Those dealing with hair loss problems and baldness can now rejoice! Thanks to several innovations, baldness may soon become a thing of the past.
Deemed for long as an untreatable condition, a new substance, the raspberry ketone, has been proven efficient as a remedy for baldness.
Raspberry ketone is the natural substance responsible for the powerful aroma of red raspberries. Cranberries, strawberries and kiwis also contain small amounts of the substance.
This natural substance has been used in weight loss supplements and shows similarities with capsaicin found in chilli peppers. While studies to prove that raspberry ketones aid in the weight loss process are still underway, a Japanese study has found that raspberry ketone extract has led to hair growth in 50% of human test subjects suffering from spot baldness (“alopecia”), after 5 months of treatment.
The ketone extract was first tested on mice by applying a topical cream containing the substance on their skin. The raspberry ketone cream was found to increase the manifestation of the “IGF-1” insulin growth factor in the hair follicles and induced hair growth in mice following 4 weeks after application. Raspberry ketone was later tested on the facial skin and scalp of randomly selected human test subjects with alopecia. Apart from promoting hair regrowth, the extract also increased the elasticity of their cheek skin. In this respect, raspberry ketones are very similar to capsaicin, which also increases skin elasticity through insulin-like growth factors and promotes hair growth.
Raspberry ketones for hair growth
Based on these findings, scientists conducting the study have concluded that raspberry ketone is increasing “IGF-1” through sensory nerve action. Its observed effect leads researchers to believe that this natural extract is of medical value in the treatment of aging skin and preventing or even curing baldness for some people.
In another study aiming to identify the cause for baldness in men, scientist have discovered a protein, which may be the culprit for alopecia in men. This discovery is another breakthrough in paving the way for the development of a new drug that will provide treatment for hair loss in men.
An abnormal level of the prostaglandin D2 protein (PGD2) has been identified on the bald spots of male test subjects. Researchers from Science Translational Medicine studied the genes from the bald area of the scalp of five men and compared these with genes from parts of the scalp that still grow hair.
Samples selected from the bald area revealed a higher expression of the gene that produces the protein in question. The level was three time higher than in areas where hair was still growing. Researchers have carried out tests on mice to validate these findings and reached the conclusion that the decrease of follicle density is linked to excessive PGD2.
These studies can be a stepping stone in developing treatments and drugs that would circumvent the need for surgical interventions in the field of hair restoration. Thanks to ongoing scientific research, we will soon be able to prevent hair loss and finally cure baldness with the help of drugs.
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