Hair Loss

Dermatol Surg. 2009;35:1873

Split-skin grafting from the scalp: the hidden advantage.
Weyandt GH, et al

Edited for hair loss blog use

BACKGROUND: Split-skin grafting is a routine reconstructive technique for the treatment of hair loss associated with large variation in practice. Grafts from the thigh, buttock, or abdomen take a long time to heal +and regrow hair and may leave unpleasant, hypopigmented scars. Retrospective reports favor the scalp as a donor site in burn patients. OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of duration of healing, cosmetic outcome, and safety of split-skin grafting from the scalp in patients receiving dermatologic surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred sixty-six consecutive patients (85 men, 81 women) were treated for coverage of chronic leg ulcers or other large skin defects with a split-skin graft taken from the posterior scalp. Area and thickness of the graft, healing time, and adverse events were documented. RESULTS: Mean healing time until complete reepithelization was 5.4+/-1.0 days for a single harvest (median 5 days). No major complications occurred. Spotted alopecia was a rare event. Almost all (96.5%) of the patients would undergo split-skin harvesting from the occipital scalp again if needed. CONCLUSIONS: Advantages of the scalp as a donor site include rapidity of wound healing, low risk of complications, and excellent cosmetic results. The large number of hair follicles containing the epidermal stem cell pool can explain these advantages.

Arch Dermatol Res. 1989;281:247

... The androchronogenetic alopecia (AGA) mouse as a model for male-pattern baldness.

Matias JR, et al

The AGA mouse expresses male pattern hair loss. Daily testosterone treatment induced hair thinning along the upper back. After 12 to 14 weeks this diffuse hair loss eventually eveloped into a bald area which extended to the middorsum. Dihydrotestosterone was more effective than T in stimulating the onset of pattern hair loss. In this model, T decreased the rate of hair growth, decreasing the duration of anagen, and markedly prolonging the duration of telogen. Topical cyproterone acetate delayed the progression of testosterone-mediated hair loss. However, this inhibitory effect occurred through systemic means as evidenced by decrease in the size of the submaxillary gland. Chronic feeding of androgen-treated female AGA mice with a diet containing 0.01% minoxidil also inhibited the development of hair loss..... Increasing the dose to 2% caused a slight retardation of the development of alopecia.....

Int J Dermatol. 2009;48:184

Hair loss in congenital hidrotic ectodermal dysplasia responding to treatment with a combination of topical minoxidil and tretinoin.Melkote S, et al

Clouston's syndrome is an ectodermal dysplasia characterized by dystrophic nails, hair loss, and palmoplantar hyperkeratosis. hair loss is due to decrease in number and degree of maturation of the hair follicles. Tretinoin is a mitogen by itself and also enhances the absorption of minoxidil which acts by enlarging the miniaturized hair follicles. We report a case of alopecia in Clouston's syndrome who responded to treatment with topical minoxidil and tretinoin.

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J Am Acad Dermatol. 1986;15:571-85.

Age changes of normal skin.
Fenske NA, Lober CW.

Solar-induced cutaneous changes are more prevalent and profound in older persons and, thus, are often inappropriately attributed to the aging process, per se. Structural and functional alterations caused by intrinsic aging and independent of environmental insults are now recognized in the skin of elderly individuals.snip... There is a progressive reduction in the density of hair follicles per unit area on the face and scalp, independent of male-pattern hair loss. The hair shaft diameter is generally reduced but in some areas, especially the ears, nose, and eyebrows of men and the upper lip and chin in women, it is increased as vellus hairs convert to cosmetically compromising terminal hairs. Functional alterations noted in the skin of elderly persons include a decreased growth rate of the epidermis, hair, and nails, delayed wound healing, reduced dermal clearance of fluids and foreign materials, and compromised vascular responsiveness. snip...Clinical correlates of these intrinsic aging changes of the skin include hair loss,...snip

J Invest Dermatol.2004;122:7

Topical estrogen accelerates hair regrowth in mice after chemotherapy-induced alopecia..
Ohnemus U,et al.

Estrogen receptor ligands are important modulators of skin physiology and are involved in the control of normal hair regrowth. Here, we have studied the effects of topically applied 17-beta-estradiol on pathologic hair follicle cycling as seen during chemotherapy-induced hair loss, one of the major unresolved problems of clinical oncology. For this study we employed a well-established murine model that mimics chemotherapy-induced hair loss in humans. For precisely quantifying the area of hair loss and hair regrowth in this model in vivo, we developed a simple planimetric assayWe show that topical 17-beta-estradiol significantly alters the cycling response of murine follicles to cyclophosphamide, whereas the estrogen antagonist ICI 182.780 exerted no such effects. Initially, topical 17-beta-estradiol enhanced chemotherapy-induced hairloss significantly by forcing the follicles into the dystrophic catagen response pathway to hair follicle damage, whereas follicles treated by ICI 182.780 or vehicle shifted into the dystrophic anagen response pathway. Consequently, the regrowth of normally pigmented hair shafts after chemotherapy-induced alopecia was significantly accelerated in the 17-beta-estradiol treated group. Our data encourage one to explore topical estrogens as a potential stimulant for hair re-growth after chemotherapy-induced hair loss.

Dr Proctor Treats hair Loss

Laryngoscope. 2009;119:202

Hepatocyte growth factor protects auditory hair cells from aminoglycosides.

Kikkawa YS,et al

To examine the effect of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) for protection of auditory hair cells against aminoglycosides and its molecular mechanisms. Experimental study. We quantitatively assessed protective effects of HGF on mouse cochlear hair cells against neomycin toxicity using explant culture systems. To understand mechanisms of hair cell protection by HGF, we examined the expression of c-Met, HGF receptor, and 4-hydroxynonenal (a lipid peroxidation marker) in the cochlea by means of immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. The application of HGF to cochlear explant cultures significantly reduced the hair cell loss induced by neomycin. Immunohistochemistry showed c-Met expression in normal auditory hair cells, and its increase in response to neomycin-induced damage. Immunostaining for 4-hydroxynonenal suggested that HGF acted by attenuating the lipid peroxidation of auditory epithelia induced by neomycin. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that a functional HGF/c-Met coupling is present in the cochlea, and HGF application exerts protective effects on hair cells, indicating the potential of HGF as a therapeutic agent for sensorineural hearing loss.

"...The size of bald area in tablet and gel groups had significant decrease at fourth month, noting there was no change in gel group, which indicates the greater therapeutic effect of tablet than gel. Although, the total hair regrowth in both groups was significant during the fourth month, in the gel group, we did not find any decrease in the size of hair loss area and consequently the better appearance of person."