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Article: Hormone blocker switches on hair growth. (estrogen blocker helps grow hair on mice)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- November 2, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Though best known as the primary female hormone, estrogen plays a variety of roles in both sexes. One such role, at least in mice, now appears to be the ability to keep hair growth in a dormant state, a new study finds. A compound that blocks estrogen's effect can jump-start arrested hair growth.
If the same estrogenic control of hair growth occurs in humans, says Robert C. Smart, a toxicologist at North Carolina State University in Raleigh who led the study, these findings may suggest new therapies for a range of conditions, from hair loss due to chemotherapy or male pattern baldness to the excessive growth of unwanted hair on women.
Many studies have linked ...