Text | Academic headlines, author | Hao Jing, Editor | Kou Jianchao
"Never stay up late again!!!!"
How many young people silently swear in their hearts with black circles after reluctantly putting down their mobile phones in the middle of the night, "Never stay up late again", and how many young people, after swearing over and over again, still pick up the mobile phone "without hesitation".
However, "coming out of the mix always has to pay back", how many nights you stay up, how many hairs like dandelions "drift away with the wind".
Hair loss is always "bald", and the hairline has gradually grown into the shape of a mobile phone screen.
Nowadays, hair loss has become one of the most headaches for contemporary young people, because hair loss greatly affects the image of young people.
Fortunately, some recent studies suggest that scientists can genetically reprogram cells to treat baldness. Ernesto Lujan, a biologist from Stanford University, said his company, DNOVO, can genetically "reprogram" ordinary cells (such as blood or fat cells) to transform them directly into hair stem cells.
The company's researchers have transplanted hair stem cells from mice, causing human hair to grow on the hairless mice.
Figure | hairless mice grow a cluster of human hair after transplanting hair stem cells. (Source: DNOVO)
This has been proven that hair stem cells can indeed make skin hair follicles "secondary development" and grow new hairs, but it is confusing why ordinary cells can become hair stem cells.
Ernesto Lujan, founder of the company, said: "In biology, we can understand cells as a 'state' rather than a fixed identity, and genetic programming is the transition of cells from one state to another. ”
This method of "cell state transition" had a key breakthrough back in the early 21st century, when researchers in Japan discovered a simple "formula" that could transform any type of tissue into a powerful, similar stem cell in an embryo.
As a result, scientists realized that they could make almost all kinds of cells. In practice, however, methods of making specific types of cells are elusive and face difficulties in sending lab-grown cells back into the human body.
In addition to the "cell state transition" method, Professor Karl Koehler from Harvard University makes hair stem cells in a completely different way – by growing organoids.
When Professor Koehler first studied the treatment of deafness, he wanted to grow hairy cells in the ear, but the organoids he cultivated eventually became skin with hair follicles.
It was an accident, but it was also a surprise, which led Professor Koehler to develop spherical skinoids that could grow for about 150 days, with a diameter of about 2 mm and a tube-shaped hair follicle that was clearly visible.
In addition to this, the researchers are also looking at cells from other donors to see if organoids can give hair a unique color and texture.
Figure | skin organoids covered with hair follicles. (Source: Harvard Medical School)
Professor Koehler said that although the hair cultivated by this method is inward-growing, it also provides an important path to solving the baldness problem.
From this point of view, although scientists are already trying to find a way to treat hair loss and baldness, this path is still far away, and Professor Koehler said that treating hair loss in this way requires customization (after all, everyone's DNA is different) and requires a very high cost.
Therefore, it is not feasible for ordinary people to save hair loss by transplanting hair stem cells for the time being, and all we can do at present is to find the cause of hair loss and then prescribe the right medicine.
Causes of hair loss
With the increase of work and life pressure, hair loss has become a common phenomenon for mainland citizens. According to the survey, more than 250 million people in China are already suffering from hair loss, which means that 1 in 6 people lose their hair. (Take a look at your colleagues or classmates around you, whether there is any hair loss)
What's even more frightening is that among the hair loss population, the proportion of post-90s is 39.9%! Among them, women accounted for about 43.7%, and men accounted for about 51.4%, and they did not expect to embark on the road of hair loss at a young age. (It's pretty "bald")
However, hair is not what it wants to take off, you can take off if you want to, and the hair loss we are currently facing mainly has the following six factors:
1) Male hormone alopecia (seborrheic alopecia): This alopecia is related to heredity and male hormones and belongs to permanent alopecia. It is mainly manifested by the receding of the hairline and the progressive reduction and thinning of the hair on the top of the head, and a few are manifested by diffuse hair thinning;
2) Immunodeficiency alopecia: Immunodeficiency alopecia is alopecia areata. The main feature is transient non-trace alopecia, retaining hair follicles;
3) Nutritional abnormality alopecia: when the hair follicle does not get enough nutrients or some nutrients are too much to produce cytotoxicity, hair may appear to fall out;
4) Drug-induced alopecia: In the process of chemotherapy drug treatment for cancer patients, chemotherapy will damage normal cells other than cancer cells, such as hair follicle cells, resulting in hair loss;
5) Endocrine disorders and alopecia: postpartum, menopause, oral contraceptives, etc. will cause insufficient estrogen for a certain period of time and lead to hair loss;
6) Mental alopecia: Due to excessive mental pressure (including staying up late), the erect hair muscle of the scalp contracts, resulting in blood circulation disorders in the head, thus causing hair loss. Studies have also shown that excessive stress secretes the stress hormone cortisol, which inhibits the expression of the GAS6 gene, thus leaving the hair follicle in a long-term resting state.
Relevant studies have shown that the main reason for post-90s hair loss is still staying up late and stressing too much, followed by lack of exercise and poor eating habits.
For the "maintenance" after hair loss, it is more important to prevent hair loss, after all, hair transplantation is expensive.
Self-test hair loss and prevent hair loss
To prevent hair loss, you first need to determine whether you have a hair loss problem.
Normal people lose about 50-100 hairs per day, if the hair falls out more than 100 per day, it means that your hair may have to leave the scalp and be ready to "set sail", at this time you need to pay attention to find out the cause of the hair loss.
In addition to counting how many hairs you've lost, there's a simple way to test if you've lost your hair: Use your thumb, index and middle fingers to gently grasp a handful of hair from the root of the hair, then gently pull it upwards, repeating the action 5-6 times in different parts of the scalp. If more than 3 hairs are lost at a time, there is a suspicion of hair.
In addition to hereditary alopecia, other hair loss caused by external factors can be avoided by a number of methods, including but not limited to:
1) Adjust your mentality: prevent hair loss caused by excessive stress, walking, appropriate exercise is conducive to hair growth;
2) Ensure adequate sleep: Improving sleep quality helps improve hair loss;
3) Pay attention to nutritional balance: increase foods high in protein content in the diet;
4) Comb your hair every day: Massage the scalp to promote blood circulation in the head.
After reading this article, have you decided that you want to sleep well?
The moon sleeps you also sleep, do not do "bald little baby"!
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