Hypotrichosis
Hair Loss in Children: The New Discovery
Hair loss is a condition that concerns many. When it occurs to the children, it is more than a matter of appearance that deeply affects the child’s self-confidence. The latest discovery about the gene responsible for Hypotrichosis Simplex, a rather rare condition, may further contribute to the development of new therapeutic approaches for hair loss disorders of diverse aetiology.
The Breaking Discovery
Researchers from all over the world, including experts from the University of Bonn, have found a special receptor that helps hair to grow. This discovery might give birth to new ways of curing hair loss. Hypotrichosis Simplex is an extremely rare condition, but Dr. Regina Betz from the Bonn Institute of Human Genetics appreciates the importance of this research just great. She says, “Understanding how hair grows could help us find new treatments for many kinds of hair loss.”
What is Hypotrichosis Simplex?
Hypotrichosis Simplex is an extremely rare condition responsible for the loss of hair among both boys and girls. It affects around 1 in every 200,000 people. During this disorder, children begin to develop hair loss from the scalp within their first 10 years. Before reaching the age of 30, most of them become completely bald. A few of them retain thin, short hairs. In some cases, they even lose the hair on the body, but their beard, eyebrows, and armpit hair grow as usual.
Why Does It Happen?
This is because of a problem within the genes that determine hair growth. The genes produce something that is referred to as receptors on hair follicles. These receptors are very important and play an enormous role in hair growth. Hair does not grow properly if these receptors are defective. How these receptors operate might give scientists alternate means of treatment involving hair loss.
Current and Future Treatments
Still, there is no cure for Hypotrichosis Simplex. On the other hand, some treatments can strengthen the existing hair and make them thicker. Leonora Doclis, a hair expert at the Belgravia Centre, has explained, “Right now, we can’t add new hair follicles, but we can help make the hair you already have stronger.”
Treatments for Hypotrichosis Simplex are still an ordeal, and research is still ongoing with its promises. The genetic explanation of this disorder brought joy not only to the concerned people but possibly also to other causes of hair loss.
