President Lee Jae-myung’s recent statement that “hair loss is a matter of survival” has reignited debate in South Korea over whether treatment for hair loss should be covered under the National Health Insurance. Speaking at the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s year-end 2025 policy briefing, Lee emphasized the growing social and medical significance of hair loss. However, Health Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong drew a distinction, stating, “It is difficult to regard hereditary hair loss as a target for medical treatment.”
Recent academic findings, however, suggest that the perception of hair loss is evolving. Experts increasingly regard hair loss as a disease linked to organ damage, while research into treatments is being seen as a potential frontier in regenerative medicine, which focuses on replacing and regenerating cells, tissues, and organs.
Hair Loss Linked to Damage in Hair Follicles
The hair follicle, which produces the hair shaft, is considered a mini-organ composed of approximately 20 different cell types. Sung Jong-hyuk, CEO of Epibiotech and former professor at Yonsei University College of Pharmacy, explained, “The hair follicle is connected to blood vessels, nerves, and immune cells, responding to external stimuli and hormonal signals. Even hereditary hair loss is a disease in which the androgen receptor in the follicle overreacts, leading to inflammation and tissue damage.”
Globally, hair loss is increasingly recognized as a medical condition. Kim Beom-jun, professor of dermatology at Chung-Ang University Hospital, noted, “Hair loss that persists for more than three months, cycles through improvement and worsening, and requires lifelong management meets all four criteria of a chronic disease. When hair loss causes social withdrawal, anxiety, or depression, it impacts physical, mental, and social well-being, as defined by the World Health Organization, and therefore warrants medical intervention.”
Under South Korea’s current health insurance system, coverage is limited to acute conditions such as alopecia areata. Chronic hereditary hair loss, including male and female pattern baldness, is not reimbursed, leaving patients to cover the full cost. Approximately 10 million Koreans—one in five people—suffer from hair loss, while the global population affected exceeds 1 billion. The financial implications of full insurance coverage remain a significant concern.
Experts suggest a “selective welfare” approach to address the mental health impact of hair loss. By introducing a dermatology quality-of-life index, insurance benefits could be tailored based on the severity of each patient’s condition. Professor Kim added, “Partial coverage based on functional impairment and psychological effects is meaningful for public health and could serve as a model for advanced medical welfare.”
Hair Loss Research Paving the Way for Regenerative Medicine
Academic interest in hair loss has expanded into the field of regenerative medicine. Traditionally, treatments focused on suppressing androgens to prevent hair loss. Today, research is increasingly directed at regenerating hair by restoring damaged follicles.
In April 2025, an international team from Australia, Singapore, China, and other countries published findings in Nature Communications demonstrating that the protein MCL-1 is essential for hair follicle stem cell function. Without MCL-1, stem cells experience stress and die, leading to hair loss. Later, in December 2025, a South Korean research team including the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) developed a gel-based drug containing carboxymethyl chitosan and other substances to stimulate hair follicle regeneration.
Experts predict that breakthroughs in hair follicle regeneration could drive the next wave of Korea’s regenerative medicine technologies. Professor Kim explained, “The hair follicle is the only regenerative organ in the human body that undergoes repeated cycles of growth, regression, rest, and regrowth. Technologies that regenerate hair follicles may extend to skin, nerve, and other organ regeneration.” CEO Sung emphasized the potential of the field, saying, “It has only been about a decade since hair loss was recognized as a disease. Interest in Korea and East Asia is strong, and regenerative medicine-based hair loss treatments could become a major growth engine for the future.”
