However, chronic (long term) and severe dandruff can also be linked to
androgenetic alopecia - a type of hair loss which affects millions of
men and women.
This page explains the connection between dandruff
and hair loss of this type.
Androgenetic alopecia develops from skull
expansion (skull bone growth) of the frontal and
parietal bones.
These bones lie quite precisely underneath the area of the scalp
affected by hair loss (the familiar male and female pattern baldness
region) and, as they grow, they cause a constriction in the capillaries
that supply blood to the hair follicles.
This prevents adequate hair nutrition and growth, and so progressive
hair follicle miniaturization and hair loss begins.
The genetically inherited characteristic of skull shape will determine
whether or not someone develops hair loss. For those that do, the
hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is largely responsible for the bone
growth that occurs. The reason for this is because DHT has an anabolic
effect on bone tissue (i.e., it encourages bone growth).
However, to make matters worse, the body then attempts to compensate
for this hair loss by increasing DHT levels in the
scalp!
The reason why the body "upregulates" DHT is because DHT also
stimulates hair growth (for example, during puberty DHT is
responsible for body and pubic hair growth, as well as bone and muscle
development).
However, this attempt to increase hair growth is unsuccessful. There
are two likely reasons for this:
1. An increase in DHT levels will
further encourage the skull expansion process. This obviously causes an
even greater strain on the blood supply to the hair follicles. And so a
vicious circle is created.
2. The body will rush through anagen
(the growing phase of the hair growth cycle) and enter catagen
(shedding phase) and then telogen (resting phase) much sooner than it
normally would. Obviously this means that more hair will start thinning
and the rate of hair loss will increase. So, the number of hairs in the
telogen phase at any given time increases. And, whilst this hair should
eventually re-enter anagen and start growing again, strong healthy hair
growth is unlikely because of the progressive effects of skull
expansion.
Since normal hair growth in the outer (dermal) layer of the scalp has
been restricted, the DHT will instead promote more rapid cell
growth at a deeper level of the scalp (called the stratum
germinatum layer).
This interference with normal cell division results in skin cells
rising up towards the surface of the skin faster than normal, causing
increased shedding of the skin. Chronic, severe dandruff can then
develop.
The picture of dandruff opposite makes you appreciate just how bad and
upsetting this condition can become.
And, as a result of this increased rate of shedding, the skin
layer can also become thinner (because it's being lost at the
surface faster than it can be replaced from below).
High DHT levels will also stimulate an increase in the amount of sebum
(oil) produced in the scalp. And high sebum levels is associated with seborrhoeic
dermatitis - a skin disorder that can cause even
more severe dandruff!
As extensive baldness develops, dandruff problems should decrease - the
rate of dandruff formation should eventually slow down and finally
stop. That's because the follicles are only producing tiny (vellus)
hairs, or no hair at all, meaning that the demand for blood supply will
be less. And, when hair growth has all but stopped, the body will
recognize this and reduce (downregulate) DHT and sebum production.
If you suffer severe dandruff and hair loss, and both conditions appear
to be related, it may well be that by addressing your hair loss
problem, you will also be able to control or even cure dandruff that's
caused by androgenetic alopecia.
I believe the most effective way to treat hair loss is to treat the
underlying cause - skull expansion. Many men and women are now using
the same method I used to successfully stop their own hair loss and
restore normal hair growth again.
