Years ago, when I first heard about wounding induced hair growth, I was not entirely surprised. We have read numerous examples of older men re-growing hair (after accidents and injuries) in areas of the scalp that had been bald for decades. My favorite example is of the below 78-year old man who accidentally fell into a fire, burnt his scalp, and got hair growth in return.
“Although interesting, it is difficult to see how this type of stimulation could be applied therapeutically”.
Hair Growth After Cast Removal
My recent update on Follica made me think about the interesting phenomenon of hair growth after cast use. Many people who get arm or leg injuries have to use a plaster cast for several months. Upon removal of the cast, some people report a significant increase in the underlying body hair (i.e., hypertrichosis).
Today, I checked to see if there were any studies that discuss this unusual side effect from cast use. Lo and behold, I found some interesting ones with pretty extraordinary before and after photos. The below one is from a study from China titled: “Acquired Localized Hypertrichosis Induced by Internal Fixation and Plaster Cast Application”. The hands belong to a 15-year old boy who had to get a surgery and use a cast after a fracture.
The hair growth image in the actual study above is clearer, since I had to optimize the below image. The surprising thing is that this person has absolutely no hair at the back of the left hand. i.e., this is not just existing body hair becoming thicker. This is “new” hair growth after 6 weeks of cast use on the injured right hand. Kind of like Follica’s “de novo” hair creation concept. The new hair disappeared 4 months after the cast was removed.
Acquired Localized Hypertrichosis
It is not surprising that prolonged friction and enclosure from a plaster cast could make existing hair grow thicker. However, the creation of new hair is very unexpected. Yet another example below from Hong Kong shows hair growth on the right leg of a 28-month old child. That leg had been in a cast for 6 weeks after a fracture. Note that lack of any body hair on the left leg.
Per the authors of the first study that I discussed above, the acquired localized hypertrichosis (ALH) results from: “chronic irritation, inflammation, friction, and occlusion” by the plaster of Paris cast.
And yet another example from Hong Kong is even more striking. This time on the left forearm (of a 16-year old boy) that had been in a splint. Note again that there is no body hair at all on the right forearm. i.e., this person does not normally have hair on any arm.
If I only found examples of thicker hair growth, I would not have written this post. However, all three examples that I presented above show brand new localized hair growth.
Although this post is not exactly related to wounding, I can’t help but think of the following quote from Follica:
“Following skin disruption, cells that migrate to help healing are forced to make a decision: Should I make epidermis, or should I make a hair?“
Of course none of us would ever be indecisive given such a choice.
Sebaceous Glands and other Hair News
— An interesting human study from Japan about the increase in sebaceous gland area (but not size) in patients suffering from androgenic alopecia.
— Some hair loss sufferers who take Finasteride complain about getting gynecomastia (man boobs) as a side effect. Usually, this side effect is transient or minimal, but in some rare cases, it can be quite bad and lead to major growth in breast size. Several weeks ago, Reddit user Wulfgar1 started an ask me anything (AMA) about his gynecomastia surgery. He included quite impressive before and after photos, and answered almost all of the 100s of questions that were asked of him. Note that Wulfgar1 had gynecomastia since the age of 12, so his man boobs were not due to taking Finasteride.
— Histogen filed form D for equity financing and raised about $10 million in funding. The filing took place on June 29th, but I read about it this week. Nothing too interesting or impressive other than the company name and its significance to us in the hair loss world. Glad to read that Histogen is still kicking. Biotech companies usually sell around three-quarters of their offering, but Histogen managed to sell 100 percent of its offering, which may be a sign of investor trust and confidence.
— I discussed Dr. Carlos Wesley and his revolutionary PiloFocus scarless hair transplant surgery last year after he was profiled in an excellent article in Verge magazine. Dr. Wesley has now managed to get detailed coverage in the prestigious BBC website’s future section.
— More favorable feedback on ARTAS, including a video. Dr. Thomas Griffin seems like a sincere doctor. I like his description of the newly added PRP at his practice: “what we’re trying to do is maximize our results for our patients.” Some doctors will delude patients into thinking that PRP means guaranteed hair growth.
And now on to medical items of interest:
— Fascinating article on CRISPR DNA editing.
— A Chinese girl suffering from hypertrichosis (an extreme level of excessive body hair) is raising funds for laser hair removal. A bit unusual that the least hairy race on earth has such cases. Also see the ending to my post from last year on whether Asians are more evolved than other races.
— A good summary of 30 futuristic breakthroughs that happened during the first half of 2015. I like the heavy focus on medical breakthroughs rather than on less interesting breakthroughs that will just give us better, faster, cheaper or newer “stuff”.
— Theranos’ fingerprick blood test gets FDA approval. This company is likely to revolutionize blood testing in the coming years. Also this month, the company obtained FDA approval that will lead to at-home testing. The company’s CEO Elizabeth Holmes is the youngest female billionaire in the US. Theranos is a very secretive privately-held company, and its Board of Directors is filled with retired government officials. Including major ones such as Henry Kissinger and William Perry.
