Men going bald turn to 'new Botox' for hair loss treatment

The cure for baldness has long been a scientific enigma.

Yet advanced treatment options and hair-loss clinics have continued to emerge — and researchers are making progress on finding fixes for balding.

UCLA scientists recently alerted a "breakthrough" discovery involving a molecule named PP405 that can "waken long-slumbering but undamaged" hair follicles, according to a press release.

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In a 2023 clinical trial, researchers found that applying PP405 as a topical medicine to the scalp at bedtime showed "statistically significant" results.

They believe this treatment will produce "full ‘terminal’ hair rather than the peach fuzz variety."

William Lowry, Ph.D., a co-researcher at UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center, told Fox News Digital that although this research is promising, "cure is a strong word."

"There are only two FDA-approved treatments for androgenetic alopecia (AGA, or pattern baldness): minoxidil and finasteride," he said in an interview. 

"They are both limited in efficacy and improve hair in only a portion of patients who take them."

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Other treatment options include supplements, red light therapy, platelet-rich plasma injections and hair transplantation, Lowry said, although these have not undergone "definitive clinical trials and can be expensive, time-consuming and limited in efficacy."

He added, "None of these are curative, meaning none of them permanently restore all hair lost due to AGA."

Lowry and his fellow researchers have discovered that hair follicle stem cells have a "distinct metabolism from other cells in the follicle."

He said, "We found that promoting this metabolism can accelerate stem cell activation, which makes new hairs grow. We subsequently developed drugs that can drive this effect in various models of hair loss that reflect the multifactorial drivers of androgenetic alopecia in patients."

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PP405 has become the leading candidate for hair-loss treatment as part of this new class of drugs.

"We are excited about the opportunity to bring a novel treatment option to patients with hair loss based on strong science and rigorous clinical trials," he said. 

"Additionally, because the mechanism of action we discovered is distinct from previous approaches, it can potentially be used in combination with other therapies."

Brendan Camp, M.D., a Manhattan-based dermatologist, told Fox News Digital in an interview that hair loss is a condition that "affects many and can have a negative impact on people's psychosocial health." 

So identifying a potential new hair-loss treatment is an "exciting step for patients and providers in the management of what can otherwise be a difficult condition to treat."

Camp agreed there is an "unmet need" for hair-loss treatment and that there's growing interest in providing solutions and offering hair restoration services more widely.

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As cosmetic injections such as Botox and fillers have continued to be popular anti-aging and beauty treatments, hair-loss and restoration med spas are similarly surfacing nationwide.

The clinics offer a variety of services for men and women given the availability of modern options.

Dr. Amy Spizuoco, DO, of True Dermatology in New York, dubbed balding treatments in this capacity the "new Botox." 

"With advances in treatments like minoxidil, finasteride, PRP (platelet-rich plasma) therapy, hair transplants and the latest stem cell research, hair restoration has become more accessible and effective," she told Fox News Digital.

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"And much like Botox is used preventatively, younger people are tackling hair loss at the first signs rather than waiting until it’s severe."

Camp added that while there are many hair-loss treatment options available, the response will look different for each person. 

"When looking for a treatment, stick to those with a well-established body of evidence and data to support their use, such as minoxidil, finasteride and spironolactone (in the case of female-pattern hair loss)," he advised.

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And be sure to get "the advice of a board-certified dermatologist when at-home treatments are not effective," he also said. 

These treatments are "typically used indefinitely" and should be tested for three to four months before being ruled out as effective or not, the dermatologist added.

Spizuoco said that while hair loss is common, early intervention with the right treatment plan can "significantly slow it down or possibly reverse it."