I wonder sometimes what I'll do if Tsuji and Lauster fails. My hair will only survive for so long. I refuse to adopt a full hardcore anti-androgen regime. Hopefully, Shisheido will show great results. But what if they don't succeed?
It frustrates me that the solution to this problem is indeed very simple (at least on the maintenance angle)... Just knock out this goddamn AR like some have said here already above. This could be done through gene therapy. I assume the technical possibility of this is very realistic. Bringing this to the market would be more of an ethical uphill battle than a practical one.
I actually read an interview with Elon Musk recently and he said something related. Someone asked Elon Musk if he would ever "dabble" into genetic reprogramming.. His answer was:
Musk explained that it’s not really a “technical battle” as much as a “moral battle”:
“You know, I call it the Hitler Problem. Hitler was all about creating the Übermensch and genetic purity, and it’s like— how do you avoid the Hitler Problem? I don’t know
That being said I don't call knocking out AR, genetic reprogramming. But you know it's still hair loss we are dealing and not cancer....... It's still mostly seen purely as a cosmetic issue.
Two practical realistic solutions to this problem seem to be:
1. Allogenic hair transplants (since the hair follicle seems to be immune-privileged)
2. Gene therapy focused towards the AR
Both would be very hard to work out due to ethical, moral & regulatory issues etc. But at least they are realistic and highly practical. I seriously might make it my life mission to actively chase one of the two options above if all else fails.
But yeah I just hope that Tsuji or Lauster fixes this.. I believe in their method and in the observations that the hair follicle displays high plasticity & regenerative potential.
Androgenetic Alopecia itself is just absolutely brutal, though. I just want replication of my hair follicles at the back of my head whose cells aren't hardwired for "self-destruction".