Clive Anderson - AT THE DERMATOLOGIST READERS' FEEDBACK
Sharlene writes that she has a problem with white flakes on the scalp. Her scalp is itchy and the hair appears to be falling out. She tried braiding the hair and applying a beeswax compound but the hair loss continues. She has now relaxed her hair but the scalp was burned during the process and the hair loss is worse with patches of short hair.
DERMATOLOGIST'S RESPONSE
Several problems here Sharlene but they are all related. The main problem appears to be hair loss. Remember some amount of hair loss daily is natural - up to one hundred hairs daily. This is because some hair follicles shut off to rest and rejuvenate. They will come back into production later. Excessive hair loss has many causes. In this case there appears to be three.
Firstly, the flaking and itching is probably due to Seborrhoeic eczema of the scalp. This is an inflammation of the scalp caused by a yeast (a micro-organism like a fungus) This yeast is on the scalp of all of us but some persons seem to be more sensitive to it presence and in these persons it inflames the skin causing the itchy flaky scalp.
This inflammation appears to result in some hair loss. The waxes and oils we apply may well be encouraging the growth of these yeasts. Treatment is with one of the many therapeutic shampoos available over the counter. Any shampoo containing selenium sulphide (Selsun) or zinc pyritione (Head and Shoulders, ZNP shampoo) may be used. The Tar formulations (Neutrogena T-gel,Polytar, Tarmed) are also useful. Shampoos containing an anti-fungal work especially well. Triatop is one such containing one per cent ketoconazole. In using these shampoos remember:
wash the hair with an ordinary shampoo first. The therapeutic shampoos do not clean well. Then apply a small amount of the shampoo, rub in well and leave for five minutes before washing out. Remember they are for treating the scalp shampoo at least once a week these shampoos often dry out the hair so use a good leave-in conditioner afterwards or apply a hair moisturiser sometimes the therapeutic shampoo appears to lose its efficacy and has to be replaced by another
Secondly, braiding the hair too tightly and leaving it in for too long can result in a type of hair loss called traction alopecia. The prolonged tension on the hair follicle results in it shutting down hair production temporarily. In severe cases the follicle dies and scarring occurs. In this case the hair does not regrow.
This type of hair loss occurs commonly at the temples and is seen in children with plaits or adults who braid and cornrow too tightly. Elastic hair bands and rollers can also place extreme and repetitive stress on the scalp hair. Test by pulling on the braid or plait, if the scalp moves it's too tight. Only the hair should move. Change around braids and plaits often so as to change the line of tension.
Dr. Clive Anderson is a dermatologist.
Tips for your scalp
Finally one of the most common causes of hair loss is the trauma caused by relaxing, bleaching, tinting and blow-drying. These practices result in hair shaft abnormalities producing fragile brittle hair. The hair is short in patches and just will not grow beyond a certain length. The treatment is firstly to ensure that relaxing the hair is done with minimum trauma. Extend as much as possible the period between relaxing - 8-10 weeks
Use a no - lye relaxer
Relax only the new growth
Divide the scalp into sections. Place relaxer on one section and wash off that section before proceeding to the next section so as to ensure that the chemical does not remain on any area of the scalp too long.
Do not blow dry and avoid using the hooded dryers that cause areas of the scalp to become very hot
Use a leave in conditioner especially one containing Panthenol and hydrolysed animal protein to strengthen the hair shaft and prevent breakage. Do not relax and tint at the same time- allow the hair to recover from the stress of relaxing before inflicting more stress.(2-4 weeks)
If these suggestions do not help Sharlene you should see a Dermatologist for a detailed examination to try and determine the cause of your hair- loss.
