Treatments for unwanted body hair can be both expensive and unreliable, but scientists believe they may have found a potential alternative drug-free method for this hairy problem. — dpa
Tastebuds found in hair follicles could one day lead to new treatments for unwanted hair, experts have said.
The scientists noted that adding a common sweetener to taste receptors in hair follicles appeared to prevent hair growth in laboratory tests.
According to experts, public healthcare treatments for people with excess hair are “limited”, while private care can be “costly” with “variable success”.
It is hoped that the new finding could one day lead to a new “drug-free” treatment for unwanted hair.
The study, recently published in the British Journal of Dermatology, examined taste receptors in hair follicles.
Tastebuds are most commonly associated with detecting flavours in the mouth, but these receptors also have other functions throughout the body.
Among these functions are helping to regulate the immune system, metabolism and reproduction.
The researchers found that human scalp hair follicles – the tiny “biofactories” that produce hair – have a fully functional bitter taste receptor called TAS2R4.
They found that this receptor can be stimulated with a natural sweetener called rebaudioside A (Reb A), which is extracted from the Stevia rebaudiana plant, also known as the candyleaf plant.
This appeared to suppress the growth of human scalp hair follicles in laboratory conditions.
This occurred through a reduction in cell division in the hair follicles and the stimulation of a “potent growth factor known to stop hair growth”.
“Our study introduces an innovative drug-free strategy for how we may be able to suppress unwanted hair growth in the future,” the authors from Germany and the United States wrote.
“Despite the name, and their historical association with tastebuds, taste receptors crop up in unexpected places,” study lead author and University of Miami Research Professor of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery Professor Dr Ralf Paus said.
“These findings identify specific taste receptors in human hair follicles, demonstrate they are active and that they can be triggered to control hair growth.”
Commenting on the study, hair expert Dr Leila Asfour from the British Association of Dermatologists, said hirsutism and hypertrichosis can be very challenging to treat, and people can experience significant stigma.
“Available treatments such as laser (and) electrolysis can be quite costly and multiple sessions are required with variable success, depending on patient characteristics.”
She added: “The discovery of new receptors, non-hormone–related, in hair follicles is fascinating.
“With time, as we gain greater understanding of these receptors in hair follicles and their role in hair growth, this can provide the foundations for the development of new targeted – and as the authors describe it, ‘drug-free’ – treatments.”
British Journal of Dermatology editor-in-chief Prof Dr John McGrath added: “We don’t know for sure that activating these taste receptors in hair follicles could reduce hair growth in people, but it’s the type of research that could one day lead to a new type of hair-removal product.
“So far, the research has been conducted on donated human scalp skin from hair transplant and facelift patients; an important step will be to see if the findings can be repeated in clinical trials on humans, rather than just isolated hair follicles.” – By Ella Pickover/PA Media/dpa
