Transcript
Announcer:
This is DermConsult on ReachMD. On this episode, we’ll hear from Dr. Benjamin Ungar, who’s the Director of both the Alopecia Center of Excellence and the Rosacea and Seborrheic Dermatitis Clinic at the Kimberly and Eric J. Waldman Department of Dermatology at Mount Sinai. He’ll be sharing his thoughts on the developments in hair loss research and therapeutics he’s most looking forward to. Here’s Dr. Ungar now.
Dr. Ungar:
So at a high level, the developments that I'm really looking out for in terms of hair research over the next several years fall into two categories.
One, which leads to the second one, is a better understanding of the underlying pathophysiology and disease processes that are leading to the hair loss. So looking at inflammatory processes, what does that look like in alopecia areata? What are the characteristics of the inflammation in scarring alopecia and the different types that may have different processes? And within that, how does that produce the scarring that leads to the irreversible hair loss?
So as we understand those processes increasingly better, it will lead to the ability to treat these conditions more effectively as well. And again, in parallel with non-inflammatory hair loss, it’s the same idea. What is driving hair miniaturization, changes in hair follicle cycle, hair falling out, and not regrowing as quickly? So as we understand those processes better, it will give us a better handle on treatments, and I believe that we are going to make tremendous advances over the next several years in that regard.
In parallel, there are treatments being studied across the board for many different kinds of hair loss that definitely show promise in early studies, and the next several years, I think, will solidify the ones that truly are effective, making them hopefully more available for patients and produce new creative approaches to treating hair loss that will start being studied and can ultimately improve outcomes for patients
Announcer:
That was Dr. Benjamin Ungar talking about future directions in hair loss research and therapeutics. To access this and other episodes in our series, visit DermConsult on ReachMD.com, where you can Be Part of the Knowledge. Thanks for listening!
