Medscape – Researchers may have discovered the elusive cure to baldness in an unlikely place: those unsightly hairs that sometimes grow out of skin moles.
Researchers found that a specific molecule in those hairy moles “causes normally dormant and diminutive hair follicles to activate their stem cells for robust growth of long and thick hairs,” lead researcher Maksim Plikus, PhD, a professor of developmental and cell biology at the University of California, Irvine, said in a statement.
The findings could lead to new treatments for the hair loss condition known as androgenetic alopecia, which researchers said occurs in both men and women. It is also known as male-pattern baldness in men.
The global team led by researchers at the university analyzed hair follicle stem cells and discovered that a molecule called osteopontin drives accelerated hair growth.
Stem cells can develop into different kinds of cells, whether they are in the body or in a laboratory, and are often involved in regenerative or repair processes, according to the Mayo Clinic … READ MORE.
Is a Hairy Mole a Cause for Concern?
HEALTHLINE – It’s a popular myth that hairy moles are often cancerous, but that’s all it is: a myth.
In fact, the presence of a hair growing out of a mole may indicate that the spot is actually healthy and noncancerous.
What causes a hairy mole?
It’s possible for hair to grow through the surface of a mole if the mole’s positioned over a hair follicle. Because the normal skin cells that make up a mole are healthy, hair growth may continue as normal. The follicle produces the hair, not the actual mole. The hair then breaks through the surface of the mole just as it would through any other skin cell.
It’s not unusual to see one or multiple hairs growing out of a mole. In some cases, the hair that grows out of a mole may appear darker or thicker than the other body hair surrounding it. This is because the extra pigment in the cells may darken the hair, too.
Anecdotal evidence from dermatologists and other clinicians suggests that it’s not common for a hairy mole to be cancerous.
However, that doesn’t mean the mole can’t develop into cancer. In that case, doctors speculate that perhaps when the cells on a mole’s surface above the hair become abnormal, it inhibits hair growth.
Can you remove mole hair?
Another part of this myth suggests that removing the hair growing through a mole could actually cause the mole to become cancerous. Fortunately, that’s not the case … READ MORE.
