Hair now, gone tomorrow? A dose may do wonders

London: Chances are that you may be one of the millions of men who have scratched their heads for that elusive solution for losing hair. Fret not. Help is on the way. Doctors, including an Indian-origin specialist, are all set to put on trial what they claim a potential “instant” cure for baldness. According to the doctors, which involves patients being injected with a mixture of platelet-rich plasma taken from their own blood, and Acell, a powder extracted from pig bladders. [caption id=“attachment_7267” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Male baldness could be halted in its tracks or even reversed by the new 30-minute treatment. Reuters”]  [/caption] Later this week, some 20 British patients will be offered the chance to sample the new treatment to be performed by Dr Raghu Reddy at The Private Clinic in Harley Street with the help of Dr Gary Hitzig who developed it in the US, the ‘Daily Express’ reported. Dr Reddy said: “It is as close as we have come to a cure for male baldness.” The treatment first forms a protective barrier around healthy, hair-growing cells to prevent further loss. Then it duplicates the surrounding tissue which means that if there are any healthy hair-growing stem cells near the treatment area, they will be duplicated and hair will return. The treatment will be available to patients with thinning hair to increase its density, but also to patients at a later stage, say the doctors. Revealing the key to treating classic male pattern baldness could have huge implications as the condition affects about half of all men over 50, and is caused by a mixture of genetics and sex hormones. Many women also suffer from sporadic hair loss and although there are treatments such as transplants, there is no cure. PTI