'Waking up' hair follicles could help cure baldness

London, June 25 (ANI): Experts have found a way of waking the hair follicles to help restore a natural growth.

In some cases thinning on top is caused when follicles on the scalp become trapped in a resting state.

Hair growth becomes dormant and strands begin to fall out.

Millions of men such as comedian Harry Hill and Hollywood star Bruce Willis have experienced severe hair thinning at a relatively early age.

Now experts at High Street beauty firm L'Oreal are developing an easy-to-apply treatment for the scalp in the form of a shampoo or cream to help encourage hair growth.

Researchers have found that hair strands tend to grow continually for about four years before follicles switch to their dormant state and the strands fall out.

During this period stem cells in the skin normally restart the process needed to grow new hair.

They are in a latency period. If you can reduce this latency period you will have more hair

But in those suffering from baldness the process can stall, meaning no new hair forms.

L'Oreal's team has found that in balding men the stem cells responsible for making the new hair have often been starved of oxygen, meaning they work less efficiently.

They claim to have discovered that molecules which counter the effects of lack of oxygen and create new growth.

"Hair follicles exist in two stables states - either an active state or a dormant state. From time to time they will jump from one state to another. Some of the follicles are just resting in the dormant state and are waiting for the right signal," the Daily Express quoted Bruno Bernard, L'Oreal head of hair biology, as saying.

"They are in a latency period. If you can reduce this latency period you will have more hair," he added. (ANI)