The Future of Hair Loss Treatments Will Involve a Lot More Robots

Successful hair replacement and regrowth have been notoriously tough codes to crack — especially for women. We asked leaders in the field about the most promising advancements that could lead to a hairier future for all of us. BY BETH SHAPOURI https://www.allure.com/story/future-hair-replacement-treatments August 31, 2021 blue and white illustration of a futuristic-looking person with locs blowing in the wind Niege Borges This story is a part of The Truth About Hair Loss, an exploration into why we lose our hair, the emotional and monetary costs that come along with the experience, and what the future of treatment (and acceptance) could look like. Even before the pandemic hit, the hair restoration industry was booming (it's projected to reach over $12 billion in 2026). Add in the stress-included hair loss that we’ve seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, and suddenly all eyes are on the scalp. It may be surprising that, in a market set to see significant growth in the next few years, we're arguably lacking in great solutions to the problem — particularly for women, who aren't always candidates for all the treatments currently available to men. In fact, of the two FDA-approved drugs on the hair rejuvenation market, minoxidil and finasteride (aka Rogaine and Propecia, respectively), only Rogaine is also approved for women. But with advances in technology and other innovations on the horizon, that all may change in the next few years. Why is treating hair loss so hard? First, hair loss is notoriously persistent. Beyond that, it comes down in large part to the fact that it may happen for a variety of reasons (among them: thyroid and metabolism troubles and possibly air pollution) that may require different solutions. Temporary hair loss, caused by events like chemotherapy, stress, or post-pregnancy, may clear up on its own once circumstances change. But other types require intervention to see improvement: For example, the autoimmune disorder alopecia areata may be treated with immunotherapy or with injected and topical corticosteroids. For your average case of male or female pattern baldness (androgenic alopecia), there are a few options that have varying degrees of results and costs associated with them, and with some come the chance of unsexy side effects (see: finasteride's erectile dysfunction). And while researchers continue to study the underlying causes of hair loss, there hasn’t been a drug approved to combat it since 1997. For people assigned female at birth, finding the right solution — or solutions — can be especially hard. "In general, male hair loss is mainly caused by the hormone DHT (dihydrotestosterone) which causes hair to progressively thin (miniaturize) over each successive growth cycle," says Christine M. Shaver, a board-certified dermatologist at Bernstein Medical Center for Hair Restoration in New York. "Thus, the main treatment for male hair loss is through simply blocking the formation of DHT." While DHT is also a factor for women, Shaver says that in this group overall "hair loss is more complex can prove quite difficult to treat." Simply blocking the hormone often isn't enough — plus, the main way of doing it, finasteride, hasn't been approved for women. Not that it doesn't work — studies show it can — but there are enough potential safety concerns for women who are pregnant (or may become pregnant), breast-feeding, or have a family history of breast cancer that the FDA considers it a no-go.