Could “sugar” be the new promising treatment for hair loss?

A new study highlights a natural sugar as a potentially effective treatment for androgenetic alopecia, the most common form of alopecia in men and one of the most frequent in women.

Could a simple, natural sugar become an effective – and side-effect-free – treatment for baldness in the future? And could the difference be visible in just 20 days? This is the question researchers from the University of Sheffield and COMSATS University in Pakistan are trying to answer. They are unexpectedly on the path to discovering a potentially effective treatment for androgenetic alopecia, as described in their publication in the scientific journal Frontiers in Pharmacology.

For the past eight years, scientists from the University of Sheffield and COMSATS University in Pakistan have been studying how a natural sugar (2-deoxyribose – 2dDR) can aid in wound healing by promoting the formation of new blood vessels. An unexpected observation during these studies showed that the hair of mice around the treated areas grew faster compared to the rest of the rodents’ hair. This caught the attention of the researchers, who applied 2dDR in the form of a topical gel for 20 days on mice with testosterone-induced alopecia, following a model that replicates androgenetic alopecia. The results were encouraging: 2dDR not only enhanced the formation of new blood vessels but also stimulated hair regrowth, showing effectiveness comparable to minoxidil, one of the most effective hair loss treatments.

“Our research suggests that the answer to treating alopecia could be as simple as applying the natural sugar deoxyribose to enhance blood supply to hair follicles and promote hair growth,” stated Sheila MacNeil, Emeritus Professor of Tissue Engineering at the University of Sheffield.

“The potential of 2-deoxyribose in hair regrowth is an exciting development. The study shows that this naturally occurring sugar can boost blood supply to hair follicles, thereby encouraging hair growth. Although the research is still in its early stages, it opens new avenues for developing more safe and effective treatments for androgenetic alopecia in both men and women,” comments Dr. Anastasios Vekris, Plastic Surgeon specialising in FUE hair transplantation and Scientific Director of Advanced Hair Clinics.

“Today, we use minoxidil, finasteride and dutasteride to treat alopecia. These are effective and results-proven treatments that work by prolonging the growth phase of hair follicles and improving blood flow to the scalp. Our treatment options also include PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) hair mesotherapy, an injectable treatment that uses growth factors in the patient’s blood plasma to stimulate hair growth and improve hair density. Hair transplantation using the FUE technique remains an effective and natural solution for restoring alopecia, as well as restoring the hairline and enhancing hair density in both men and women. However, even after successful hair transplantation, maintenance therapy is extremely important for the preservation of transplanted and existing hair. Therefore, every new maintenance treatment is important news for all of us who deal with hair loss management,” adds Dr. Vekris.

The discovery of the role of 2dDR in hair regrowth is evidence of the ongoing efforts by the scientific community to find more effective solutions for alopecia. If further research finds deoxyribose gel equally effective in humans, the treatment could be used not only for androgenetic alopecia but also to stimulate the growth of hair, eyelashes, and eyebrows in cases of alopecia following chemotherapy.

“What we must take from this discussion is that there are already effective maintenance treatments for hair loss in men and women, such as minoxidil, finasteride, dutasteride and PRP hair mesotherapy. Every new potential treatment comes to enrich the therapeutic options for people with alopecia and represents another step towards improving the quality of life for millions of men and women worldwide,” concludes Dr. Vekris.