Surprise Solution to Baldness: Sugar Gel Regrows Hair.

Surprise Solution to Baldness: Sugar Gel Regrows Hair.

While many people worry about their hair loss, scientists are also working on a solution.

Researchers at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom and COMSATS University in Pakistan came across an interesting finding during a study that did not focus on this issue.

Scientists who investigated how deoxyribose, a type of sugar that is formed in the body by itself, healed the wounds of mice when applied topically noticed that the hair around the wounds grew faster than normal.

Thereupon, they took the hairs on the backs of male mice that were experiencing hair loss due to testosterone and gave them a low dose of deoxyribose gel.

It was observed that the hairs grew thick, long and healthy from the bare skin.

It was determined that the gel provided the same effect as the drug called minoxidil. It was determined that the hairs grew back by up to 80-90 percent.

However, no significant difference was found in cases where both the gel and minoxidil were applied.

Sheila MacNeil from the University of Sheffield says the following about her work:

Our research reveals a simple solution to hair loss, using naturally occurring deoxyribose sugar to increase blood flow to the hair follicles, thus increasing hair growth.

Genes, hormone levels and aging play a role in hereditary baldness or male pattern baldness.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved only two drugs for this condition, which affects 40 percent of the population.

Finasteride is used when minoxidil is not effective. This drug, which ensures the flow of testosterone in the body, is not yet available for women.

This drug, which can reduce hair loss in men by 80-90 percent, cannot be stopped once started. It also has side effects such as erectile dysfunction, breast and testicular pain, low libido and depression.

If deoxyribose gel can produce positive results in humans, even those who lose their hair, eyebrows and eyelashes after chemotherapy could benefit from this treatment.

MacNeil, one of the authors of the paper published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Pharmacology, says:

Our research is still in its early stages, but the results are promising and warrant further research.