New study discovers stem cell cause for male pattern balding

A new study has found that inactivation of stem cells in hair follicles may play a key role in the onset of male pattern balding.

Scientists from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have compared cell samples from men undergoing hair transplants in order to establish cellular differences between bald and non-bald scalps.

It was found that both sets of samples contained the same number of stem cells, but that quantities of activating progenitor cells were comparatively depleted among bald scalp samples.

According to the researchers, this finding could open the door for further discoveries about other types of baldness, as well as potential new methods for reinvigorating hair growth.

Dr George Cotsarelis, chair of the department of dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, said: "The fact that there are normal numbers of stem cells in bald scalp gives us hope for reactivating those stem cells."

According to figures from the NHS, male pattern baldness is the most common type of hair loss and affects around 6.5 million men in the UK.