Haircure: The Science of Hair Loss, Decoded

Today's BreakthroughMay 16, 2026

JAK InhibitorsClinical TrialsAlopecia Areata

Ritlecitinib Changed Everything, But Not For the Reason Most People Think

The FDA approval of ritlecitinib for alopecia areata in 2023 was framed as a win for one autoimmune condition. The researchers who understand where this drug family is going know it's something bigger.

Dr. Maya Chen

5.1k views3 min read

Stem Cells2030 Cure

Hair Follicle Cloning Is Closer Than You Think, And Further Than You Hope

3 min read

ExosomesStem Cells

Exosomes: The Stem Cell Treatment That Isn't Actually Stem Cells

3 min read

Latest Research

ResearchDHT5 days ago

Prostaglandin D2: The Hidden Brake on Hair Growth That Scientists Have Known About Since 2012

A decade ago, a landmark study identified PGD2 as a potent inhibitor of hair follicle growth, elevated in bald scalp. Why is no approved treatment targeting it yet?

Liam Foster

13.3k views3 min read

Clinical TrialsDHT6 days ago

What Pyrilutamide Getting to Phase 3 Actually Means for Men With Hair Loss

Kintor Pharmaceutical's CB-03-01 successor has reached Phase 3 trials in the US and China. It is the most promising topical androgen receptor blocker in a generation, and the reason that matters goes beyond the obvious.

Dr. Maya

7.8k views3 min read

Clinical TrialsDHT7 days ago

Clascoterone Phase 3 Data Is In, And It's More Complicated Than the Headlines Suggest

The first topical antiandrogen to complete Phase 3 for androgenetic alopecia showed meaningful hair density improvements, but the effect size tells a more nuanced story than its proponents acknowledge.

Dr. Maya

11.4k views3 min read

Hair TransplantWound Healing8 days ago

Verteporfin Is Rewriting What We Thought We Knew About Hair Transplant Scars

A repurposed ophthalmology drug is showing an unexpected ability to suppress scar formation in hair transplant wounds, potentially enabling follicle regeneration rather than simple transfer.

Liam Foster

21.7k views3 min read

CRISPRGene Therapy9 days ago

CRISPR for Androgenetic Alopecia: The First Human Safety Data Has Arrived

A Phase 1 trial testing CRISPR-Cas9 to edit the androgen receptor gene in scalp follicles has reported its first safety data. No serious adverse events, and one unexpected finding worth paying attention to.

Dr. Maya

5.2k views3 min read

Stem Cells2030 Cure10 days ago

HairClone Is Banking Follicles Now So You Can Restore Hair Later, But When Is 'Later'?

The UK company has been collecting follicle samples since 2020. They're betting that cell therapy technology will mature in time to use what they're storing. I spent three months trying to work out whether that bet is rational.

Liam Foster

15.7k views3 min read

Wnt PathwayGene Therapy11 days ago

The Wnt Pathway Is the Master Switch for Hair Follicle Cycling, Here's What That Means for Treatment

Wnt/β-catenin signalling controls whether hair follicles stay in growth phase or enter rest. Every major regenerative approach to hair loss eventually encounters this pathway. Understanding it is non-optional.

Dr. Maya

1.2k views3 min read

MinoxidilClinical Trials12 days ago

Oral Minoxidil at 1.25mg Is Working Differently to What Anyone Expected

Low-dose oral minoxidil has become one of the most prescribed off-label treatments in dermatology. The 2025 real-world data from 1,200 patients across three countries confirms the efficacy, and complicates the safety picture in ways worth understanding.

Liam Foster

7.2k views3 min read

JAK InhibitorsAlopecia Areata13 days ago

Baricitinib Two-Year Follow-Up Data: What Actually Happens After the Trial Ends

The FDA approved baricitinib for severe alopecia areata in 2022. Two years later, the open-label extension data answers the question nobody asked in the initial trial: what happens when patients stop taking it?

Dr. Maya

19.1k views3 min read

2030 CureWnt Pathway14 days ago

Follica's Skin Disruption Protocol Is the Most Overlooked Hair Loss Treatment in Development

The idea that you can create new hair follicles by wounding the scalp sounds implausible. The science behind Follica's approach says otherwise, and their Phase 3 trial data has finally been submitted to the FDA.

Liam Foster

18.7k views3 min read

PRPClinical Trials15 days ago

PRP for Hair Loss in 2025: The Definitive Meta-Analysis of 28 Randomised Trials

Platelet-rich plasma has been used for hair loss for over a decade. A 2025 meta-analysis of 28 randomised controlled trials finally answers whether it actually works, and if so, for whom and by how much.

Dr. Maya

20.0k views3 min read

ResearchInflammation16 days ago

Your Scalp Has a Microbiome. It Might Be Contributing to Your Hair Loss.

Research into the scalp microbiome is revealing links between bacterial and fungal communities and hair loss that go beyond simple dandruff. The therapeutic implications are only beginning to be explored.

Liam Foster

2.6k views3 min read

DHTClinical Trials17 days ago

Dutasteride Mesotherapy vs Oral: A Head-to-Head Comparison the Field Has Been Waiting For

Intradermal injection of dutasteride directly into the scalp has been practiced by dermatologists for years. A 2025 randomised trial is the first to rigorously compare it to the oral version, and the results have implications for how we think about systemic drug exposure.

Dr. Maya

19.3k views3 min read

ResearchClinical Trials18 days ago

Low-Level Laser Therapy for Hair Loss: What the 2025 Evidence Actually Shows

LLLT devices have been FDA-cleared for hair loss since 2007. Eighteen years later, a Cochrane-style systematic review has assembled the most rigorous evidence yet, and the picture is more nuanced than the device manufacturers suggest.

Liam Foster

5.8k views3 min read

Stem CellsExosomes19 days ago

Stem Cell Conditioned Medium: The Quiet Treatment That's Building a Real Evidence Base

Rather than injecting stem cells directly, conditioned medium, the protein-rich fluid in which stem cells have grown, delivers the therapeutic signals without the cells themselves. The 2024-2025 trial data is genuinely promising.

Dr. Maya

11.0k views3 min read

ResearchInflammation20 days ago

Scientists Have Mapped the Mechanism Behind Chronic Telogen Effluvium, IL-33 Is the Key

Telogen effluvium, the diffuse hair shedding that follows stress, illness, or hormonal shifts, has lacked a clear molecular explanation for chronic cases. New research points to IL-33 and the innate immune system.

Liam Foster

3.0k views3 min read

ResearchInflammation21 days ago

COVID-19 Hair Loss Three Years On: What the Long-Term Data Tells Us

Post-COVID telogen effluvium was one of the most widely reported symptoms of long COVID. Three years on, research from 40,000 patients answers the questions that early reports couldn't: how many recover, and who doesn't?

Liam Foster

13.8k views3 min read

Hair TransplantClinical Trials22 days ago

Robotic Hair Transplantation in 2025: What the Outcome Data Says About When It's Worth It

Robotic systems for hair transplantation have been marketed as precision improvements on manual FUE. A 2025 comparison study of 800 patients finally answers the question of whether that precision translates to better outcomes.

Dr. Maya

17.2k views3 min read

FinasterideDHT23 days ago

Finasteride at 10 Years: The Most Important Long-Term Safety Study Yet Published

A prospective 10-year study of finasteride 1mg for androgenetic alopecia, the longest rigorous follow-up ever conducted, has data on efficacy maintenance, sexual side effects, and cardiovascular outcomes that every user should know.

Liam Foster

6.9k views3 min read

MinoxidilResearch24 days ago

Topical Caffeine vs Minoxidil: What a Proper Head-to-Head Trial Found

Caffeine-based hair products claim to rival minoxidil. A 2024 randomised controlled trial with 200 participants and an 6-month follow-up finally tested that claim properly.

Dr. Maya

14.3k views3 min read

ResearchNutrition25 days ago

Biotin and Hair Loss: What the Evidence Actually Shows (It's Not What the Supplement Industry Tells You)

Biotin supplements for hair loss generate over $2 billion in annual sales. The evidence base for this billion-dollar market is thinner than most users suspect, and the cases where biotin genuinely helps are narrower than marketing implies.

Liam Foster

8.6k views3 min read

MinoxidilResearch28 days ago

Minoxidil Sulfotransferase Activity Explains Why Some People Don't Respond

Topical minoxidil works for some users and not others, and the variability isn't random. The enzyme SULT1A1 converts minoxidil to its active form, and scalp expression varies dramatically between individuals.

Dr. Maya

20.8k views3 min read

FinasterideDHTabout 1 month ago

Topical Finasteride Is Safer Than Oral, But the Pharmacokinetic Data Tells a More Complicated Story

The pitch for topical finasteride is straightforward: get the hair regrowth without the systemic side effects. The pharmacokinetic data shows the picture is more nuanced than the marketing suggests.

Liam Foster

1.1k views3 min read

Female Pattern Hair LossDHTabout 1 month ago

Spironolactone for Female Pattern Hair Loss: The Most Underprescribed Effective Treatment

Spironolactone has been used off-label for female pattern hair loss for forty years. The 2024 systematic review finally collated the evidence base, and the picture is more positive than its niche status would suggest.

Dr. Maya

21.5k views3 min read

Telogen EffluviumResearchabout 1 month ago

Semaglutide and Hair Loss: What 18 Months of Real-World Data Shows

GLP-1 receptor agonists like semaglutide produce rapid weight loss, and a small but consistent fraction of users report telogen effluvium. The mechanism is now clearer.

Liam Foster

15.4k views3 min read

Telogen EffluviumResearchabout 2 months ago

Isotretinoin Hair Loss: How Common It Actually Is and What Recovery Looks Like

Isotretinoin is one of the most effective acne drugs ever developed. It also causes telogen effluvium in a meaningful minority of users, here's the data on incidence and recovery.

Dr. Maya

11.6k views3 min read

Scarring AlopeciaDiagnosisabout 2 months ago

Lichen Planopilaris: The Scarring Alopecia Most Dermatologists Miss

Lichen planopilaris is a primary scarring alopecia that destroys follicles permanently. Early diagnosis is the only opportunity to preserve hair, but symptoms are often misattributed.

Dr. Maya

10.0k views3 min read

The science of hair loss, decoded.

Ritlecitinib Changed Everything, But Not For the Reason Most People Think

Hair Follicle Cloning Is Closer Than You Think, And Further Than You Hope

Exosomes: The Stem Cell Treatment That Isn't Actually Stem Cells

Latest Research

Prostaglandin D2: The Hidden Brake on Hair Growth That Scientists Have Known About Since 2012

What Pyrilutamide Getting to Phase 3 Actually Means for Men With Hair Loss

Clascoterone Phase 3 Data Is In, And It's More Complicated Than the Headlines Suggest

Verteporfin Is Rewriting What We Thought We Knew About Hair Transplant Scars

CRISPR for Androgenetic Alopecia: The First Human Safety Data Has Arrived

HairClone Is Banking Follicles Now So You Can Restore Hair Later, But When Is 'Later'?

The Wnt Pathway Is the Master Switch for Hair Follicle Cycling, Here's What That Means for Treatment

Oral Minoxidil at 1.25mg Is Working Differently to What Anyone Expected

Baricitinib Two-Year Follow-Up Data: What Actually Happens After the Trial Ends

Follica's Skin Disruption Protocol Is the Most Overlooked Hair Loss Treatment in Development

PRP for Hair Loss in 2025: The Definitive Meta-Analysis of 28 Randomised Trials

Your Scalp Has a Microbiome. It Might Be Contributing to Your Hair Loss.

Dutasteride Mesotherapy vs Oral: A Head-to-Head Comparison the Field Has Been Waiting For

Low-Level Laser Therapy for Hair Loss: What the 2025 Evidence Actually Shows

Stem Cell Conditioned Medium: The Quiet Treatment That's Building a Real Evidence Base

Scientists Have Mapped the Mechanism Behind Chronic Telogen Effluvium, IL-33 Is the Key

COVID-19 Hair Loss Three Years On: What the Long-Term Data Tells Us

Robotic Hair Transplantation in 2025: What the Outcome Data Says About When It's Worth It

Finasteride at 10 Years: The Most Important Long-Term Safety Study Yet Published

Topical Caffeine vs Minoxidil: What a Proper Head-to-Head Trial Found

Biotin and Hair Loss: What the Evidence Actually Shows (It's Not What the Supplement Industry Tells You)

Minoxidil Sulfotransferase Activity Explains Why Some People Don't Respond

Topical Finasteride Is Safer Than Oral, But the Pharmacokinetic Data Tells a More Complicated Story

Spironolactone for Female Pattern Hair Loss: The Most Underprescribed Effective Treatment

Semaglutide and Hair Loss: What 18 Months of Real-World Data Shows

Isotretinoin Hair Loss: How Common It Actually Is and What Recovery Looks Like

Lichen Planopilaris: The Scarring Alopecia Most Dermatologists Miss

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