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HairSite Quality Assurance Program for Hair Transplant & Hair Replacement |
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Farrell Hair Replacement - Voted # 1 for 5 Consecutive Years |
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HairSite Quality Assurance Program for Hair Transplant & Hair Replacement |
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Farrell Hair Replacement - Voted # 1 for 5 Consecutive Years |
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Just as it is damaging to your skin, ultraviolet is equally damaging to your scalp and hair. Although your hair does not contain living cells, ultraviolet (UVA & UVB) may wreak hovac on your hair by altering the chemical consistency of color treated hair and perms and lead to a host of problems such as split-ends, breakage, loss of pigmentation and even premature hair loss. For people who have thinning hair, it is particularly important for your scalp to avoid direct contact with UV. Our scalp is no difference from our skin and over-exposure to direct sunlight may damage the skin tissues on our scalp and negatively affect hair growth. Few people realize that healthy hair growth relies heavily on a healthy scalp. As we age, we fail to manufacture sufficient collagen to nourish and hold together the skin tissues that are essential for healthy hair growth. To a certain extent, hair loss is part of this aging process that we are subject to as we grow older. UV definitely plays a role in expediting this aging process. Sadly, very often, we focus only on our face and ignore the fact that our scalp is just as vulnerable to sun exposure, if not more. Sunburnt on the scalp or any forms of sun induced tissue damage on the scalp can be damaging to our hair follicles and result in hair loss. This type of hairloss would be under the broader catergory of "scalp inflammation" related hair loss. Simply put, sunburnt may trigger an inflammatory response on our scalp that leads to hair loss. Young et al. demonstrated that scalp inflammation was present in over 96% of their patients with androgenic alopecia (source: Dr. Razack's "Conquering Hair Loss, page 50). Inflammation is a local response that the body produces toward some type of injury. In the case of sunburnt on our scalp, an immediate vascular activity resulting in both dilation and increased permeability of blood vessels take place. White blood cells are triggered to attack the site where sunburnt occurred. However, since the stimulus of inflammation is from an external source, ie: sun exposure, the white blood cells do not have any internal substances to act upon or attack other than interferring with the hair follucle cycle. Sun exposure may also trigger bacterial activity on the scalp that leads to hair loss. Young et al (Young, Leavitt et al, Cutaneous Immunopathology of Androgenic Alopecia, JAOA; 91 (8)) suggested that it is not uncommon for bacteria to inhabit certain areas within the hair follicle. These light-activated bacteria, called Propionibacterium acnes, can cause inflammatory reaction in our scalps. Studies conducted by Saint-Leger et al and Hamilton & Ludwig (British Journal of Dermatology; 114:543-552, 1986) both concluded that inflammation due to light exposure and the resulting bacterial activity can lead to hair loss. It is also worth noting that sun exposure is not recommended for people who uses Retin-A in their hair loss treatment regimen. While it is true that Retin-A-Minoxidil combo treatments can enhance penetration of minoxidil and produce significantly better results for many people (reported earlier by us, see Library for details), Retin-A also enhance our scalps vulnerability to the sun. In fact, doctors and dermatologists always recommend that people who use Retin-A should avoid the sun. Retin-A treated areas are particularly prone to inflammation as a result of sun exposure. The inflammation is characterized by reddness, itch or minor swelling. So bear in mind that Rein-A is always a two-edge sword. The sun is also the enemy for people who are experiencing so called "minoxidil burnt". This usually happens to people who are using 5% minoxidil. The symptoms are charaterized by severe itch, reddness of the scalp, excessive flakes and crutings etc. The sun can once again aggravate these symptoms and lead to more severe inflammatory conditions and hair loss. All in all, use a sunscreen on your hair before you leave your home. It may be a novel concept for most people since most would only associate using sunscreen on their face or body. But nowadays more and more people have become cognizant of the fact that their scalps are just as vulnerable to the sun and many companies have introduced unique products to meet those needs. Last year, we published a very extensive review of various sun screens for hair and scalp. Since then, many new products have come to the market and it does appear that people are gradually giving sun screen the attention that it deserves. Particularly worth mentioning is Coconut Tree's Hair & Scalp Sun Protection Spray SPF15. This is one of the few products that are specifically formulated with a SPF label. If you recall, none of the sun screens reviewed last year bears an official SPF label. Among the products that were reviewed last year are: Phytoplage High Protection Sun Spray, Celluplex Thickener Serum With Sunscreen, Celluplex Hair Thickening Shampoo, Giovanni's Tea Tree Triple Treat Shampoo, and John Frieda Hair Thickening Spray with Sunscreen. Coconut Tree Hair & Scalp Sun Protection Spray SPF15 Phytoplage High Protection Sun Spray: This is a
topical hair spray formulated exclusively for sun protection. This is the only product in
our review that provides the highest protection against sun exposure. Phytoplage contains
eight plants extract selected for their emollient and softening properties, plus an
anti-UV sunscreen which helps shield the hair from sun damage. According to the
manufacturer, Phytoplage protects the hair from the drying effects of the sun, wind, sea
water and chlorinated water in swimming pools. It prevents color oxidation in the sun and
preserves the shine, suppleness and radiance of the hair. HairSite Editorial |
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