Scientists use stem cells to grow human skin and hair follicles
It's an exciting time for medical hair restoration. Scientists at Japan's Riken Centre for Developmental Biology have taken a major step forward in regenerative medical science, reported Catharine Paddock of Medical News Today. Using stem cells from mice, they were able to grow human skin, glands and hair follicles. The new skin was successfully transplanted onto a mouse's skin.
"In the future, specialists may be able to grow new hair using stem cells."Functional human skin
This is a breakthrough in the medical community because it means they're one step closer to developing functional tissue for human skin grafts. What does this mean for the future of hair restoration treatments? While scientists have been able to grow skin before, this method shows particular promise. The new skin is more similar to typical human skin because it includes the hair follicles, fatty tissue and sweat glands. Up until this breakthrough, artificially-created skin lacked these important components.
Future possibilities
Current hair replacement surgery requires taking a strip of scalp or individual follicles from a donor area in order to grow new hair on bald areas. However in the future, hair restoration specialists may be able to grow new hair simply using stem cells if this research is any indicator. While it's still a long way from being practiced on human patients, it does bode well for the future of medical hair restoration.
While this is an intriguing story for the future of hair restoration treatments, there are still many treatments available today. If you're experiencing hair loss and would like to learn more about hair restoration treatments, contact Marotta Hair Restoration today to schedule an appointment. Dr. Marotta is a dual-board certified facial plastic surgeon with expertise in hair restoration surgery and other treatments. Visit our website to learn more about all of the treatment options we offer to our clients.
