Scientists have discovered a "critical breakthrough" in the treatment for baldness after creating natural-looking hair from stem cells.

Researchers and experts in the US claim to have developed a refined method which has seen them grow hair through the skin of mice, using dermal popilla cells from human pluripotent stem cells. The study involved a key combination of human stem cells with mice cells before they were attached to a 3D biodegradable scaffold made from the same material as dissolvable stitches.

This promising breakthrough could be what many men and women have been waiting for, but it is still unclear how effective this would be when put to the real test. The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research in LA, California.

"Our new protocol... overcomes key technological challenges that kept our discovery from real-world use," said Alexey Terskik, of Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in California.
  "Now we have a robust, highly controlled method for generating natural-looking hair that grows through the skin using an unlimited source of human iPSC-derived dermal papilla cells. "This is a critical breakthrough in the development of cell-based hair-loss therapies and the regenerative medicine field."

Scientists are now looking to develop and apply the same process in humans as a treatment for baldness and thinning hair.  Male pattern baldness affects over 60% of men over the age of 40, and is caused by a combination of genetic and hormonal factors, according to the British Association of Dermatologists.

Hair loss also comes in many temporary forms, but it is understood that this treatment will be used and developed for the permanent hair loss conditions, such as male pattern baldness. 

Current treatments include finasteride (also known as Propecia) and minoxidil (branded most commonly as Regaine), which do not work for everyone and only work for as long as they are used.  They also come with negative side-effects, of which some can be very serious. Other treatments include steroid injections and creams applied to bald patches and hair transplants, which can cost anywhere between £1,000 and £30,000. 

This latest breakthrough aims to be the leading treatment for hair loss, but time will tell how effective it really will be.  As always, we'll keep you informed as and when developments of this hair loss treatment occur.