What if the secret to curing baldness has been hiding in your hair all along? University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have discovered a little-known group of stem cells in hair follicles that could bring back lost locks, challenging some long-held beliefs.
UVA’s Dr. Lu Q. Le and his team have identified a previously overlooked stem cell population in the upper and middle sections of the hair follicle that plays a crucial role in hair growth. When these cells are depleted, hair growth stops, suggesting that replenishing or activating these stem cells could restore hair growth.
Le’s team found these malleable stem cells in the upper and middle regions of the hair follicle serve as early ancestors of our hair, upending the long-accepted belief that hair growth begins with stem cells in an area near the bulbous base of the follicle, technically known as “the bulge.”
“These findings add new foundational knowledge to hair follicle biology, showing, for the first time, that the bulge cells actually arise from this novel stem cell population,” said Le, chair of the Department of Dermatology at the UVA School of Medicine and UVA Health. “It is our hope that these stem cells could one day provide a novel therapy for treating hair loss in people.”
Understanding Hair Growth – and Loss
Dr. Lu Q. Le is the chair of the Department of Dermatology at the UVA School of Medicine and UVA Health. (Contributed photo)
Each of the millions of hairs on our bodies grows from an individual follicle, like a tulip grows from a bulb. Le’s research casts new light on follicle formation, showing that the bulge above the follicle’s base develops from stem cells located closer to the skin’s surface.
Researchers found stem cells – cells that can turn into other types of cells – continue to play an essential role in hair growth after the follicle forms. Located along the hair shaft beneath the skin’s surface, the stem cells move downward to nourish and resupply the bulge at the follicle’s base. Le and his collaborators believe these cells serve as the building blocks for hair formation.
In their lab tests, researchers found depleting these stem cells at certain times halted hair growth, highlighting their essential role in hair formation and their potential link to hair loss.
