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Gene linked to hair loss brings cure for baldness nearer

A cure for baldness has come a step closer after scientists identified a gene that is connected to hair loss.

By Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent

 …and 25 days after birth Photo: AFP/GETTY

The breakthrough should help scientists develop new treatments as well as help pinpoint early in life which men are likely to lose their hair.

The Sox21 gene has in the past been shown to be linked to the formation of nerve cells, but the new study is the first to indicate its function in ensuring hair retention.

Researchers made the finding during experiments on mice which, like humans, carry the gene.

The scientists blocked the activity of the gene in mice and found that the rodents started losing hair on their heads about 15 days after birth and became completely naked a week later.

“It is entirely possible that the gene is also a cause of thinning hair among humans”, said Professor Yumiko Saga at the National Institute of Genetics in Tokyo.

Hairs have a long growing phase – two years or more – followed by a short resting phase of two or three months.

But as some men age this pattern gradually reverses until eventually the resting period is so long that there’s no new hair coming through to replace the 100 to 150 hairs we lose daily through natural shedding.

The Japanese reseachers, who published their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, believe that Sox21 governs this cycle.

“Normally, new hair appears right after old hair falls out,” said Professor Saga. “But the hair of these mice fell out very early, making their bald periods longer.”

Dr Bessam Farjo, medical director of the Institute of Trichologists, said the research added to the growing knowledge of hair loss and could help identify and target young men who will lose their hair.

“It is very interesting,” he said. “It should help in the current research into finding a cure for hair loss. It will also help us accurately target men likely to lose their hair so we can treat them before it happens.”

Hair loss affects an estimated 7.4million British men. There is no cure but several tablets and lotions claim to have a preventive effect and help regrowth.

By the age of 60 more than two thirds of men are affected by it.

When it’s time to see the Trichologist: If you begin losing hair rapidly, and or are cosmetically concerned about baldness, consult your Trichologist about treatment options. You can receive a free hair loss consultation with a Westminster Trichologist at our Hair Centre.

The point is that you are not getting to the real problem and you should seek specific professional advice from a Westminster Trichologist.

“Why buy hair loss treatments over the counter or on the internet when you can see a Westminster Trichologist for FREE and know that you are guaranteed results”

Do you have Hair Loss Problems, read our Hair Loss Help

Scientists identify gene that may explain hair loss

Mon, May 25 17:00 PM EDT
HONG KONG, May 26 (Reuters) – Researchers in Japan have identified a gene that appears to determine cyclical hair loss in mice and believe it may also be responsible for hair loss, or alopecia, in people.

In a report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists described how they generated a line of mice that were lacking in the Sox21 gene.

“The mice started to lose their fur from postnatal day 11, beginning at the head and progressing toward the tail region of the back,” they wrote.

“Between day 20 and day 25, these mice eventually lost all of their body hair, including the whiskers. Intriguingly, new hair regrowth was initiated a few days later but was followed by renewed hair loss.”

The cyclical alopecia continued for more than two years and the researchers observed that the mutant mice had enlarged oil-secreting sebaceous glands around the hair follicle and a thickened layer of skin cells during periods of hair loss.

“The gene is likely involved with the differentiation of stem cells that form the outer layer of the hair shaft,” wrote the researchers, led by Yumiko Saga of the Division of Mammalian Development at the National Institute of Genetics in Mishima.

The scientists went on to examine human skin samples, where they found evidence of this same gene.

“We confirmed that Sox21 is also expressed in the hair shaft cuticle in humans … These results indicate that the Sox21 gene could be responsible for some hair loss conditions in humans,” the authors concluded. (Reporting by Tan Ee Lyn; Editing by Alex Richardson)

http://us.mobile.reuters.com/mobile/m/AnyArticle/p.rdt?URL=http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUST98311

When it’s time to see the Trichologist: If you begin losing hair rapidly, and or are cosmetically concerned about baldness, consult your Trichologist about treatment options. You can receive a free hair loss consultation with a Westminster Trichologist at our Hair Centre.

The point is that you are not getting to the real problem and you should seek specific professional advice from a Westminster Trichologist.

“Why buy hair loss treatments over the counter or on the internet when you can see a Westminster Trichologist for FREE and know that you are guaranteed results”

Do you have Hair Loss Problems, read our Hair Loss Help