CLUE TO MALE BALDNESS DISCOVERED.

by WhiteKnight, UK, Thursday, March 22, 2012, 07:33

Clue to male baldness discovered

Half of men have thinning hair by 50

Fatty skin cell clue to baldness

A biological clue to male baldness has been discovered, raising the prospect of a treatment to stop or even reverse thinning hair.

In studies of bald men and laboratory mice, US scientists pinpointed a protein that triggers hair loss.

Drugs that target the pathway are already in development, they report in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

The research could lead to a cream to treat baldness.

Most men start to go bald in middle age, with about 80% of men having some hair loss by the age of 70.

The male sex hormone testosterone plays a key role, as do genetic factors. They cause the hair follicles to shrink, eventually becoming so small that they are invisible, leading to the appearance of baldness. <SNIP>

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