Mystery Unveiled: How Does Hair Grow On You?
Have you ever wondered how quickly your hair grows or why it takes so long for it to reach your shoulders? Stanford scientists are a step away from unveiling this mystery – of hair growth. Earlier nothing much was known about hair growth except for the fact that chemicals signaled hair follicles to grow or rest. Today, scientists have cracked the code claiming that a certain molecule called laminin-511 sent a signal to the cells thereby urging the hair follicles to grow in mice.
Scientists opine that the discovery of the molecule comes in the opportune moment when there is a need for not hair development alone but also hair renewal therapies. Researchers also opine that the signal can also work on other body parts too like the kidneys, ears, face, etc.
The study, which was carried out on mice showed that the molecule laminin-511 brought together 2 compartments of the skin cells and led to the creation of hair follicles. Further research is being dedicated to the discovery of the molecule having anything to do with hair loss.
Peter Marinkovich, from the Stanford’s Program in Epithelial Biology claims that injecting the laminin-511 molecule under the skin can probably help in promoting hair growth in that region. Peter also opines that hair growth can be potentially blocked by injecting antibodies against laminin-511.