TIL: Cure For Baldness Hides In McDonald's Fries

ruth-girl (75)in #steemstem • 7 years ago (edited)

Image from: pixnio.com (CC0)

Yeap! This is right and 100% accurate. A new revolutionary cure for baldness has been found in the secret ingredients of McDonald's fries. The treatment requires "patients" to get McDonald's frying oil, apply it on the afflicted area, let still for 12 hours and then rinse off with warm water. There is also a special prayer they must say every hour if they want the results to be more effective:

Oil McDonald cure thy bald
E-I-E-I-O
Of healthy hair may they get hold
E-I-E-I-O
On their bald, round heads plant for thy some hairs
Here some hairs, there some hairs, everywhere some hairs, hairs
Oil McDonald cure thy bald
E-I-E-I-O

In ten days (maybe two weeks for really severe cases) new hair will start growing and the Yul Brynner look will be history.

Yeah right! April Fool's is in three days Ruthie, I don't fall for that!

What?! You don't believe me? Ok, the whole ritual thing might be a little fake but truth is there is a secret ingredient in McDonald's frying oil that might have a cure for balding. Check below:

A recent research in Yokohama National University (Japan) has shown encouraging results on mice. The team managed to cultivate 5,000 Hair Follicle Germs (HFG) at the same time merging mouse epidermal and mouse/human mesenchymal cells in their microwells [1, 2, 3]. The number they achieved is astonishing [4, 6] and after a 3-day culture period each cell seemed to be separated from the initial single aggregates resulting in typical HFG formations [1, 2].

Unknown words, Miss. What are these Hair follicle germs?

Hair follicle germs are the cells that constitute the organs where the hair grows [4]. In this experiment, scientists managed to cultivate 5,000 of these in silicone "containers" to form clusters called HFG chips [3]. Those chips where then transplanted into the backs and scalps of lab mice and grew into black hair some days later exhibiting the typical murine hair-cycle [3, 4].

Image from the Public Domain, source: commons.wikimedia.org

What does McDonald's have to do with all this?

Researchers' revolutionary idea was to use oxygen-permeable dimethylpolysiloxane (PDMS) at the bottom of the HFG chips. PDMS is a silicone substance used in McDonald's frying oil to prevent it from foaming up and spatering employees. The scientists chose it because it allows oxygen to pass through easily [4].

If you come to think about it, since burning destroys your hair too, PDMS works in two ways: by either preventing hair loss from burning or helping hair grow back once you've lost it. Pretty cool ingredient, don't you agree?

Does this method work on people?

More testing is needed until they try it on humans and, as PhD J. Fukuda said, there has been interest from companies on this revolutionary method [5] meaning that over the next decade it's probable to have a new hair regeneration technique based on this study [6].

Until then, don't try to eat or rub McDonald's frying oil on your head if you want to grow new hair. It doesn't work that way! :P

Image from: flickr.com - Author: malehmann - License, CC BY 2.0