It might seem counterintuitive, but new research from the University of Southern California has shown that plucking hair could actually lead to hair growth, according to the medical journal, Cell.  

During the study, a group of researchers were studying the effects of plucking hair from mice. “By varying the spacing, arrangement, and shapes of plucked regions, we unexpectedly found that plucking 200 hairs, with a proper distribution can cause up to 1,200 hairs to regenerate,” authors wrote. The researchers were able to regrow up to six times as much hair by using this technique.

The researchers say that by plucking the hairs from an area more than 6 mm in diameter failed to regenerate new hairs. Plucking hairs from a region 3-5 mm in diameter, however, led to the regeneration of 450-1,300 new hairs and the hairs even grew outside of the plucked area.

So how exactly does this work? According to study researcher Cheng Ming Chuong from the Department of Pathology of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, together with colleagues, new hair growth was stimulated through a process called, “quorum sensing.”

According to Medical News Today, this process put simply is “the damage to the hair follicles caused by hair plucking triggered the release of inflammatory proteins. These proteins send a “distress signal” to immune cells, calling them to the injury site.”

Medical News Today continues to say, “the immune cells express signaling molecules – such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). At certain concentrations, these signaling molecules encourage both damaged and undamaged hair follicles to grow new hair."

It’s still unclear as to whether this can be an effective treatment for human hair loss. What do you think of this study? Comment on MODERN SALON’s Facebook. (Please keep your opinions appropriate for social media!)