Goosebumps Can Promote Hair Growth! Analyze the Mechanism of Hair Follicle Stem Cell Activation

The crisis of hair loss is increasingly becoming a challenge that many people need to confront early, especially in today’s high-pressure and fast-paced society. The development of hair growth medications and treatments for hair loss has been a significant topic in the medical field. Recently, a study conducted by National Taiwan University Hospital in collaboration with Harvard University, published in the renowned international journal Cell, uncovered mechanisms of hair growth, potentially providing new directions for hair regeneration treatments.

The Relationship Between Goosebumps and Hair Regeneration

When faced with cold or strong emotional stimuli, the human body activates the “piloerection reflex,” causing the arrector pili muscles to contract and the hair to stand up for protective purposes. Over the course of evolution, human body hair has gradually decreased and disappeared, transforming the piloerection mechanism into the manifestation of “goosebumps.”

Activation of the sympathetic nervous system stimulates the contraction of the arrector pili muscles, leading to goosebumps. Researchers have found that this contraction not only results in goosebumps but also enhances the activity of hair follicle stem cells, accelerating hair regeneration.

In animal experiments, they discovered that the contraction of the arrector pili muscles further influences the microenvironment surrounding the hair follicles, altering the supply of nutrients from nearby blood vessels. Additionally, the norepinephrine secreted by the sympathetic nervous system inhibits the dormancy factors of hair follicle stem cells, making it easier for these cells to be activated and stimulating hair growth.

Research Results Provide New Directions for Hair Growth Drug Development

The causes of hair loss can be generally divided into three categories:

1. Hair suddenly stops growing during the growth phase
2. Hair enters the resting phase, and hair follicle stem cells enter a dormant state
3. Hair follicles completely shrink, making it most difficult for hair to regrow

The research team primarily targets patients in the second category, aiming to stimulate the activation of dormant hair follicle stem cells through specific mechanisms to promote hair growth. Currently, the team has conducted animal experiments using drugs, successfully activating the hair follicles of the test animals and cultured human hair follicle stem cells. If they can advance to human clinical trials, it is possible that new hair growth drugs may soon emerge, providing new options for those suffering from hair loss and baldness.

 

Reference

Cell. 2020 Aug 6;182(3):578-593.e19. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.06.031.