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Going through the different threads of this forum, this aspect of androgenetic alopecia is assumed to be reversible by some members and irreversible by others without backing up their claims, leaving this blurred halo around follicles permanent death.
This thread is about gathering more information from reliable sources and that could support or refute this hypothesis.Try to contribute to this topic by citing scholarly sources and linking the sources.
Avoid claims like "Look at this MtF transgender with complete recovery", with only as reliable source a picture of him/her, without knowing for how long his follicles were miniaturized or explain why this can be possible.
To get started, i will quote this research paper from 2012
Miniaturized Hairs Maintain Contact with the Arrector Pili Muscle in Alopecia Areata but not in Androgenetic Alopecia: A Model for Reversible Miniaturization and Potential for Hair Regrowth
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3500053/
"Contact between the APM and the bulge in AA may be required for reversal of hair follicle miniaturization. Maintenance of contact between miniaturized follicles in AA could explain the complete hair regrowth while loss of contact between the APM and the bulge in MPHL and FPHL may explain why the hair loss is largely irreversible. This loss of contact may reflect changes in stem cell biology that also underlie irreversible miniaturization."
Three-dimensional reconstructions of AA (a) and FPHL (b) demonstrating the loss of contact of the APM with the ORS of the vellus hair follicle in FPHL which is largely irreversible compared with maintenance of this contact of the APM with ORS in AA which is potentially completely reversible
Another one from 2014
Destruction of the arrector pili muscle and fat infiltration in androgenic alopecia.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24579818
"Hair loss is caused by follicle miniaturization, which is largely irreversible beyond a certain degree of follicular regression."
"APM degeneration and replacement with fat in Androgenetic Alopecia has not previously been described. The underlying mechanism remains to be determined. However, we speculate that this phenomenon might be related to depletion of stem or progenitor cells from the follicle mesenchyme, explaining why Androgenetic Alopecia is treatment resistant."
And finally this one from 2011
Bald scalp in men with androgenetic alopecia retains hair follicle stem cells but lacks CD200-rich and CD34-positive hair follicle progenitor cells
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3026732/
"In reversible types of alopecia (e.g., alopecia areata), inflammation targets hair follicle progenitor cells but spares hair follicle stem cells. In these disorders, regrowth occurs with suppression of inflammation and subsequent regeneration of the hair follicle from uninjured stem cells (5). Our finding that Androgenetic Alopecia, in the clinical category of nonscarring alopecia, demonstrated preservation of hair follicle stem cells suggests potential reversibility of this condition."
Several conflicting theories and still no consensus of researchers on this aspect.
What bother me here, is that upcoming treatments focus on the creation of new follicles or DP cells (Tsuji and Follica in particular, even if Follica will "regenerate" some dormant follicles according to their patents).
Even Brotzu, if his claims are true and his product ever come out, won't regenerate long lost follicles for a random superior period of 5 years.
This query is therefore legitimate, are the follicles really dead ? Can we hope one day for a complete reversal of Androgenetic Alopecia without hair transplants or new DP cultured cells injections ?
This thread is about gathering more information from reliable sources and that could support or refute this hypothesis.Try to contribute to this topic by citing scholarly sources and linking the sources.
Avoid claims like "Look at this MtF transgender with complete recovery", with only as reliable source a picture of him/her, without knowing for how long his follicles were miniaturized or explain why this can be possible.
To get started, i will quote this research paper from 2012
Miniaturized Hairs Maintain Contact with the Arrector Pili Muscle in Alopecia Areata but not in Androgenetic Alopecia: A Model for Reversible Miniaturization and Potential for Hair Regrowth
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3500053/
"Contact between the APM and the bulge in AA may be required for reversal of hair follicle miniaturization. Maintenance of contact between miniaturized follicles in AA could explain the complete hair regrowth while loss of contact between the APM and the bulge in MPHL and FPHL may explain why the hair loss is largely irreversible. This loss of contact may reflect changes in stem cell biology that also underlie irreversible miniaturization."
Three-dimensional reconstructions of AA (a) and FPHL (b) demonstrating the loss of contact of the APM with the ORS of the vellus hair follicle in FPHL which is largely irreversible compared with maintenance of this contact of the APM with ORS in AA which is potentially completely reversible
Another one from 2014
Destruction of the arrector pili muscle and fat infiltration in androgenic alopecia.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24579818
"Hair loss is caused by follicle miniaturization, which is largely irreversible beyond a certain degree of follicular regression."
"APM degeneration and replacement with fat in Androgenetic Alopecia has not previously been described. The underlying mechanism remains to be determined. However, we speculate that this phenomenon might be related to depletion of stem or progenitor cells from the follicle mesenchyme, explaining why Androgenetic Alopecia is treatment resistant."
And finally this one from 2011
Bald scalp in men with androgenetic alopecia retains hair follicle stem cells but lacks CD200-rich and CD34-positive hair follicle progenitor cells
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3026732/
"In reversible types of alopecia (e.g., alopecia areata), inflammation targets hair follicle progenitor cells but spares hair follicle stem cells. In these disorders, regrowth occurs with suppression of inflammation and subsequent regeneration of the hair follicle from uninjured stem cells (5). Our finding that Androgenetic Alopecia, in the clinical category of nonscarring alopecia, demonstrated preservation of hair follicle stem cells suggests potential reversibility of this condition."
Several conflicting theories and still no consensus of researchers on this aspect.
What bother me here, is that upcoming treatments focus on the creation of new follicles or DP cells (Tsuji and Follica in particular, even if Follica will "regenerate" some dormant follicles according to their patents).
Even Brotzu, if his claims are true and his product ever come out, won't regenerate long lost follicles for a random superior period of 5 years.
This query is therefore legitimate, are the follicles really dead ? Can we hope one day for a complete reversal of Androgenetic Alopecia without hair transplants or new DP cultured cells injections ?