Tissues and organs undergo structural and functional declines in the aging process, with a gradual decrease in regenerative ability. The hair follicle is a complex mini-organ that undergoes cyclic self-renewal during postnatal life, as the follicle contains stem cells that can be activated and silenced cyclically. Thus, it serves as an excellent model for studying regeneration. However, follicles gradually lose hairs and stem cells enter quiescence or differentiate into other skin epithelial lineages during aging. This process is largely influenced by intrinsic epigenetic status and extrinsic environmental factors which affect the hair follicle stem cell behavior during hair cycling. In aged mice, the expression of the activators is decreased and the expression of inhibitors is increased, leading to decreased or failed hair regeneration which may cause alopecia.

Today, 50 million men and 30 million women in the United States experience complete or partial hair loss. To advance our understanding of alopecia during aging process, we need to know:

How stem cells are regulated at the intrinsic and extrinsic level including:

• The epigenetic regulation such as DNA methylation, chromatin and histone modification,
• Intra- and extra-follicular niches such as bulge, dermal papilla, and intradermal adipose,
• Systemic factors such as sex hormone, immune, nerve, blood and lymphatic vessels,
• External environment such as circadian rhythm and seasonal changes, etc.

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Media Contact:               

Sandra Jones

Journal Manager

Hair Therapy and Transplantation

Email: hairtherapy@emedscholar.com