ANDRZEJ KRAUZEFor some men, few things are more worrisome than the daily sight of an ever-receding hairline in the bathroom mirror, or the peach-fuzz feel of a thinning crown. This creeping nemesis—known as male-pattern baldness or androgenetic alopecia—emerges in genetically predisposed individuals when a by-product of testosterone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT) causes hair follicles on the scalp to shrink, producing ever thinner hairs, until the follicles eventually lose the capacity to produce hair that protrudes above the surface of the skin.
For the moment, there are few treatment options. The only two approved by the US Food and Drug Administration are minoxidil (Rogaine), a vasodilator thought to prevent or slow follicle miniaturization by increasing nutrient supply, and finasteride (Propecia), which achieves the same goals by blocking the conversion of testosterone into DHT. Research has shown that both can prevent or slow hair loss, and sometimes induce regrowth, by rescuing follicles that have recently begun to miniaturize. But neither can revive totally shrunken follicles. And while relocating healthy follicles to barren patches can solve the problem, hair transplant procedures are expensive and invasive.
The ultimate victory, when it comes to the long-fought battle against baldness, would be to find a way to trick the body into creating ...
