For the first time in years, there is hope for people who are struggling with hair loss.
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that hair loss patients who received a crown hair treatment had a 40 percent lower risk of developing a new hair infection than those who didn’t.
“We know that hair growth is a risk factor for some types of infections, including ringworm, and we’ve known for some time that crown hair therapy helps with that,” said Dr. Robert Wittenberg, the lead author of the study.
Wittenberg is a professor at Harvard Medical School and the lead researcher on the study, which looked at more than 9,000 patients from two sites across the country.
The researchers also found that the patients who were given crown hair did significantly better on measures of body weight and body composition, and that they were less likely to have a heart attack.
The patients who didn�t receive crown hair had no change in these outcomes.
In a statement, the American Academy of Dermatology said the findings were reassuring.
“There is an urgent need for more research that demonstrates whether crown hair and crown weight therapy are effective for those with ringworm infection,” the statement read.
“We need to continue to monitor and understand these findings, and further study should focus on patients with the most severe forms of ringworm disease.”
The American Academy also said it was disappointed that the researchers did not include a study of patients with non-ringworm infections, such as trichomoniasis, which can lead to hair loss but is not as severe.
“For people with noninfectious trichomiasis, the crown hair is the best treatment because the condition does not affect the skin,” the American Association of Dermologists said.
The American Dermatological Society said the study also found evidence that crown weight is helpful for people with certain skin conditions.
“It could also help with the hair loss in people with severe or advanced trichomellosis and people with the skin conditions that are associated with ringworms,” the association said in a statement.
The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.