Few ailments have been studied with more scrutiny than erectile dysfunction and male-pattern baldness. And while we've all but cured the former, the latter remains elusive to this day.
But now, thanks to a group of highly trained scientists at Yokohama National University in Japan, we may have actually started to find a way to cure baldness — and the implications are far-reaching.
As pessimistic as it may seem, happiness isn't guaranteed in life. But regardless of where you live, your creed, culture, or social demographic — all of us experience fear in a very primal way.
A fear of spiders, known as arachnophobia, is one of the most commonly held phobias around the globe. Whether we're talking about the common North American house spider or a Goliath birdeater, these eat-legged freaks give millions of people the heebee-jeebees.
I never used to think I had a fear of needles until I saw Saw II. Now, every time I get my flu shot — my mind immediately goes back to the needle pit.
Peladophobia is the fear of going bald. And while it might not be as terrifying as hypodermic needles or spiders — it's equally as debilitating.
But after years of tireless research, scientists may finally be on the cusp of curing baldness once and for all.
Lead author Dr. Tatsuto Kageyama, of Yokohama National University in Japan, said, "Organoids were a promising tool to elucidate the mechanisms in hair follicle morphogenesis in vitro."
For social media sites such as Instagram, LinkedIn, and dating apps like Bumble and Tinder, maintaining a youthful appearance is critical.
In just 23 days, hair follicles grew to a length of 3 millimeters. According to Dr. Kageyama, this could be revolutionary for hair loss drugs.
In a nutshell, what researchers have learned from regrowing hair could further our overall understanding of how physiological and pathological processes develop in the human body.
Therefore, it's not outside the realm of possibility to think that this research could also help humans to regrow teeth, lungs, liver, and kidneys.
As a man whose forehead seems to be growing by the minute these days, suffice it to say that I'm excited for what the future holds for hair loss research — just as we all should be.
