Archive for the ‘ Hair Regrowth ’ Category

A 38 year old woman presented with female hair loss. This included topical thinning throughout the top, sides, and back of her scalp. The hair strands had also become significantly thinner. The hair loss had been occurring for about 12 months. The loss had slowly been increasing over this time. The patient’s husband had initially noticed the problem, supportively prompting her to seek treatment.

The patient was diagnosed with Telogen Effluvium. This was diagnosed through the visible signs of loss, as well as the pattern of loss over the time frame. The patient had inquired about a solution for hair thinning, for which Ashley and Martin could offer hair regrowth treatment.

The patient was provided with a LaserCap. The medical device was to be used as a treatment for hair fall, as well as a solution to grow her hair back. Although patient did not show signs of advanced hair loss, she understood treating it early would result in the best outcome. The patient was also given Ashley and Martin’s Hair Nutrient Complex multivitamin. This was recommended to be taken once daily with food, for the duration of at least 12 months.

Over a 9 month period, the patient’s hair significantly improved throughout the top, sides and back. The hair became healthier, hair regrowth had become visible, and the overall density had increased. The back of the scalp had fully regrown. The patient had also noticed the hair shafts had become thicker, to what it previous was before the loss began to occur.

Both the patient and her husband are very pleased with the results. The patient will continue treatment for now, as more improvements are to be expected. This is due to the time frame of treatment having only occurred for 9 months.

23 year old male presented to the Ashley and Martin Perth clinic late April 2015 with no previous treatment for hair loss and was greatly concerned he would lose all his hair if he did not take control of the situation to start hair regrowth.

Client was in good health with no past or active medical problems. Client had used medications for three years although ceased two years ago which could contribute to loss. Client’s family history shows male members on the father’s side of the family experiencing hair loss with various levels of aggressiveness.

Diagnosis is male pattern baldness, Norwood early stage 3 Vertex due to the visible thinning on the hairline and crown leaving the back and sides intact consistent with MPB. Due to the amount of visible hair showing cells are still active in the area treatment is considered greatly viable for hair regrowth.

After a full consultation discussing all available options and an in clinic specialist visit, the  client decided to move forward by starting on an Ashley and Martin Realgrowth medical program to promote hair regrowth the following day.

At the 4 month check-up the client advised he had been using the products as prescribed and found it easy to do so leading to fantastic visible improvement.

Since the beginning of 2014, numerous studies have been published looking at using stem cell research and their components to aid hair regrowth and ultimately assist in the effective treatment of hair loss. Currently in the experimental stages, researchers believe that a treatment for baldness may soon be a reality – using stem cells to regrow missing or dying follicles.

Perelman School of Medicine

The school of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania published results of their study into stem cells, where they describe how they were able to convert adult cells into epithelial stem cells – cells that facilitate the regrowth of follicles. The thought of using stem cells to regrow follicles has never been properly experimented on before and the team says they are the first to achieve this result.

How did the team produce the cells?

By adding three genes, the team led by Dr. Xiaowei Xu, converted human skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These stem cells are able to change into any cell types in the body, which means the researchers were able to convert them to those stem cells which are commonly found in part of hair follicles. Dr. Xu was able to force the iPSCs to make large quantities of epithelial stem cells – using techniques from other researchers to convert the iPSCs into keratinocytes.

Not ready for practical use yet

Though hair follicles were produced from this experiment, Dr. Xu says there is still a while to go before this can be implemented as remedy to hair loss for patients. “This is the first time anyone has made progress of cells that are capable of generating hair follicles” – adding that the cells could aid in wound healing as well as hair regeneration. However, researchers will still need to determine how to foster the growth of dermal papillae, the other cell that is needed for a healthy hair follicle to grow.

Laboratory of Mammalian Cell Biology and Development

States away, a team at the Laboratory located at the Rockefeller University in New York focused on stem cells in the hair follicle to determine what causes them to switch on – naming the signal as “Sonic Hedgehog”. Led by Ya-Chieh Hsu, the team was able to disable the signal which allowed them to interfere with hair growth and regeneration.

Importance of Sonic Hedgehog

The results of the research concluded that Transit-Amplifying cells (TACs) are able to emit a signal that induces quiet hair follicle stem cells to become active. Once TACs are generated, the stem cell population becomes activated. Although there still needs to more insight into how to control TACs and the Sonic Hedgehog signal, this study can prove to be vital into the manifestations of hair loss, which in the long run can be beneficial when using stem cells to facilitate hair regrowth.

Ashley and Martin currently do not advocate the use of stem cells, however our doctors constantly stay in touch and monitor the latest research and developments in hair loss treatment.