Bad hair days may be over, with scientists hoping to develop a pill to make hair straighter or curlier.
Australian researchers have discovered the gene that causes curly hair.
They are developing a treatment that could spell the end of hair straighteners.
Would you take a pill to beat a bad hair day? Have your say below
The discovery will also make it possible to predict if a baby will have straight or curly hair.
And it may even help police, with DNA found at the scene of the crime indicating how wavy a suspect's locks are.
The Queensland Institute of Medical Research team identified the trichohyalin gene as being responsible for creating hair curls.
Although it was known to play a role in the development of the hair follicle, the scientists have discovered its role in hair curliness.
Researcher Professor Nick Martin said a variation in the gene determined the straightness or curliness of hair.
It may be possible to come up with treatments to make hair straighter rather than relying on heated hair straighteners, he said.
"Potentially we can now develop new treatments to make hair curlier or straighter, rather than treating the hair directly," he said.
Full Hair Loss Article
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
How stress over staying thin leaves 1 in 3 women with hair loss
Almost all of the 3000 women aged 25 and over who were polled said they would be ashamed to say they were losing their hair
Dec 2009
The stresses of modern life have left one in three women over the age of 25 suffering from hair loss, research has revealed.
Experts believe a major cause is society's obsession with being thin.
This leads women to eat less as they try to imitate the skinny frames of celebrities, which means they are not getting enough nutrients which, in turn, is causing their hair to thin or even fall out.
A survey found that 37 per cent of women have experienced hair loss to some degree, with serious thinning a problem for 4.8million women in the UK.
Researchers argue that because the phenomenon is regarded as something that happens only to women in old age, the hair loss itself is adding to stress levels, accelerating the process.
Almost all of the 3,000 women aged 25 and over who were polled said they would be ashamed to say they were losing their hair.
A third of the women said hair loss made them depressed, while a quarter said their personal lives had been affected.
Trichologist Sara Allison said: 'We are all leading more emotionally stressful lives and are more nutritionally deficient than previous generations.
'The pressure on women to stay thin often means that they simply don't eat enough to get all the nutrients or they are not eating the right foods.
'Hair is essentially the least important tissue of your body; therefore, your hair only receives nutrients if there are any remaining in the body after your vital organs have taken what they need.'
Dr Linda Papadopoulos, a psychologist, said: 'In Western culture, hair is bound up in notions of femininity, youth and sexual attractiveness.
Full Hair Loss Article
Dec 2009
The stresses of modern life have left one in three women over the age of 25 suffering from hair loss, research has revealed.
Experts believe a major cause is society's obsession with being thin.
This leads women to eat less as they try to imitate the skinny frames of celebrities, which means they are not getting enough nutrients which, in turn, is causing their hair to thin or even fall out.
A survey found that 37 per cent of women have experienced hair loss to some degree, with serious thinning a problem for 4.8million women in the UK.
Researchers argue that because the phenomenon is regarded as something that happens only to women in old age, the hair loss itself is adding to stress levels, accelerating the process.
Almost all of the 3,000 women aged 25 and over who were polled said they would be ashamed to say they were losing their hair.
A third of the women said hair loss made them depressed, while a quarter said their personal lives had been affected.
Trichologist Sara Allison said: 'We are all leading more emotionally stressful lives and are more nutritionally deficient than previous generations.
'The pressure on women to stay thin often means that they simply don't eat enough to get all the nutrients or they are not eating the right foods.
'Hair is essentially the least important tissue of your body; therefore, your hair only receives nutrients if there are any remaining in the body after your vital organs have taken what they need.'
Dr Linda Papadopoulos, a psychologist, said: 'In Western culture, hair is bound up in notions of femininity, youth and sexual attractiveness.
Full Hair Loss Article
Monday, 7 December 2009
Hair Loss Problems
Alopecia Areata
This is normally first noticed as a small bald patch on the scalp. Usually a number of patches in an area of the scalp develop and eventually join up to form larger patches. A patch can sometimes form overnight, so that the hairs that are shed are found on the pillow in the morning.
This can be a very frightening experience for someone when it happens for the first time. The skin in the patch is usually pale and glossy, with no hairs present. The hairs around the patch are usually short and of a frayed appearance that can easily be pulled out, which is the last thing that should be done.
The cause of alopecia areata is not fully understood by doctors. Some people have a family history that could suggest a genetic link. However stress and shock have been blamed as reasons for the problem, while very often there is just no explanation at all.
Often the hair regrows on its own accord after about a month, while at other times the bald patch will clear up completely only to move to another area of the scalp.
Medical advice should be sought as worrying about the condition can actually make it worse. Whilst there is no actual cure for the condition, just being reassured that you are not suffering from some major disease, will help ease the distress this problem can cause.
Full Hair Loss Article
This is normally first noticed as a small bald patch on the scalp. Usually a number of patches in an area of the scalp develop and eventually join up to form larger patches. A patch can sometimes form overnight, so that the hairs that are shed are found on the pillow in the morning.
This can be a very frightening experience for someone when it happens for the first time. The skin in the patch is usually pale and glossy, with no hairs present. The hairs around the patch are usually short and of a frayed appearance that can easily be pulled out, which is the last thing that should be done.
The cause of alopecia areata is not fully understood by doctors. Some people have a family history that could suggest a genetic link. However stress and shock have been blamed as reasons for the problem, while very often there is just no explanation at all.
Often the hair regrows on its own accord after about a month, while at other times the bald patch will clear up completely only to move to another area of the scalp.
Medical advice should be sought as worrying about the condition can actually make it worse. Whilst there is no actual cure for the condition, just being reassured that you are not suffering from some major disease, will help ease the distress this problem can cause.
Full Hair Loss Article
Saturday, 5 December 2009
Michael Vaughan to appear in hair replacement ads
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has become the latest follically challenged cricketer to sign up for an advertising campaign with the Advanced Hair Studio.
AHS has a record of treating cricketers and using them in advertising campaigns. Both Australia's Shane Warne and England's Graham Gooch have had their revamped pates featured in the company's ads.
The hair studio said Vaughan had received its Strand-by-Strand procedure, which it describes as a "cosmetic process involving the application of a non-surgical graft of synthesised second skin to the thinning areas to which hair is inserted".
Speaking about the decision to bring in Vaughan, AHS chairman, Carl Howell said: "The main reason we can bring in all these great ambassadors is because our programmes do the job."
However AHS recently found itself under fire from the Advertising Standards Authority over its ads featuring Warne. The ASA branded the campaign, which was also for the Strand-by-Strand procedure, as misleading because it implied it could stop hair loss and cause it to regrow.
Speaking about the upcoming South Africa vs England Test series and his treatment Vaughan said: "There were certainly times captaining England when I was tearing my hair out. The game takes its toll.
Full Hair Loss Article
AHS has a record of treating cricketers and using them in advertising campaigns. Both Australia's Shane Warne and England's Graham Gooch have had their revamped pates featured in the company's ads.
The hair studio said Vaughan had received its Strand-by-Strand procedure, which it describes as a "cosmetic process involving the application of a non-surgical graft of synthesised second skin to the thinning areas to which hair is inserted".
Speaking about the decision to bring in Vaughan, AHS chairman, Carl Howell said: "The main reason we can bring in all these great ambassadors is because our programmes do the job."
However AHS recently found itself under fire from the Advertising Standards Authority over its ads featuring Warne. The ASA branded the campaign, which was also for the Strand-by-Strand procedure, as misleading because it implied it could stop hair loss and cause it to regrow.
Speaking about the upcoming South Africa vs England Test series and his treatment Vaughan said: "There were certainly times captaining England when I was tearing my hair out. The game takes its toll.
Full Hair Loss Article
Friday, 4 December 2009
Class Lawyers Win 50 Million Dollars Over Hair-Loss Fix
One of their lawyers, contended that Global Vision Products' advertising referred to a clinic that didn't exist
Dec 2009
An Alameda County, Calif., jury late last month returned a $50 million verdict in a class action that sought relief for Californians who'd bought Avacor, a hair-loss remedy that was marketed as an all-natural, clinically tested product.
Attorneys fees have yet to be decided, said L. Timothy Fisher, of Walnut Creek, Calif., firm Bramson, Plutzik, Mahler & Birkhaeuser. New York lawyer Scott Bursor and New York firm Faruqi & Faruqi also represented the plaintiffs.
There were about 150,000 purchases of Avacor in California during the class period, but since some were reorders, the exact size of the class is unclear, Fisher said.
The outcome against two defendants marked the second trial victory in the same class action for the plaintiff lawyers. The earlier trial had ended in a $40 million win against different defendants, but Fisher said the awards from the trials will not be added together, and he expects the court will order that $50 million in all be returned to the class.
Both trials took place before Alameda County Superior Court Judge Robert Freedman.
The defendants in the latest trial were two officers of Global Vision Products Inc., Robert DeBenedictis and Henry Edelson -- a court stay after the company's 2007 bankruptcy filing had kept them out of the earlier one. DeBenedictis was represented by Peter Hart and Michael Collins of LeClairRyan's San Francisco and New York offices, respectively. Edelson was recently representing himself and did not appear at trial.
One of DeBenedictis' lawyers said his client was just an investor and not directly participating in the company in its early years, and that he planned to appeal.
"Once he became involved in 2004, he took every effort he possibly could to get the company back on the straight and narrow and get its advertising in compliance with the Better Business Bureau and the Food and Drug Administration," Hart said. "We think the jury looked at his position and made the leap that just because he was president, he was responsible." To bolster that thought, he noted that the jury had found in DeBenedictis' favor on allegations of conspiracy with defendants from the earlier trial.
Full Hair Loss Article
Thursday, 3 December 2009
NIH awards grant for cicatricial alopecia study
The study will continue research on linking a defect in lipid processing and peroxisome biogenesis to cicatricial alopecia
Dec 2009
The National Institutes of Health has awarded Pratima Karnik, Ph.D., assistant professor of dermatology at Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University, a grant of $1.77 million to fund a five-year study titled “PPAR-gamma Signaling in Normal Pilosebaceous Units and in Scarring Alopecia,” reports the Cicatricial Alopecia Research Foundation (CARF).
The study will continue research on linking a defect in lipid processing and peroxisome biogenesis to cicatricial alopecia.
The CARF statement quotes Dr. Karnik as saying, “In preliminary studies that formed the basis of the NIH award, we provided insight into highly complex interactions between hair follicle cells and environmental factors that may cause cicatricial alopecia.
This funding provides us the support necessary to aggressively test novel ideas aimed at understanding progression of these diseases and the development of novel therapeutic strategies.”
In December 2008, Dr. Karnik and her research team published findings that unprocessed lipids set the stage for developing scarring hair loss. The work suggests that either processed lipids are necessary for hair growth or unprocessed lipids are toxic.
Full Hair Loss Article
Dec 2009
The National Institutes of Health has awarded Pratima Karnik, Ph.D., assistant professor of dermatology at Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University, a grant of $1.77 million to fund a five-year study titled “PPAR-gamma Signaling in Normal Pilosebaceous Units and in Scarring Alopecia,” reports the Cicatricial Alopecia Research Foundation (CARF).
The study will continue research on linking a defect in lipid processing and peroxisome biogenesis to cicatricial alopecia.
The CARF statement quotes Dr. Karnik as saying, “In preliminary studies that formed the basis of the NIH award, we provided insight into highly complex interactions between hair follicle cells and environmental factors that may cause cicatricial alopecia.
This funding provides us the support necessary to aggressively test novel ideas aimed at understanding progression of these diseases and the development of novel therapeutic strategies.”
In December 2008, Dr. Karnik and her research team published findings that unprocessed lipids set the stage for developing scarring hair loss. The work suggests that either processed lipids are necessary for hair growth or unprocessed lipids are toxic.
Full Hair Loss Article
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Blame genes, not stress for grey hair
The research indicates that irrespective of how stressful a woman's life is, there are greater forces at play which are more likely to cause her hair to grey
Dec 2009
A woman's genes are much more likely than lifestyle factors such as stress or diet to cause greying hair, a study suggests.
Unilever scientists studied more than 200 identical and non-identical Danish twin sisters aged between 59 and 81.
The scientists found little difference between the greyness of the identical twins - who share the same genes.
But there was more difference between non-identical twins, whose genes differ, the study found.
The study, published in the journal PLoS One, also suggests receding hair is linked to mainly genetic factors.
But it indicates hair-thinning on the top of the head is connected to environmental and lifestyle factors.
On the issue of greying hair, lead researcher Dr David Gunn said although many theories had been put forward to explain different rates of greying, there was little hard scientific evidence to back them up.
He said: "This study offers us a fascinating insight into the reason why women go grey and it certainly suggests that environmental factors are not as important as we once thought.
"The research indicates that irrespective of how stressful a woman's life is, there are greater forces at play which are more likely to cause her hair to grey."
Nina Goad, of the British Association of Dermatologists, said previous work had also found few identifiable environmental factors among people who went grey much earlier than their relatives.
Full Hair Loss Article
U3FKHX735G9A
Dec 2009
A woman's genes are much more likely than lifestyle factors such as stress or diet to cause greying hair, a study suggests.
Unilever scientists studied more than 200 identical and non-identical Danish twin sisters aged between 59 and 81.
The scientists found little difference between the greyness of the identical twins - who share the same genes.
But there was more difference between non-identical twins, whose genes differ, the study found.
The study, published in the journal PLoS One, also suggests receding hair is linked to mainly genetic factors.
But it indicates hair-thinning on the top of the head is connected to environmental and lifestyle factors.
On the issue of greying hair, lead researcher Dr David Gunn said although many theories had been put forward to explain different rates of greying, there was little hard scientific evidence to back them up.
He said: "This study offers us a fascinating insight into the reason why women go grey and it certainly suggests that environmental factors are not as important as we once thought.
"The research indicates that irrespective of how stressful a woman's life is, there are greater forces at play which are more likely to cause her hair to grey."
Nina Goad, of the British Association of Dermatologists, said previous work had also found few identifiable environmental factors among people who went grey much earlier than their relatives.
Full Hair Loss Article
U3FKHX735G9A
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