Hair Loss Research

    Future hair loss treatments address many of the limitations of the cosmetic, medical, and surgical treatment methods currently in use, and will include some entirely new treatment methods such as hair follicle cloning and gene therapy, both of which are methods that have the potential to actually "cure" inherited pattern baldness permanently.

    But it also seems reasonable to ask why human society would spend precious biomedical research effort and limited funds on hair loss treatments, when deadly and debilitating conditions such as AIDS, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease also need solutions. While economic concepts such as a "free market" and "supply and demand" are a couple of answers, it also happens that the human hair follicle is a rich scientific model for understanding important aspects of human cell biology, organ system developmental biology, immune response medicine, the process of controlled cell regeneration and differentiation, and especially human genetics.

    A unique feature of hair follicles is the way these miniature hair-growing organs cycle through growth and rest cycles. In addition to hairs being grown and then shed in these phases, the follicle itself disintegrates almost entirely by the end of the regression phase, and an almost entirely new follicle is created at the beginning of the next growth phase. The creation of a hair follicle at the beginning of each growth phase presents unique opportunities for applying advanced molecular biology medical techniques such as cloning and gene therapy. The more we unravel the working of different parts of the human body, the more we find that everything is connected, and what we learn in one area of medicine can inevitably be applied to many other areas. 

Future of Cosmetic Treatments

    Cosmetic treatments for hair loss are by definition impermanent and reversible, so those aspects of cosmetic treatments will not change in the future. But other improvements will certainly be made. In the future, there will likely be hair-styling products that give a much more powerful appearance of a full head of hair, when compared to today's hair-thickening gels and hair shaft-coating mousses. Hairpieces and wigs currently have the disadvantage of expensive and time-consuming ongoing maintenance and replacement, and their use continues to include a significant fear of detection. In the future, cosmetic hair appliances such as hairpieces and wigs will likely be constructed of even finer and more durable materials, which will appear and feel even more genuine, and be even less detectable. Attachment methods will continue to be very secure, but may also become easier and faster to release, reducing maintenance effort, and improving hygiene.