HAIR LOSS

Most people shed around 100 hairs every day, this is normal and nothing to be alarmed about, as the average scalp has around 100,000 hair follicles. Not more than 10% of the follicles are in the resting phase at any time. However, when the resting phase is extended and the growing phase is shortened, and miniaturization of the hair follicle occurs, this inevitably leads to hair loss.

Hair Growth Cycle

The three stages of hair growth are anagen, catagen, and telogen phases; each strand of hair on the human body is at its own stage of development. The life of the average hair is 4 years: the period of growth is the Anagen phase, then there is a short Catagen phase, 2-4 weeks, where the hair is degraded. The Telogen or resting phase is approximately 3 months in duration and then the cycle is repeated.

Hair Growth by Increasing CGRP release and IGF-1 Production

Because human hair plays important roles in social communication, hair at where it is unwanted or hair loss is a source of embarrassment and psychological distress. A variety of methods are available to help control both excess hair growth and hair loss. Besides physical methods of lasers, many chemical substances have been suggested to stimulate hair growth. However, the most established promoters are topical applications of minoxidil (Regaine) or oral finasteride (Propecia) a 5α-reductase inhibitor used to block androgen effects in androgenetic alopecia.

Recent research supports action via activates vanillioid receptor-1, thereby increasing the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) from sensory neurons, and CGRP will increase insulin-like growth-1 production (IGF-1). However IGF-1 has been reported that it plays an important role in hair growth, successful clinical also response to finasteride was related to increased dermal papilla expression of IGF- 1, confirming the importance of dermal papilla-produced paracrine factors and emphasizing the dermal papilla’s key role in androgen action.