MAGIC IN SCALP MAINTENANCE

Exclusive Interview with William Wee, Managing Director of Polygon Traders.

Why is scalp maintenance so important???
It is very important to have regular scalp maintenance as the scalp is where our hair grows. Most of the shampoos available in the market are designed to cleanse and condition our hair, but do not cleanse the scalp. Over time, this leads to a build-up of conditioner and natural oil secreted by our scalp(sebum), forming a shiny layer on the crown section of our scalp.

What is this “Shiny Layer” on the scalp? How does it affect normal hair growth???
The shiny layer is a combination of DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) and sebum that is secreted from our sebaceous gland. This is a water-repellent waxy layer, which is not easily dissolved or cleanser by the normal shampoo. The hydrophobic lipids act to block up the hair pores and deter normal hair growth.

How many times can a hair pore grow hair???
Under normal circumstances, our hair pore can regenerate hair 32 times. However, most in cases this does not happen due to poor cleansing and over-moisturizing of our scalp by conditioners,

What is the normal hair growth cycle? Are there any ways to shorten this cycle???
Hair growth basically goes through three main phases which repeat themselves: Anagen-growing stage (2-6 years), Catagen- Resting stage(1-2 weeks), and Telogen-shedding stage (5-6weeks),. Under normal circumstances, a healthy hair growth cycle should last at least 6 years. In most cases, the hair growth cycle is shortened by the blockage caused by DHT (Dihydrotestosterone). DHT blocks the nutrient supply to the hair follicle and the arrector pili muscle., and causes the hair to go through a miniaturization process (please refer to the animation for more details). The weakening of the arrector pili muscle will also cause the hair to be limp.

What is DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) and what causes high DHT production???
DHT is produced by an enzymatic reaction with testosterone (male hormone) in the tissue responsive skin-the crown section of the scalp. The known causes are genetcis, stress, poor diet (too much animal fat), poor healthy, medication and environmental factors.

Are balding and hair thinning hereditary???
NO,. One will not inherit the result of balding or thinning hair from their father, but there can inherit the causes. Therefore understanding the causes and rectifying them in the early stage will be an added advantage.

Are there any early signs of balding and hair thinning???
Our body will start to produce DHT during adolescent stage (age 15-18 years. It will show up as acne (pimple) or of facial oil at an early age. Other conditions such as alopecia areata (patch baldness in between ear), excessive daily hair loss (more than 50 a day), and excessive body hair are also symptoms.


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What are the common types of hair loss???
Androgenetic alopecia : Commonly known as Male Pattern Baldness (for men) or Diffused Alopecia (for women). This is the causes for about 98% of the hair loss problem in the market. The main reason is due to DHT (or many refer them as hormonal problem).
Alopecia Areata: This is hair loss due to immune system malfunction. It will appear as patch baldness in the scalp area between ears.
Alopecia Totalis: This is hair loss due to immune system malfunction. It will appear as complete loss of hair on the head.
Alopecia Universalis: This is hair loss due to immune system malfunction. It will appear as complete loss of hair, on head and body.
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