α1-AR agonist induced piloerection protects against the development of traction alopecia

Abstract

Traction alopecia is hair loss that occurs after persistent pulling (e.g., during cosmetic procedures) on the roots of hair over time. Unlike plucking, which is painful, persistent pulling may go unnoticed until a patient presents with either bald spots or diffuse telogen shedding. Each hair follicle in the scalp contains an arrector pili muscle that, when contracted, erects the hair. The smooth muscle in the arrector pili expresses α1 adrenergic receptors (α1-AR). As such, we hypothesized that contraction of the arrector pili muscle via an α1-AR agonist would increase the threshold of force required to pluck hair during cosmetic procedures. Female subjects, ages 18–40, were recruited to stu..