If your man is losing his hair, he's far from alone. According to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, the majority of white men have some level of male pattern baldness before they turn 70. The precise cause hasn't been identified but testosterone and genetics are prime suspects. Now, however, those U Penn scientists believe they may be on the trail of a treatment that could not only prevent a hairless pate but may even promote re-growth for guys who have already shed their manes.
George Cotsarelis, MD and his colleagues published their findings in the journal Science Translational Medicine. They discovered that substances called prostaglandin D2 synthase and prostaglandin D2 are elevated in the bald areas of the scalps of men with alopecia but not in the sections that are still growing hair. According to MedPageToday, PGD2 "inhibits hair growth in explanted human hair follicles" and "a transgenic mouse study demonstrated elevated levels of PGD2 in the skin and develops alopecia."
"Our findings should lead directly to new treatments for the most common cause of hair loss in men, androgenetic alopecia," the researchers wrote adding that the question of whether similar changes in prostaglandin D2 levels are found in the affected scalps of women with androgenetic alopecia "also needs to be addressed."
