A New Cure for Baldness...?

A potential new cure for baldness has been discovered using a drug originally intended to treat osteoporosis.

Interesting article on the BBC website... read it here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-44038756

Researchers found the drug had a dramatic effect on hair follicles in the lab, stimulating them to grow.

It contains a compound which targets a protein that acts as a brake on hair growth and plays a role in baldness.

Project leader Dr Nathan Hawkshaw, from the University of Manchester, said it could "make a real difference to people who suffer from hair loss".

Only two drugs are currently available to treat balding (androgenetic alopecia):

• minoxidil, for men and women
• finasteride, for men only

Neither is available on the NHS and both have side-effects and are not always very effective, so patients often resort to hair transplantation surgery instead.