The Arthritis Med That Helped A Bald Man Regrow A Full Head Of Hair

The claim: After just 5 months of treatment, a man suffering from near-total baldness regrew a full head of hair (as well as eyebrows and eyelashes) thanks to an FDA-approved drug called tofacitinib, which is normally used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

The research: Previous studies had shown that tofacitinib—a type of enzyme and inflammation blocker that also influences your DNA—was capable of reversing hair loss in mice suffering from the disease alopecia. In this new study, Yale researchers chose to test the drug on a man suffering from alopecia universalis, the most severe form of the disease, which causes total-body baldness. Within 8 months of treatment, the man enjoyed “full regrowth of hair” and reported feeling no side effects, said study coauthor Brittany Craiglow, MD, in a YaleNews press release.

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What it means: Thanks to its enzyme-blocking, gene-influencing powers, tofacitinib appears to switch off out-of-control aspects of an alopecia sufferer’s immune system, which would normally attack hair follicles and prevent hair growth, the study authors say. “The results are exactly what we hoped for,” said senior author Brett King, MD, PhD, in the YaleNews release. King says he now hopes to conduct a clinical trial using a cream-based form of tofacitinib to treat people suffering from milder forms of alopecia.

The bottom line: Could this single-person study mark the beginning of the end for baldness? Male pattern baldness (MPB)—the most common cause of hair loss—is a form of alopecia. And while the Yale study suggests tofacitinib could be used to reverse MPB along with the disease’s more-extreme cases, it’s too early for bald men and women to start celebrating. In the meantime, try these 5 Natural Hair Loss Remedies.

MORE: 11 Bad Habits That Make Your Hair Thinner

This article was written By Markham Heid and originally appeared on Prevention.com