Electrostimulator of hair growth

The wearable device helped with baldness

Polina Gershberg, Naked Science

Scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison have created a portable gadget that prevents hair loss. The device is described in an article published in the journal ACS Nano.

The operation of the device is based on stimulation of the scalp with low–frequency electrical impulses. At the same time, the gadget is powered by the energy released when walking, so it does not need a bulky battery. The creators of the device say that it should work well in men in the early stages of baldness.

Electrical stimulation "awakens" inactive hair follicles. It also enhances the secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor VEGF and keratinocyte growth factor (the main human skin cells) FGF7. This helps to restore the epithelium and improve blood supply to the scalp.

The device has already shown good results on bald mice and rats of the Spray-Dooley line. At the same time, in the second group of rodents, electrical stimulation showed better results compared to pharmacological methods of treatment: a higher concentration of active hair follicles and a longer length of the hair shaft were observed.

There was no negative effect during operation of the device. "The energy [of the device] is very low, so it will cause a minimal number of side effects," says one of the creators of the device, Xudong Wang. "Before our work, there was no really good solution in the field of low-visibility devices that provide gentle but effective stimulation."

The device is shown along with the baseball cap used to disguise it.

Side effects are one of the main problems in the treatment of alopecia. Many well-known and popular drugs (for example, Propecia), for all their effectiveness, give a lot of negative effects. Among them are increased anxiety with a risk of depression and sexual dysfunction. Thanks to the low energy and soft impact, the new device is spared from this. However, scientists doubt that it will be effective in the late stages of baldness.

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