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  1. #1
    Junior Member Difthin's Avatar
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    Default Article: Skin molecules that cause baldness, unwanted hair identified

    http://life.nationalpost.com/2013/12...oth-processes/

    Any thoughts? Article below:

    It turns out that when it comes to growing hair that’s stopped growing, and stopping hair from growing where people don’t want it, the same molecules in the human body are at play, according to a new study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

    Researchers writing in the journal Cell Stem Cell this month say that balding is caused by the protein inhibitor Dkk1, which stops the intracellular Wnt/β-catenin pathway from functioning properly. They further found that stem cells for dormant hair follicles are still maintained after balding begins. When Dkk1 is removed, the Wnt/β-catenin pathway resumes normal function, stem cells were activated, and hair growth is restored.

    Another important point in the study was when researchers unexpectedly discovered that the hair-creating cell pathway is also normally active in non-hairy regions, such as on the palms of hands, soles of feet and the tongue, as well as between hair follicles on the surface of the skin. This finding is consistent with previous results showing that removing β-catenin can prevent the growth of skin tumours.

    “While more research is needed to improve our understanding of this pathway, our results suggest that therapeutics capable of decreasing levels of Wnt/β-catenin signalling in the skin could potentially be used to block growth of unwanted hair, and/or to treat certain skin tumours,” said senior author Sarah Millar, PhD, professor in the departments of Dermatology and of Cell and Developmental Biology. “Conversely, if delivered in a limited, safe and controlled way, agents that activate Wnt signalling might be used to promote hair growth in dormant hair follicles in conditions such as male pattern baldness.”

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  3. #3
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    hahaha

  4. #4
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    Sounds really promising though could be huge, but at this point I honestly have to start seeing results to really care anymore. Just too many hyped up stories and breakthrough just fizzle out to never turn into anything. Someone needs to piece it all together and figure out how important each piece is so it can really be solved. Results on humans is all that matters in the end.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by burtandernie View Post
    Sounds really promising though could be huge, but at this point I honestly have to start seeing results to really care anymore. Just too many hyped up stories and breakthrough just fizzle out to never turn into anything. Someone needs to piece it all together and figure out how important each piece is so it can really be solved. Results on humans is all that matters in the end.
    +1

  6. #6
    Senior Member BoSox's Avatar
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    Seems like a new discovery is made every month recently. Still, losing my hair though.

  7. #7
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    Anyone have access to the full paper?

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by BoSox View Post
    Seems like a new discovery is made every month recently. Still, losing my hair though.
    This just about sums it up. Close thread.

  9. #9
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    The DKK-1 Link
    The blood level of circulating androgens is important to the mechanism of hair loss. For example, a high level of DHT (dihydrotestosterone), a product of testosterone has been identified as the chief cause of androgenic alopecia.

    Male hormones and their metabolites such as DHT bind to certain receptors of an important group of cells in the skin, the papilla cells.*Papilla cells are chiefly responsible for transporting nutrients to other cells in hair follicles.

    These cells play a key role in the events leading to balding or alopecia. When they are blocked by male hormones, they cannot effectively feed the hair follicles; therefore, hair production slows down.

    To test whether Vitamin C has any positive effect in the reversal of hair loss, a group of Korean researchers from Kyungpook National University took some papilla cells from the skin of balding men and exposed them to a derivative of Vitamin C.

    The derivative used was Ascorbic acid 2-phosphate which is used in many topical cosmetic products and which is converted to Vitamin C in the cell.

    The idea to try Vitamin C salt on actual hair cells was born out of a prior research in which the group of researchers demonstrated that ascorbic acid 2-phosphate boosts hair growth.

    To explain their findings, the researchers drew attention to the fact that androgens such as DHT are known to activate the dickkopf-1 gene which in turn produces a protein called DKK-1. The DKK-1 is sometimes called the baldness protein since it is found mostly in skin cells in people undergoing hair loss.

    The study showed that as the DKK-1 protein level rose, the papilla cell population dropped. Just as these papilla cells died, the cells responsible for synthesizing the outer root sheath of hair strands stopped functioning. This quickly led to a sharp drop in hair growth and more hair loss.

    However, when the Vitamin C salt was added to the papilla cells taken from balding people, the production of the DKK-1 protein was inhibited.

    There was, however, an additional benefit: the vitamin also led to an increase in the production of IGF-1, a growth factor, in the papilla cells. Both of these effects lead to a reversal of hair loss.

    Still, further studies are needed to determine what form of Vitamin C will provide the most benefit for people experiencing hair loss and whether topical preparations or supplements will better serve them.

    Meanwhile, an important proof has been established directly correlating Vitamin C as effective in inhibiting the actions of androgens in relation to hair loss. That, in itself, is a major milestone since androgens, especially DHT, are known to a major cause of hereditary alopecia and hair loss in steroid users.

    Not Enough Vitamin C?
    When you are not getting enough vitamin C, it can lead to dry or splitting hair, which in turn can lead to hair loss.

    At the very least, your hair is not going to be healthy looking, and you may see many other problems.

    There are many delicious dietary sources of vitamin C. There are also a number of different types of dietary supplements to make sure that you are getting all that you need. You may want to choose a supplement that contains just vitamin C, or one that contains many of the vitamins and minerals that help to promote healthy hair.

    Some of the foods that you should have in your diet include:

    Spinach
    Blueberries
    Citrus fruits (oranges, lemons and grapefruits)
    Kiwi
    Pineapples
    Winter squash
    Mango
    Strawberries
    Tomatoes
    Green Peppers
    According to the US Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the average adult should be eating five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily in order to ensure that they are getting enough vitamin C.

    Vitamin C in Plants (mg/100g)

  10. #10
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    You know i started taking vitamin C 1g a day before i had hair loss. +2 bananas and kiwi's
    Now sometimes i take 1.5g depending if i have to workout or not, but still I encounter hair loss.

    Maybe a tropical application of vitamin c will work?

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