OREANDA-NEWS   Chinese scientists have proposed combating baldness with a dissolving patch. The new development with cerium nanoparticles has already been successfully tested on mice. 

The dissolving patch should help manage androgenetic alopecia, the most common form of hair loss in men and women. With this type of baldness, due to the destruction of hair follicles, hair falls out in the forehead, temples and crown.

As it is known, the process of hair loss begins under the influence of hormones and reactive oxygen species which accumulate in the skin. Cerium nanoparticles do an excellent job of removing this oxygen from tissues but cannot penetrate the top layer of the skin. To help the active substance penetrate deeper, scientists have created a special patch with soluble microneedles which deliver cerium nanoparticles under the skin.

During the experiments, the scientists took three groups of mice with bald patches. In the first group, the areas of baldness were not treated with anything, in the second group, a new plaster was glued to the damaged areas, and in the third, bald spots were treated with a hair growth agent called minoxidil.

The experiment lasted 28 days, and during this time the hair on the bald patches was completely restored in the second and third groups. However, scientists noted that in mice with a patch, the process of restoration of blood vessels and hair follicles began much faster - already in the second week. Now Chinese experts are planning to conduct research on humans, writes Science Daily.