem Cells!
In October, The New York Times reported about a new breakthrough in the understanding of why Hair Loss occurs. They were specifically interested in it because it happens with pretty much every mammal that has hair, so they wanted to know what the common threads were, so to speak!
The commonly held idea is currently that Hair Stem Cells reach “Cell Exhaustion” and simply die out, but according to Dr. Yi, the head researcher for the experiment, there was something even they hadn’t expected happening instead!
The Stem Cells seemed to come to life and escape from the follicle beds! This was a shock to say the least, and researchers still aren’t sure what happens to the runaway stem cells, but it opened the door for a new research project that we will likely hear about in the future.
Specifically, Dr. Yi and his researchers are working on identifying how Genes FOXC1 and NFATC1, both of which have reduced activity in older hair follicles, can help researchers understand how to better tackle Hair Loss and improve Hair Restoration in the future.
COVID-19 And Hair Loss
Research continues among dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and Hair Restoration specialists about the connection between COVID-19 and concurrent Hair Loss.
There are many variables to consider when looking at how a particular virus, especially one that changes and adapts as quickly as COVID-19 does, affects hair, scalp, and follicle health, but the consensus seems to be that those hospitalized during the pandemic with this Coronavirus are impacted by Androgens to varying degrees.
While many people have talked about “COVID Effluvium”, or Covid-related stress hair loss, according to Dr. Petrou in Dermatology Times, the bigger concern is Androgen levels.
The research found that men in particular who were suffering from Hair Loss or Baldness had a higher chance of more severe infection from not only COVID-19, but other Flu-like viruses as well.
While the difference was rather small, he does recommend setting an appointment with your dermatologist or Hair Loss specialist, like Dr. Joseph Williams, to discuss treatment options and how to best balance our Androgens to maintain your health without exacerbating Hair Loss or Balding.
There are many medicinal and non-surgical treatments for Hair Loss, and many of them impact Androgen levels as part of their treatment, so check with your doctor about other options that might be available to you during these times.
Surgical procedures like Follicular Unit Excision (FUE) and Follicular Unit Transfer (FUT) are highly successful with modern techniques and an expert surgeon, and once they take hold they use your body’s own natural blood-flow and hair follicles to provide you with a great look without all of the chemical or medicinal options taking up your time and wallet.
Hair Product Recalls
Procter & Gamble, one of the largest cosmetics and self-care product manufacturers in the world, had to recall products from several of its lines of aerosol Hair Care products because of traces of Benzene.
Benzene is a known carcinogen, which caused the concern, and while there have been no serious injuries so far from the products, it is still cause for concern and a reminder to be careful of your Hair Styling products!
This includes products from their Pantene, Herbal Essences, Old Spice, and Aussie mousses, dry conditioners and shampoos, and some other products. The full list can be found here.
If you have had Hair Restoration treatment like Follicular Unit Excision or Follicular Unit Transplantation, your surgeon should have informed you of the best way to care for your hair post-procedure, and you can also see our past blog about Post-Op care if you want to review some general guidelines!
After Hair Restoration treatments, even for less invasive types like Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT), you will want to be particularly careful with anything that can cause extra harm to your hair and scalp, so paying attention to recalled products is important, just as researching the best products for your hair and scalp are as well!
Stress And Hair Loss
This blog has covered Hair Loss from Iron Deficiency and Genetic Hair Loss in the past, and stress has come up in many places as a cause for Hair Loss with mixed results from researchers.
That all changed this year when Harvard researchers completed their research into the effects of removing stress hormones (cortisol in humans) from test animals, they found that the Hair Follicles became much more active with less down-time even into old age.
The research is still ongoing, with tests already conducted on mice and more research and study going forward before human trials will be ready.
However, even just the knowledge that cortisol affects Genetic Hair Loss in this way is a huge breakthrough that is likely to lead to more and better treatments in the future.
Male Pattern Hair Loss signs increase with age, but signs can start as early as the late teen or early adult years, so any breakthroughs in potential treatments will lead to improvements in all areas of Hair Restoration and Restorative Surgery.
Even with treatments such as this on the horizon, it is still some time off as it can take decades for research and study to finalize and get approval for treatments at the genetic level, but even if small gains are made it will make treating Hair Loss itself easier, but also make recovery from Hair Restoration faster and better as well.
Onward to 2022!
No matter how Hair Loss has impacted your life, it is still an area of serious concern not only for appearances, but for confidence and self-esteem among men and women both. While there is no magical tincture or tonic to restore hair just yet, there are still many options available for you and your loved ones.
With the holiday season here and the new year approaching fast, consider treating yourself to the confidence and self-esteem that the right look can bring you as you close this year off and move on to 2022.
For a consultation or more information about how Dr. Joseph Williams can help you manage your Hair Loss with Hair Restoration treatments, contact us today to schedule a consultation and take the first steps toward your new you.
Happy Holidays!
