Hair loss is no longer a niche concern. Dermatologists are seeing more patients than ever, especially women in their 40s and 50s, who are distressed about thinning. Add the rise of GLP-1 medications and the shedding that can accompany rapid weight loss, and the demand for better solutions is only growing.
On a recent episode of The Beauty Authority, New York dermatologist David J. Goldberg, MD, of Schweiger Dermatology Group, shared why he believes we’re entering a new era in hair restoration—and what patients can realistically expect in the next few years.
A New, Improved Hair Loss Pill
Oral minoxidil has gained traction in recent years as an effective treatment option, but it was originally developed as a blood pressure medication, not a hair-growth drug. “The current formulation was not made for hair growth. It was made for blood pressure,” Dr. Goldberg explains. Because it peaks quickly in the bloodstream and then drops off, the hair follicle is not exposed to the medication long enough to maximize results.
“Minoxidil works by really dilating blood vessels. It creates a healthy environment around the hair, which allows hair to grow,” he says. “If you get that drop, then we know it’s not going to work as well.”
An extended-release version of oral minoxidil, now in phase three trials and developed by Veradermics, aims to solve that problem. Instead of spiking and fading, it delivers a steady dose over time. “We never get that high peak,” Dr. Goldberg says. “Think of it as creating healthy nutrition for the hair.” In phase two data, he notes, it performed nearly three times better than currently available options. The treatment is not yet FDA-approved, but if trials continue successfully, it could reach the market within the next few years.
The AI Breakthrough Changing the Growth Cycle
One of the most unexpected developments in hair restoration is an antibody created using artificial intelligence. Dr. Goldberg points to an AI-designed therapy from AbSci that targets the prolactin receptor on hair follicles, something many dermatologists did not previously associate with hair biology.
“For all of my career, prolactin was the hormone that allowed women to lactate,” Dr. Goldberg says. “I never knew it did anything else. It turns out hair follicles have a ton of prolactin receptors.”
ABS-201 is designed to treat androgenetic alopecia by blocking that receptor, helping shift follicles from the resting phase into the active growth phase. Early studies in rodents and macaque monkeys have shown strong regrowth, and phase one human trials are currently underway in Australia.
Unlike a daily pill, the treatment would likely be delivered as a series of injections over several months. Once a fine hair converts into a thicker, terminal hair, it may remain that way for up to a year. “You may not have to take shots again for another year,” Dr. Goldberg explains.
Working Together, Not Competing
Dr. Goldberg does not see these treatments as competing, but complementary. “Oral minoxidil creates a safe, natural, healthy environment,” he says, while antibody therapy directly pushes the follicle into growth mode. Add emerging options like high-quality topical exosomes, and the approach to hair loss may soon look very different from what patients know today.
“Over the next five years, the hair-growth industry is going to be transformed,” Dr. Goldberg says. For anyone frustrated by thinning, that shift cannot come soon enough.