Inflammation and Hair Health

Inflammation and Hair Problems

Free radicals damage hair by causing oxidative stress and inflammation . Free radicals are created by both natural metabolic processes in the body and exposure to external factors, such as UV radiation and pollution. Inflammation damages and destroys hair follicles by destroying stem cells and oil glands, hindering nutrient flow to the scalp ,disrupting the hair cycle, and creating scar tissue, leading to hair thinning and prematuregraying and hairfall, and sometimes permanent hair loss. Inflammation can also be caused by conditions like autoimmune diseases, infections such as ringworm, psoriasis, and folliculitis, or even indirect damage from constant scratching of an inflamed, itchy scalp. Early detection and treatment are crucial to prevent permanent damage.

How Inflammation Causes Hair Loss

• Weakens hair structure: Free radicals attack the hair’s proteins, such as amino acids and peptides, which the hair shaft weak.
• Follicle Damage: Inflammation damages the part of the hair follicle that contains stem cells and oil glands, which are essential for hair growth. 

• Disruption of Hair Cycle: Inflammatory processes force hair follicles to get matured early which disrupt the normal growth cycle and lead to increased hairfall.
• Reduced Blood Flow: Inflammation can affect scalp health, potentially reducing blood flow and oxygen to the scalp, which is necessary for healthy hair growth. 
• Scarring and Permanent Loss: Scarring alopecia is a group of inflammatory disorders that cause the destruction of hair follicles, leading to permanent hair loss as they are replaced by scar tissue. 

Inflammation causes scar tissue to form around the follicles, destroying them permanently and making hair regrowth impossible. Symptoms can include hair loss in patches or thinning, along with itching, burning, and redness.

• Indirect Damage from Scratching: Scalp conditions that cause itching, such as psoriasis or infections, can lead to hair damage and loss when the affected skin is scratched or pulled. 

• Causes brittleness: The structural damage makes hair dry and brittle, and lead to an increase in split ends.
• Fades hair color: For both natural and colour-treated hair, free radicals oxidize the melanin (the pigment that gives hair its colour). This can result in accelerated colour fading, dullness, and a change in the hair’s overall shade.
• Reduces shine and luster: The damage to the hair’s protective outer layer, the cuticle, can make the hair look dull and rough instead of shiny and smooth.

Causes of Scalp Inflammation

• Free Radicals and oxidative stress-Due to regular cell metabolic activities ,environmental factors like UV Rays,Pollutants,unhealthylifestyle and stress free radicals are created which leads to oxidative stress.Oxidative stress leads to inflammation at cellular level which accelerates aging ,hairfall ,prematuregraying of air and skin problems and various other age related diseases.

• Infections: Conditions like scalp ringworm can cause inflammation around hair follicles. 
• Autoimmune Diseases: Conditions where the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, including hair follicles, can cause hair loss. 
• Psoriasis: This skin condition can cause an inflamed, flaky, and itchy scalp, leading to hair damage. 
• Folliculitis: This is a direct inflammation of the hair follicles, often caused by bacteria, which can lead to pustules and hair loss. 
• Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia (FFA): An autoimmune condition that causes inflammation around the hair follicle, leading to hair loss and scarring. 
• Environmental Factors-Exposure to UV Rays ,Pollutants,Pesticides and exposure to other chemicals increase free radicals and oxidative stress in the body.
• Stress-Persistent stress leads to inflammation and also disturb the gut microbiome which further leads to problems related to skin and hair.
• Lifestyle Habits-Drinking alcohol and smoking affects our immune system and leads to premature graying of hair and other problems related to hair.
• Diet-Processed food ,high sugar intake ,friedfood ,junkfood ,etc causes inflammation.We must include antioxidant rich diet consisting of seasonal fruits ,greenvegetables ,omega3 ,vitaminC ,vitamin E and antioxidant rich herbs which are anti-inflammatory.