London - Ill-fitting wigs, ludicrous comb-overs and transplants have all been used by men desperate to hide the irreversible tide of baldness.
Now a solution known as the “vampire treatment” is being hailed as a major breakthrough in the battle against hair loss.
Scientists have found that injecting patients’ bald patches with a solution derived from their own blood prompts the hair to regrow.
The treatment involves extracting and processing “platelet-rich plasma” (PRP) from the patient’s blood in a laboratory and then injecting it back into his head.
The solution stimulates new stem cells below the skin which can help hair to grow back, according to the research, which is published in the British Journal of Dermatology.
Researcher Dr Fabio Rinaldi said: “We think it can help to regrow hair on people with androgenic alopecia [male baldness]. We believe it is the best treatment available, apart from surgery.”
In the study, volunteers given the PRP treatment had significant hair regrowth in their bald patches, compared to those who received a more traditional steroid treatment or a placebo.
The scientists, based at the International Hair Research Foundation and the University of Brescia in Italy and the Hebrew University Medical Centre in Israel, hope to be able to replace the need for injections by developing the treatment as a cream.
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