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Losing your hair is something that many men dread.
But there's good news, as experts are one step closer to a treatment that could help blokes hang on to their locks a little longer – and it could even help prevent alopecia.
A team of international scientists have found a protein called MCL-1 plays a key role in hair growth and follicle protection.
They discovered that when MCL-1 production is blocked in mice, the animals went on to lose their hair over the next 90 days.
And finding a way to boost this protein could put a stop to a range of hair loss conditions, they said.
Hair follicles, once developed, go through regular cycles of dormancy and growth. Around 70-90 per cent of our scalp hairs stay in the growth phase, but certain conditions can disrupt this, leading to hair loss.
The MCL-1 protein appears to play a critical role in the growth phase but – just as importantly – it can help 'calm' follicle stem cells when they 'reawaken' from inactivity.
Protecting these follicle cells from stress and damage then helps them to thrive and for the hair to regenerate.
Figures indicate that hair loss affects around 85 per cent of men by the time they reach middle-age (stock image)
Images taken throughout the experiment show the last row of mice - who had their MCL-1 protein blocked - with significantly less hair than the others
The team that carried out the experiments were from Duke‑NUS Medical School in Singapore and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Australia.
Writing in the journal Nature Communications they said that 'deleting' the MCL-1 protein 'leads to gradual hair loss and elimination of hair follicle stem cells' in adult mice.
The team said their findings will next need to be replicated in clinical research in humans.
However, they added that understanding the molecular regulation which controls hair follicle growth could lead to the development of new strategies for treating alopecia as well as hair loss prevention.
'This study advances our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying hair follicle regeneration and offers new insights into how stem cell survival and tissue regeneration are orchestrated,' they wrote.
Hair loss affects around 85 per cent of men by the time they reach middle-age, with many experiencing male pattern baldness – a hereditary condition - as early as their 20s.
Besides medication to encourage hair growth, some men opt for laser treatment to help invigorate circulation in the scalp and stimulate hair follicles, while some go to hair transplant surgery.
A separate study, published last year, found an ancient biological mechanism that triggers a stress response in hair follicle cells, leading to restricted hair growth.
The findings could also help lead to more treatment for alopecia, a condition in which the body's immune system attacks hair follicles (stock image)
The team, from the University of Manchester, unexpectedly discovered the link in a lab experiment where they were testing a drug to see if it boosted human scalp hair follicles in a dish.
Analysis revealed that when a mechanism called Integrated Stress Response (ISR) was over-activated, it had a negative impact on hair growth.
This response is important as it allows cells to put a brake on regular activities when they are stressed, becoming partially dormant to adapt and deal with the strain.
A hair follicle cell may become stressed, for example, as it ages and becomes less able to properly produce protein.
As a result, finding a way to stop the overactivation of the ISR may lead to a treatment to prevent hair loss, the team said.
What are the causes of hair loss?
It is perfectly normal for people to lose small amounts of hair as it replenishes itself and, on average, people can shed between 50 and 100 hairs per day.
However, if people start to lose entire patches of hair or large amounts of it it can be more distressing and potentially a sign of something serious.
Pattern baldness is a common cause of hair loss as people grow older. At least half of men over the age of 50 will lose some of their hair just through the ageing process, according to the British Association of Dermatologists.
Women may lose their hair as they grow older, too.
Other, more concerning causes of hair loss include stress, cancer treatment such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy, weight loss or an iron deficiency.
Most hair loss is temporary, however, and can be expected to grow back.
Specific medical conditions which cause the hair to fall out include alopecia, a disorder of the immune system; an underactive or overactive thyroid; the skin condition lichen planus or Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer.
People should visit their doctor if their hair starts to fall out in lumps, falls out suddenly, if their scalp itches or burns, and if hair loss is causing them severe stress.
