Scientists have grown skin with hair in the lab.

US scientists have grown skin from stem cells which develops distinct layers as well as hair follicles.

Scientists have been growing skin cells in the lab for a while, but recreating the complex, multi-layered structure of skin has been a major biomedical challenge.

The team from Harvard Medical School was able to grow skin structure with distinct epidermis and dermis layers, as well as hair follicles with sebaceous glands by carefully optimising the growth conditions over 4 to 5 months.

They grafted the nearly complete skin onto mice, and more than half the grafts sprouted hair.

While the ‘thin on top’ might be rejoicing, the researchers say they anticipate their work is also likely to help our understanding of genetic skin disorders and cancers, as well as one day potentially helping people with skin burns or wounds.

“The work holds great promise of clinical translation — we are confident that research will eventually see this promise realized,” researchers Leo Wang and George Cotsarelis wrote in a views article.

The study is accessible here.