Scientists Induce New Hair Growth In Balding Men 232
sciencehabit writes "Scientists have successfully grown new hair follicles from the skin cells of balding men. While the research team (abstract) hasn't yet shown whether the structures, which produce strands of hair on our bodies, are fully functional and usable for transplants onto a scalp, experts say the discovery is a significant step toward finding new treatments for hair loss. Previous attempts used standard two-dimensional cell culturing techniques, but the new works grows the follicles in suspended droplets, better replicating the 3-D environment of the body. Using one's own cells to generate new follicles is useful because hair color and thickness will match perfectly with the rest of someone's head of hairs. And with the new technique, clinicians would be able to take just a few dermal papilla cells from a balding patient and expand the number of hair follicles available for transplant, rather than only be able to move follicles around."
Re:Wow, glad we solved that! (Score:5, Insightful)
On the other hand, skin and hair are relatively easy to experiment on, making it a fairly reasonable first step, assuming that at least some of the techniques involved can be applied to other areas of regenerative research, such as organ regeneration, dermal regeneration for burn victims, etc.
Re:Who cares (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Wow, glad we solved that! (Score:3, Insightful)
I shaved my head down once, and it looked *terrible*, especially compared to when I just kept my hair long. Not everyone has a nice clean shiny skull to show off. Some of us have scars, discolorations/birthmarks, that can be nicely covered up with a full (or even partial) head of hair. Add to that various things that are more likely to show up with a shaved head and too much sun (such as said discolorations, or even melanoma) and there are plenty of reasons to keep ones hair beyond simple vanity.
Re:Who cares (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Idiocracy (Score:2, Insightful)
Was reading various news sources about this. It is strange that a lot of people attack this research. They say that we should be trying to fix more important things and baldness isn't important. You don't see that kind of reaction for women's makeup or even digital devices. How about movies? According to people like you, if it isn't a cure for poverty or disease, we shouldn't be researching it.
Re:Who cares (Score:3, Insightful)
I agree with you. Completely.
For the rest of you:
What a bunch of pussies. Shave your head with a cheapass Atra cartridge on a Headblade [headblade.com] every other day, get outside to get rid of the initial blinding whiteness via a slight tan (if you're a white guy) and suck it up. I'm early 40s, have been shaving my head for eight years, and get more Tang than a fucking astronaut. I'm just like a lot of you guys, MBTI INTJ, IQ third standard deviation to the right, geek for a living, etc. (Note: introverted.. extremely... but *not* shy).
Seriously, do that, then get your lame ass over to SimpleFit [simplefit.org] and do what this guy did [marksdailyapple.com] and quit fucking whining. If that's too hard get a GymBoss [gymboss.com] and a ten dollar jump rope. Ten to twenty minutes of interval jump roping can fuck your shit up something proper. One variable you can control is the shape you're in.
And to those of you who are whining about not getting laid.. if you're under 30 with a horribly shaped cranium, I *might* say 'okay.. sorry about your luck, do what you can'. Over 30, the rules change. After shaving that noggin, you can (as previously stated) either do SimpleFit or some other physical activity (if I were a betting man, I'd bet the majority of you bitching have quite a bit askew aside from your follicle situation), dress a bit better, and.. I'm not making this up.. improve your posture. Chin up, chest out a bit (mainly by pulling those shoulders back, not physically sticking your chest out like a bird) and don't stare at the goddamned ground all the time. I'm no looker, but confidence will get you a looooong way, and the ones that count and are over 30 generally see through the shallow stuff (you did know that in most marriages that 'make it', partners are normally within 1/2 standard deviation of IQ of each other, right? And no, I don't have the cite handy). Short version: have something worthwhile to say.
I'm sorry if it's harsh, but so many of you live in your head and sit back while things happen, and I used to be like you. You can take corrective action at times. I grew up without much, joined the military, and went from full-on Iron Maiden mullet introvert 6502 jockey cracking Atari 800 software to completely dehumanized in the military (that first head shaving and cold shower along with an assload of med techs injecting you with inoculations while standing there cold and naked works wonders for the self esteem), to a professional software engineer with a career. It puts things in perspective; I worry about cancer, getting shot, whether or not some asshole on Wall Street is going to tank my investments, etc.. my hair (or lack thereof) is way down on the list.
And if somebody puts you down, always, always consider the source. At least once weekly I find myself thinking "metadata analysis indicates you're a fucking moron.. finished yet? I need to get more coffee?"
Guy at the water cooler: What's up, chrome dome?
Me: How original, that the best you got, Algernon? How's life on the tail end.. *snicker*
Rant over.. sometime during my hitch in the military I converted from totally introverted programmer to a Klingon. It's worked out for me at least. Even nowadays in Counterstrike or Team Fortress I never defend; I'm all about the invasion. I've worked with far too many of you that take shit you don't need to take, and attribute it to a red herring.
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. - Eleanor Roosevelt
I have no problem with wanting my hair back. (Score:5, Insightful)
I question how honest someone is being to themselves when they say that they are going bald or are bald and yet state it has not affected them. I've been bald for since the 90's. Do I worry about being bald? No. Am I aware I am bald? Every day.
I have no guilt about money being spent on 'unbalding' research. We're not talking about cosmetic surgery or injections, but instead returning something that has been lost to me.
To all the people, bald or hairy, that think going bald is no big deal. If the world was a fair place then yes, having no hair would not matter, and neither would other superficial things, but we don't reside in some fairy-tale realm. Unfortunately we have to deal with the real world and deal with real people that judge you on you appearance which includes height, body weight, the clothes you wear, swagger, body decorations like tattoos an piercings, and of course YOUR HAIR!
Baldness adds years to your age. I'm not talking about shaved heads. I mean being bald and still letting your hair grow at the back and sides. 5-10 year easily gets added on.
Thankfully shaved-heads have been an acceptable style for the past 20 years. Unfortunately not everyone can shave their head and still look good. Many men have Charlie Brown heads.
As much as women say they find bald men sexy, those women are few and far between, and the bald men they are attracted to are usually 'larger than life' men like movie stars. In the real world the majority of women consider balding men unattractive.
Everyone knows that baldness is very emotionally debilitating, but it also affects you physically.
-You're colder in the winter because of the lack of hair thus less insulation. Sometimes I even have to wear a hat or toque indoors. I find hats uncomfortable. Debilitating no, but it is annoying.
-the sun quickly cooks your cranium in the summer because there's no hair to insulate you from the sun's rays. Wear a hat you say? Well hat's make it worse if you shave your head because the hat forms an air-tight seal with your shaven head, preventing any air circulation underneath your hat. It's either shade or a bandanna or put up with the sun beaming down on the cranium for us baldies.
-Hair acts as a cushion your head when you bang your head on something. Hair also has sensory functionality and warns you when something is about to touch it. When you have a chrome-dome, that sensory function is gone. Don't believe me? Hold your hand out and slowly move it towards your head and you hair will pick up and feel your hand while it is still inches away.
-Hair hides stuff on your head. I have numerous acne scars on the back of my head that make me feel uncomfortable if others see. A coworker recently had a tumor removed from her brain. They went in through the upper back of her skull. Her scar is not visible because she has thick long flowing hair which hides the scar. That scar would be visible from thirty feet away on my shaved head.
Those above items will seem trivial to many, but they are things I have to be conscious of and work around at times. You don't realize what a full head of hair does for you until it's gone.
Yeah (Score:3, Insightful)
ooh that looks like an unbiased url. If you weren't an AC it would almost look trustworthy.
Medical evidence belongs on reputable peer reviewed sites, not on advocacy sites funded by hate mongerers. Track the sites origin to its roots.
Re:Yeah (Score:2, Insightful)
Don't be a nitwit.
Google is your friend. [ncfm.org] That page links here, [livescience.com] and here's the damn "reputable peer reviewed Scientific Journal". [wiley.com]
And just so you know, Contrary to what the mainstream media would have you believe, [go.com] Men's Rights Advocacy isn't for hate-mongers, its memebers are frequently also Women's Rights Activists, [youtube.com] and many vocal members are Women. [youtu.be] It's actually the opposition that's hateful. [youtube.com] The feminists have a majority voice in media and politics right now, so I don't blame you if you adopt their easy to believe lies without wondering why they're not based on any science, but untestable opinionated ideas instead...
Interestingly, ABC also brought us D is for Dad and Dumb" [parents.com] the weekend of this past Father's Day... Wha? But isn't that kind of... anti-men? You wouldn't have a segment like that on mother's day eh? Interesting that I made this comment on the 20/20 article page about the "manosphere", and provided a link to the source of some of their material that proves that they were purposefully factually wrong about A Voice for Men -- They cited "hate speech" that's an example of will get you banned...
Search that quote, the page it appears on AVFM is here, [avoiceformen.com] where he says this about that comment:
As expected, all of the comments that demonstrate the ABC article as biased and factually wrong have been deleted from it. [reddit.com]
Oh, but this is Slashdot, so of course you and the mods can think for your selves, eh? You don't need help "tracking" any information "origin to its roots".
+1 redundant please, and thank you.