Monthly Archives: January 2014

Islamic Head Coverings

Hair Loss and Islamic Head Coverings

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Slow week as far as new hair loss related news and research publications go. However, something very interesting I came across was the following image published on the Pew Research Center website recently.

Islamic Head Coverings and Hair Loss

The choice of Islamic head coverings for Muslim women are broadly broken out as follows:

  1. Fully-hooded burqa.
  2. Niqab.
  3. Hijab.
  4. Less conservative head covering (some scalp hairs visible).
  5. No covering.

For a Muslim woman suffering from hair loss, options 1-4 must be very attractive! I know that when I have a bad hair day, I like to wear a cap. Sometimes, I envy Muslim women (and Sikh men) who are able to cover their heads daily for religious and cultural reasons.

Takashi Tsuji, Tokyo University of Science

Dr. Takashi Tsuji Brief Introduction

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Dr. Takashi Tsuji from Japan is one of the world’s leading hair loss researchers. His lab is based at the Tokyo University of Science.

However, since this post was written, Dr. Tsuji is mostly associated with the RIKEN Center for Development Biology.

More information on Dr. Tsuji can be found here.

The doctor’s lab is working to gain a better understanding of epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in: organ induction; organ development; and organ morphogenesis.

The have developed seminal technologies in relation to three dimensional (3D) control of epithelial stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells. Primary areas of focus include primordia for teeth, hair follicles and salivary glands. Research to date has been largely focused in mice. Update: Human trials will commence in 2020.

The work involves pluripotent stem cells such as embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Ultimately, Dr. Tsuji’s team will develop new technologies for use in regenerative medicine. A necessity in rapidly aging Japan, as well as in much of the developed world.

I will explore his research in greater detail in a future post, but for now, below is a recent video in which he makes an appearance:

Dr. Tsuji video.

Also read the important 2011 study from Dr. Tsuji’s lab.