SHAMPOOING with a drug designed to treat brittle bones could help cure baldness within days, research suggests.

Scientists found the therapy promotes speedy sprouting of hair in lab tests.

4 A new shampoo could possibly be the answer to baldness Credit: Getty - Contributor

It works by blocking a naturally-occurring protein that kills off growth and plays a key role in male baldness.

Experts are “optimistic” the treatment, known as WAY-316606, could one day help millions of men.

Researchers found the drug – originally developed for osteoporosis — boosted growth from human hair follicles in just two days.

They now hope to carry out clinical trials on blokes with thinning patches.

4 Man Utd and England star Wayne Rooney famously had a hair transplant in 2011

4 The striker, pictured after his op, said he started to notice he was losing his hair at the age of 25 Credit: Reuters

Lead researcher Dr Nathan Hawkshaw, from Manchester University, said: “The fact this new agent, which had never even been considered in a hair loss context, promotes human hair growth is exciting because of its translational potential: it could one day make a real difference to people who suffer from hair loss.

“I’m very optimistic it could work. In lab tests, the drug started promoting growth in hair follicles in just two days – that’s pretty quick.

“We are looking at using it as a topical treatment, a gel or shampoo that could reach the follicle.”

Dr Hawkshaw said there are no known side-effects of the bone drug.

4 The drug ruxolitinib cures baldness in up to 75 per cent of patients, separate reserarch from Columbia University Medical Center found

The study, published in the journal Public Library of Science Biology, involved hair follicles donated by more than 40 men struggling with baldness.

The tissue all started sprouting hair within days of being treated with the drug.

Male-pattern baldness is the most common type of hair loss, affecting around half of all men by 50 years of age.

Currently only two drugs, minoxidil and finasteride, are available to treat the condition.

But both have side-effects and do not always work.

The only other option to balding blokes is hair transplantation.

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Scientists have also discovered a new drug that could cure baldness, especially in patients with alopecia.

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center found 75 per cent of patients with moderate to severe alopecia showed "significant hair regrowth" after taking the drug ruxolitinib.

By the end of the treatment the average hair regrowth among patients was 92 per cent.

Previous research has found that football players are more likely to go bald as repeated trauma to the hairline can cause "chronic inflammation", which in turn can cause alopecia.

X Factor star LLoyd Daniels gets a hair transplant

THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF HAIR LOSS IN MEN Male pattern baldness is the most common type of hair loss in men. It is a genetic condition that follows a pattern of a receding hairline and hair thinning on the crown of the head. It is caused by a hormonal and genetic predisposition. Each strand of hair you have sits in a tiny hole in the skin called a follicle. Generally, baldness occurs when the hair follicle shrinks over time, resulting in shorter and finer hair until, eventually, the follicle does not grow new hair. There are several options available to men who suffer from hair loss. Hair transplants: Removing tiny plugs of hair from areas where the hair is continuing to grow and placing them in areas that are balding. The procedure usually requires multiple sessions and may be expensive. Minoxidil: A solution that is applied directly to the scalp to stimulate the hair follicles. It slows hair loss for many men, and some men grow new hair but hair loss will return when you stop using it. Propecia: A drug that interferes with the production of a highly active form of testosterone that is linked to baldness. It slows hair loss. It works slightly better than minoxidil but hair loss will still return when you stop using this medicine