Neogenesis of functional hair follicles in adult mouse skin selectively induced by tumour-promoting phorbol esters.

Neogenesis of functional hair follicles in the tail skin of adult mice can quantitatively be demonstrated after long-term treatment with tumour-promoting phorbol esters. The ability to induce the formation of new hair follicles correlates with the hyperplasiogenic and tumour-promoting capacity of the phorbol esters. Hyperplasiogenic but nonpromoting phorbol esters do not lead to the formation of new hair follicles.