Serum based on plant extracts boosts hair growth in weeks

A serum designed to prevent hair loss has shown promising results in less than two months. A topical treatment based on plant extracts and cell-stimulating proteins resulted in a noticeable improvement in hair thickness compared to a placebo formula.

Patterned baldness affects up to half the men And 40 percent women to some extent by age 50. Some treatments such as finasteride And minoxidil – also known as Rogaine – can be effective, but this depends on a number of factors, including genetics and the amount of hair lost.

Researchers are exploring new methods to restore hair growth, including the use of stem cells. fibroblast manipulation – a type of cell that contributes to the formation of connective tissue – and medications that awaken dormant hair follicles.

Looking for a different approach, researchers at Schweitzer Biotech Company in Taiwan developed a whey containing caffeine, a common ingredient in preventing hair loss shampoos – and two proteins that stimulate cell growth: insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and fibroblast growth factor-7 (FGF-7), which have proven effective in regenerating hair follicles. There are also excerpts from Gotu kolaa herbaceous tropical plant commonly used in skin care that appears to help strengthen hair follicles. health.

To test this, a team of international researchers recruited 60 adults aged 18 to 60 who did not necessarily have significant hair loss. They were divided into five groups: the first received a placebo serum with no active ingredients, and the second received a base formulation containing 0.1 percent caffeine and vitamin B5. having moisturizing properties. All other groups had this basic formula, but the third also contained IGF-1 and FGF-7, the fourth also had S. Asian extracts, and the fifth had it all.

All participants were advised to apply 1 milliliter of serum to their scalp every evening for 56 days. Most of the metrics measured by the team, such as hair density, strand thickness and reduction in hair loss, improved from group one to group five. Hair density improved most significantly; by almost 25 percent in the fifth group—almost twice as much as in the placebo group.

Researchers are wondering S. Asian extracts in particular can strengthen hair roots or improve blood flow around follicles. “This plant has been used for anti-aging, repair and anti-inflammatory purposes,” says Christos Tsiotzios at King's College London. “So it's supposed to be a bit of a miracle plant. Some of the other substances in the study have more evidence base, such as long-acting IGF-1 and FGF-7, which are known to affect the hair cycle.”

The researchers and Tziotsios caution that the study is small and large, and longer trials are needed before treatments based on this formula become available. “That doesn't mean it's not potentially an interesting thing to study, but it clearly requires further work,” Tziotsios says. “The more we understand the molecular mechanisms underlying hair loss in general, the biology of hair, the more likely it is that we will get closer and closer to a definitive cure.”