Alopecia, an umbrella term used to describe hair loss, disproportionately affects black women. Nearly half of all black women will experience some type of hair loss of their lifetime. It can occur in various forms, including probably the greatest often called alopecia areata. Famous women affected by alopecia include Jada Pinkett Smith and “Martha’s Vineyard” star Jordan Emanuel.

Treatment may vary depending on the cause and will include topical agents, ointments, and even stem cell treatments. These treatments could be expensive and largely paid out of pocket. A black dermatologist at Johns Hopkins can have just stumbled upon the answer: antidiabetic drugs.

Dr. Crystal Aguhdermatologist and director of the Ethnic Skin Program at Johns Hopkins Medicine, made a major breakthrough in her research on the consequences of the low-dose oral diabetes drug metformin in reversing hair loss.

This medicine, a non-insulin medicine used to control blood sugar levels, also accommodates ingredients which will prevent or slow the formation of scarring which will occur within the organs of a diabetic. Previous research by Aguh found that insulin resistance was also a think about scalp scarring.

“We had to give women a better chance to regrow their hair,” she said Baltimore banner in a recent interview.

By applying a small dose of the cream drug directly to the scalp, she tested a group of 12 black women, all of whom had central cicatricial alopecia (CCCA), one of the common forms. She found that nine patients had improvement in scalp scarring and 6 patients had “clinical evidence” of hair regrowth after the primary six months.

“Oral metformin at low doses can reverse the fibrotic transcriptional signature in CCCA and promote hair regrowth, suggesting its potential as a targeted therapy for the treatment of cicatricial alopecia,” she wrote in her findings published within the journal: JAMA Dermatology.

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The next stage of Aguha’s research is formal clinical trials, during which the drug will likely be tested to obtain approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. If this drug is approved by the FDA, it could change the lives of many individuals, especially black women.

According to Aguh, as many as 15% of African American women suffer from CCCA alone. Speaking to the web site concerning the impact that hair loss can have on a person, she said: “Devastating is an understatement.”

She added that beyond beauty and self-esteem, about 10% of ladies will delay or refuse critical treatment that may lead to hair loss, akin to chemotherapy.

It’s not entirely clear why black women are so prone to hair loss and baldness. Signing in article published by HopkinsAguh said: “Unfortunately, some sorts of hair loss are genetic and there may be little that could be done to prevent them. Genetic sorts of alopecia include alopecia areata and feminine pattern baldness.

She added that other types of hair loss could be attributable to stress, poor weight loss plan and styling.

“Black women in particular are susceptible to a type of hair loss called traction alopecia, which is caused by heat, chemicals and tight styles that pull on the hair root, including some braids, dreadlocks, extensions and weaves,” she wrote.

Aguha’s goal shouldn’t be just to develop a latest drug for hair loss; intends to find a cure.

“I am a scientist, but first and foremost I am a human being,” she told the Baltimore Banner. “I want people to be better off. If I left the hair clinic because no one was losing their hair, that would be great.”

Taraji P. Henson is fascinated by the long run and inspiring her fans to do the identical. Throughout her profession, the award-winning actress has been an advocate for causes starting from mental health to politics. Whether through her nonprofit work or public speaking, Henson explained why advocacy is so essential to her in a recent interview with Message:

“I understand that God put me here for a reason, and it wasn’t for vanity, for me to be pretty, to go on the carpets, to just get rich, buy nice things and shove it in everyone’s face,” she told the publication. “You have to empower people to be better.”

This summer, Henson raised alarm concerning the significance of the election while hosting the BET Awards. During the awards ceremony, the star went viral for shedding light on the hazards of Project 2025.

“Show up and show up when it’s time to vote, because this isn’t just about the presidential election,” Henson said. he told the audience“It’s time for us to play chess, not checkers. This is about making decisions that will affect us as people… our careers… our next generations… Be careful, this is not a secret. Check it out! They are attacking our most vulnerable citizens. The Project 2025 plan is not a game.”

Project 2025 is a conservative political platform that has been billed as a playbook for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. While former President Trump has tried to distance himself from controversial policies, his vice presidential running mate, Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, has shown ties to the conservative agenda.

“I was just worried. I was nervous. Honestly, I was just talking out of anxiety. Because I thought no one was paying attention. I don’t understand a lot of the things they’re saying, but I know what’s right and what’s wrong,” she added, explaining her mind-set during her viral BET moment.

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In 2023, Henson also became popular for shining a lightweight on the pay inequality faced by women, particularly black women, in Hollywood. While promoting the brand new adaptation of The Color Purple, the actress revealed how the inequality nearly caused her to quit acting.

Now, almost a 12 months later, Henson hopes to finally reach some extent in her profession where she will be able to say, “You know what, I’m going to take this year (or) the next two years off,” which she calls retiring.

“When I say ‘retirement,’ I don’t mean I’ll never, ever work again. But I do want to eventually get to a place where I don’t have to act to pay the bills,” she said. “I think that’s when it’ll start being fun for me again. … I just still rely on my acting income a lot right now to pay the bills and do things. My brand is growing. Things are growing. But I don’t think sitting on my ass is an option for me.”

This week, TI and Tiny have a good time their victory over toy manufacturer MGA Entertainment.

On September 23, a jury in Orange County, California, ruled in favor of the couple in an mental property infringement case, awarding the couple $71 million in damages.

The lawsuit was filed against the manufacturer of a line of “OMG” dolls that TI and Tiny claim stole the image and likeness of members of OMG Girlz, the music group they founded greater than a decade ago and which included their daughter Zonnique.

“It was a fight. It was a hell of a fight,” Tiny said on Instagram Live after the decision was announced, in accordance with People magazine“We couldn’t be happier… We just want to thank the judges for just helping us through this and believing in what we said. They listened to our story and knew we weren’t lying. It’s amazing.”

During the live broadcast, the Xscape singer also revealed that their legal battle with MGA Entertainment has been ongoing since 2020. After all, as Tiny has shown in previous Instagram poststhe jury found similarities between OMG Girlz and half of the corporate’s “OMG” doll line. Finding that 15 of the 30 dolls infringed on the group’s trade dress and misappropriated its name, image, and likeness, the lawsuit resulted within the couple receiving $17.9 million in actual damages and $53.6 million in punitive damages.

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“I think justice has been served. I think it’s a testament to the tenacity and resilience of my wife, daughter and nieces,” he told TI Rolling Stone“We’re just happy that we were able to come out on top and fight for creators and our intellectual property, which large corporations consider to be public domain and anyone can freely take and use.”

During the three-week trial, Bahja Rodriguez, Breaunna Womack and Zonnique Pullins, members of the girl group, testified in court. TI claims that the toy maker’s lawyer called the lawsuit a “money grab” because they denied the accusations. People magazine also reports that MGA Entertainment founder Isaac Larian called the couple and the girl group “blackmailers.”

“I think it was a scare tactic, trying to paint me as the bad guy when really they were the bad guys,” the rapper added. “They came and lied to us, and (they) expected us not to have the courage to stand up for ourselves and speak up for ourselves. … That kind of condescension comes from not really being in touch with the reality of the culture after you’ve done what you want for so long and no one has really stood up and spoken up against you.”

“We did it for the city,” Tiny said of the lawsuit. “We did it for the culture.”