Good news for balding men: New research has found that a drug used to treat glaucoma actually grows human hair.
The study, published online in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal, showed the glaucoma drug, bimatoprost, causes human hair to regrow. The drug has been approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration and has been commercially available as a way to lengthen eyelashes. But the new study is the first to show that it can actually grow human hair from the scalp.
"We hope this study will lead to the development of a new therapy for balding which should improve the quality of life for many people with hair loss," said Valerie Randall, a researcher involved in the work from the University of Bradford. "Further research should increase our understanding of how hair follicles work and thereby allow new therapeutic approaches for many hair growth disorders."
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To reach their conclusions, Randall and colleagues conducted laboratory tests involving human cells and mice. The results showed bimatoprost led to increased hair growth, even in bald spots where there was no hair at all.
"This discovery could be the long-awaited follow up to Viagra that middle-aged men have been waiting for," said Dr. Gerald Weissmann, editor of the FASEB Journal. "Given that the drug is already approved for human use and its safety profile is generally understood, this looks like a promising discovery that has been right in front of our eyes the whole time."