By UVA Health –
A surprising discovery from the School of Medicine is transforming our understanding of hair growth and could set the stage for new approaches to cure hair loss.
Researchers led by UVA’s Lu Q. Le, MD, PhD, have discovered that a previously under-appreciated stem cell population in the upper and middle sections of the hair follicle is essential for hair growth. When these cells are depleted, hair growth stops. That suggests that replenishing or activating these stem cells could restore hair growth, the researchers report.
These malleable stem cells in the upper- and mid- hair follicle region are early ancestors of our hair, Le’s team found. That upends the long-accepted belief that hair growth begins with stem cells in an area near the bulbous base of the follicle technically known as “the bulge.”
