New Research in Study of Shock Loss
A new study from the Department of Dermatology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine demonstrates that one of the inflammatory pathways present in the healing process could be responsible for what we know as shock loss after hair transplantation. Shock loss is when a patient experiences hair loss after a hair transplant procedure in recipient area. This hair loss can be seen in just a few weeks up to several months after a hair transplant. Also you can use additional resource to learn more.
The new study by Nelson et. al. shows that prostaglandin D2 (one of the factors that is seen in healing wounds inhibits Wound-Induced Hair Follicle Neogenesis through a Receptor called Gpr44.
The researchers explain that prostaglandins are key inflammatory mediators involved in wound healing process, as well as, regulating hair growth. They considered the wound-induced hair follicle Neogenesis (WIHN) as a significant marker for skin regeneration. This study was done in a simulated wound healing condition. The researchers administered prostaglandin D2 to the skin and evaluated the WIHN condition. They concluded that PGD2 inhibits hair follicle regeneration.
New Possibilities in Hair Loss Treatment
The importance of this study is in the possibilities that it may lead researchers to the ways shock loss can be minimized after hair transplant surgeries. Another interesting possibility is that these studies may also illustrate a pathway that leads to continued hair growth through activation of prostaglandin receptors. This pathway might be the key to a breakthrough method of hair restoration in the future.