Scientists may have found a solution for baldness - but we'll have to wait to know for sure, writes Layla Webster
Going bald is not easy for anyone; while some men like Bruce Willis and Vin Diesels’ of our generation manage to pull off a naked head with style, others aren't so lucky. It’s not just the men, either; around eight million British women are said to be suffering with hair loss each year. Whether it’s a result of hormone imbalance or hereditary, everyone fears the fall out (unless you’re Miley or Britney and just fancy a change, of course).
It therefore comes as good news to many that there could be a light at the end of the tunnel in a few years’ time due to some of the latest research into curing baldness.
Scientists from Durham University in the UK and Columbia University in the US, have come together and found a way of cloning cells that contain the ‘instruction manual’ for growing new hair. They have shown that when these lab-grown cells are put back into the skin, they sprout hair, which grows back white.
Durham researcher Colin Jahoda explains that there are a lot of technical hurdles to cross before humans can be treated with this treatment. The hair needs to be characterised, and a variety of tests need to be carried out on the colour, positioning and texture of the newly created hair before it would even be considered for cosmetic procedures.
In time it could represent a real breakthrough in treating hair loss; but for now, we’ll have to play the waiting game as to whether it reaches the end consumer. For more advice, head over to our SOS guide about hair loss with tips on how to treat the thinning and loss of hair.