Is there any way out for hair loss problem? Will that ever be solved? When and how long will we have to wait to resolve this age-old issue? Renowned hair restoration expert Dr. Robert Leonard of opines that just during the last 50 years science has attained much more progress to resolve hair loss problem than during the last 5,000 years.
Then question arises what breakthrough is expected during the next 50 years to combat hair loss.
As per Dr. Leonard it has been crystal clear and there is no doubt on the fact regarding “the recognition that genetics actually causes hair loss from both the mother’s and the father’s side of the family. The other thing is medical therapies. We have wonderful treatments now that we didn’t have prior to 50 years ago.”
It was in the later part of the 1970′s when a powerful medicine by name Minoxidil was found being a pill for treating high blood pressure and not actually a medication for treating hair loss. Basically, this medication had a side effect of re-growing the scalp hair. Subsequently, Minoxidil could establish itself as an effective hair loss medication.
Rogaine another topical medication for treating male pattern baldness was discovered in 1980′s and with its increased popularity it subsequently became an over-the-counter product within a period of ten years. During the late 1990′s, a popular oral medication namely Propecia, or Finasteride, for baldness treatment was discovered and the same is still a popular prescription medicine.
Thereafter, the introduction of low-level laser therapy brought a certain degree of relief for hair loss treatment. As per Dr. Leonard, “Low-level laser therapy is a clinical treatment where a patient is exposed to a low-level laser beam, which is bio-stimulating. It increases the capillary blood flow in the dermis of the skin where the follicles live. It helps to stabilize further progression of hair loss, as well as to re-grow hair.”
Now the question where the present day R & D hair loss treatment will stand in 20 or 30 years hence? Dr. Leonard confident enough to state that only answer to this problem is, “Cell therapy, genetic manipulation. I think that will be the future frontier where we can find out why that switch turns off the hair cycle, and turn that back on. We’ll be able to take a pill or do something medically to change our genetics to some extent.” He is highly hopeful for hair cloning, where “we will have an unlimited supply of hair to transplant. Right now with hair transplantation, we’re limited to the amount of hair that’s available on the sides and back of one’s head. So if we have an unlimited supply, we’d be able to have people develop full heads of hair.” This breakthrough he expects within the coming 10 to 15 years.
