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Review
. 2024 Jan 1;21(1):80-94.
doi: 10.7150/ijms.88508. eCollection 2024.

Status of research on the development and regeneration of hair follicles

Dan Liu  1 , Qi Xu  1 , Xiangyuan Meng  1 , Xiaomei Liu  1 , Jinyu Liu  1
Affiliations
Review

Status of research on the development and regeneration of hair follicles

Dan Liu et al. Int J Med Sci. .

Abstract

Hair loss, or alopecia, is a prevalent condition in modern society that imposes substantial mental and psychological burden on individuals. The types of hair loss, include androgenetic alopecia, alopecia areata, and telogen effluvium; of them, androgenetic alopecia is the most common condition. Traditional treatment modalities mainly involve medical options, such as minoxidil, finasteride and surgical interventions, such as hair transplantation. However, these treatments still have many limitations. Therefore, exploring the pathogenesis of hair loss, specifically focusing on the development and regeneration of hair follicles (HFs), and developing new strategies for promoting hair regrowth are essential. Some emerging therapies for hair loss have gained prominence; these therapies include low-level laser therapy, micro needling, fractional radio frequency, platelet-rich plasma, and stem cell therapy. The aforementioned therapeutic strategies appear promising for hair loss management. In this review, we investigated the mechanisms underlying HF development and regeneration. For this, we studied the structure, development, cycle, and cellular function of HFs. In addition, we analyzed the symptoms, types, and causes of hair loss as well as its current conventional treatments. Our study provides an overview of the most effective regenerative medicine-based therapies for hair loss.

Keywords: hair follicle growth; hair follicle regeneration; hair loss; stem cell therapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Structure of a hair follicle.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Hair follicle cycle.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mechanisms underlying the generation of hair follicles.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Supplementary concepts