Researchers at UPenn were able to grow hair on mice, and they think mebbe it will lead to getting dormant hair follicles to grow hair again on humans.

The Pennsylvania team found that a particular gene important in wound healing, called wnt, appeared to play a role in the production of new hair follicles.

In its experiment, small sections of the outer skin layer, or epidermis, were removed from mice.

Just this act appeared to awaken stem cell activity in the area, the scientists said, which included the production of a number of hair follicles.

If the action of the wnt gene was blocked, no hair follicles were produced; but if it was boosted, then many more hair follicles were produced, with the skin layer eventually being indistinguishable from surrounding areas.

It's all very preliminary, though, so it could be years before anything comes of it. Meanwhile, there'll be plenty of furry mice hanging out at UPenn.

Currently, hair transplants are the most expensive and most painful way to treat baldness. Then there's the chemicals like Rogaine where some say that after they stopped using it (you're not supposed to use it for longer than a few months straight), all their hair fell out again. Stupid Rogaine. Fostering hopes and then stomping them to bits in the mud.

I'd suggest you start taking zinc supplements as i've read that helps with hair growth, but that would be contrary to what i just told you yesterday. Better to be bald than have prostate cancer.

Can't they devote their medical research energies to something more important than hair loss?