ABC of Nursing

The ABC of care.

Lines for the care of hair and scalp.

Hair loss (alopecia). Dandruff

Epigraph: The laws of thinking are the conscious laws of being AI Herzen

It is absolutely clear to every master that for successful salon work - dying, perm, styling and even haircuts - you need a quality raw material, which for us were, is and will be hair.

The main pledge of this quality was and remains the "homework" of the client, that is, those care products that are used every day at home.

In the last article, we dismantled the main lines for the care of hair and scalp, presented in the Russian market by most manufacturers of hair cosmetics. Including we have disassembled features of care for a problem skin of a head - fat and seborrheic. Today we will talk about two very urgent, and therefore important for us problems - different types of alopecia and dandruff. Also, we will analyze the most popular active ingredients, the principles of their work and, most importantly, the rules for using the drugs necessary to successfully solve the problem.

It is very difficult to unambiguously attribute the problem of hair loss, to which, a specific block of "hair care" or "care for the scalp." At first glance, that hair falls out, but on the other hand, there are no problems with hair, or rather, with its core. And on the other hand, there is no problem with the scalp ... In order to understand the cause-effect relationship and correctly make care, consider the physiology of the hair and understand the causes of their loss.

                                                                                Physiology of the hair

For a complete understanding of the processes occurring with hair and the reasons for their loss, it is necessary to consider the physiological basis of hair life.

Like any living organism, the hair follicle (and, consequently, the entire hair) undergoes several stages or phases in its development: anagen, catagen and telogen .

Anagen is a phase of active growth. At this time, the hair grows continuously, and its length increases by 1-1.5 -2 cm per month (reliable data yet).

The anagen lasts from 2 to 5 years in men and from 2 to 15 years in women. Now you understand why many clients complain that they can not grow hair longer than a certain length (sorry for the syllogism) - the anagen's term is short. In addition, the relationship between the life of the hair and its thickness is established - the shorter the anagen phase, the thinner the hair (and vice versa), since the necessary number of cuticle layers simply does not have time (or can not) form.

It is very important to remember that, whether we want to or not, but for each hair follicle the number of potentially possible anagen stages is limited ! On average, this cycle is repeated only 25-27 times. That's why it's important to be concerned about hair, because changing the speed of hair growth, the life of hair and the number of repetitions of anagen phases is not possible ! And it does not matter that it was this promise that was written on the package with ampoules or shampoo, which you bought yesterday. The maximum, perhaps, is not to shorten the genetically timed terms, which are catastrophically reduced because of our wrong exercises with the hair (incorrect care or staining).

Catagen - a period of rest - in the life of the hair takes about 3 weeks . During this period, the division of the matrix cells slows down very much and soon ceases altogether, the hair, as it were, "hibernates", that is, food and oxygen do not get into the medula through the papilla. At the end of the catagen, the hair bulb still separates from the papilla and the hair passes into the dying stage, behind which inevitably prolapse.

In the telogen stage, the cell renewal stops completely, the bulb completely separates from the dermal papilla and begins to actively move toward the surface of the scalp, but the most important is that a new life begins to form on the "bottom" of the hair bag - a new hair. The phase lasts about 90-100 days.

When a person is healthy and not subject to a condition with a specific hormonal background (pregnancy, menopause, thyroid dysfunction, etc.), about 85% of his hair is in the anagen phase, about 1% in the catagen phase and 14% in the telogen phase. However, fortunately, the change of cycles "growth - rest" occurs in neighboring follicles not simultaneously, that is, they are not synchronized in neighboring follicles - hair will not fall out all at once. The physiological norm is the daily loss of about 3% of hair from their total number.

                                                                                        Hair loss or alopecia

                                                  To some men, God gave a beautiful head, and the rest - hair.

To my great chagrin, besides genetic limitations, we must learn to understand that each succeeding hair is automatically worse than the previous one , and therefore there is not the slightest doubt that the most important problem associated with hair is their loss, which can take different Form and be caused by various reasons. It is not entirely true to equate the term alopecia with the Russian word baldness. Alopecia is a very capacious concept, this term is applicable both to a slight excess of the physiological quantity of daily falling hair, and to cases of mass loss of hair on the face and body.

The main groups of alopecia : 1. Cicatricial - proceeds with the formation of a scar in which the hair follicles are completely or partially atrophied, and hence - not reversible. 2. No cicatricial - the atrophy of the hair follicles is not observed and therefore, in some cases, it is possible to cause hair growth again.

Very briefly we will consider the most common types of alopecia in the practice of hairdressers.

- Diffuse alopecia is the most common case of alopecia, with which clients turn to us - hairdressers. This type of fallout is called temporary and symptomatic, because it is often not the first symptom of the presence of certain diseases and pathological conditions.

It is divided into two subgroups:

1. telogen - as a result of certain reasons, there is a certain shift in% of the ratio between the phases of hair growth, that is, the period of anagen and catagen is significantly shortened, accordingly a greater number passes into the telogen phase and falls out. It is important to take into account that the proliferation begins in 36-48 days after the impact of the causative factor. The main reasons for the occurrence are: incorrect nutrition (diets, dysbacteriosis, poor protein absorption, vegetarianism); Stresses, both psychosomatic and everyday; Diseases that are forced to be treated with antibiotics; All kinds of anesthesia (including local anesthesia); Complications after influenza and hepatitis; Prolonged temperature increase.

2. Anagenic - loss, which occurs at the stage when the hair must actively grow. This is a consequence of Long-term poisoning of the body as a result of rather serious diseases - tuberculosis, syphilis, diabetes mellitus or after chemotherapy for cancer. Sincerely I hope that you will not have to face this (keep the Lord of you and your loved ones), as well as with anagen alopecia in chronic alcoholics and drug addicts.

- Alopecia areata or nests. In this case, the hair falls out from a certain area (the location of the position and the number can be any), which is always quite clearly delineated. In cases of neglected situation, the foci merge and the whole head is affected, sometimes even eyebrows and eyelashes drop out. The foci periodically disappear - "prune" with hair, and can appear in the same place, or in different places. In addition to the scalp, nest hair loss can affect the hair on the body, then it will be called universal baldness , but it is extremely rare. Despite the huge amount of research connected with this type of loss, the reasons for the end are not justified.

And, finally, one of the most common forms of hair loss is androgenic alopecia. It occurs both in men and in women. It is manifested, first of all, by a fairly rapid thinning of the hair in the fronto-parietal zones, however, the total amount of hair does not decrease. The only cause of this type of alopecia is androgen - the male sex hormone - testosterone, which to a greater or lesser extent there are both men and women. It is known that in men predisposed to alopecia, the vascular apparatus of the hair follicle has an increased sensitivity to testosterone. Under the action of the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase, androgen is converted into a more active hormone 5-alpha-dihydrotestosterone (it is often reduced to DHT ). Then, after a cascade of biochemical reactions, this complex passes into the cell nucleus, which disrupts the synthesis of protein proteins and its follicle, in particular, reducing the production of collagen, which, as you remember, is the framework for creating a hair bag. As a result, the size of the follicles decreases. The duration of the anagen phase is markedly reduced and, in the end, healthy long long hair is transformed into a thin short fuzz. In addition, each subsequent hair sits in the scalp not as deep as the previous one.

During puberty, when the amount of androgens in the blood is increased, the follicle vessels are persistently spasmodic, the nutrition of the hair follicle is disrupted, and as a result, during the next few years, baldness may occur. It is important to note that this sensitivity to androgens has only hair in the parietal and mid-occipital areas of the head. Hair on the human body at the same time begin to multiply, and grow at double speed.

Women have extremely rare full or zonal hair loss, although in principle both men and women have the same amount of hair and the cause is the same - testosterone. But the rest of the lady's hair as the survivors of the fight, fighters, evenly distributed throughout the volume of the head. This is explained by the presence of a large amount of aromatase enzyme in women, which transforms testosterone into a female sex hormone, estrogen, thus suppressing its effect on the hair follicles.

Shampoos and preparations for hair loss

These lines are designed to care for drop-down or prone to hair loss and most often not just one product but the whole complex is used. This is important to understand, since a single shampoo for a serious solution to this problem will not just be not enough, but in principle - not possible. After all, it is "additional drugs" that are working on solving the problem of hair loss. In my opinion, such products are better to choose in a liquid form - this ensures the scalp from congestion and from the occurrence of side effects, and packaged in vacuum packages (ampoules or bottles) - this will help to keep all the active ingredients as much as possible.

If the client does not have the opportunity to immediately buy the full set, do not insist and just give preference to ampoules, not shampoo. Shampoo, then it is better to choose the most neutral, since its main task is to delicately clean the hair and prepare the scalp to further make active components

Frequently occurring active ingredients in preparations from deposition:

1 . Complex amineksil (Aminexil) = minoxidil . The drug for men is quite effective, but, unfortunately, besides side effects, it has one more feature: after a while after its cancellation, the situation with the hair returns to its original state. Those. Minoxidil allows hair to grow as long as you use it. The main principle of action - stimulates the production of collagen, insufficient production of which leads to aging and destruction of hair roots + nutrient components, consisting of glucose and linoleic acid, necessary for the synthesis of elements that make up cellular tissue. Aminexil not only reduces hair loss and promotes their thickening, but also reduces the synthesis of collagen around the hair follicle, thereby contributing to the prevention of fibrosis (death of the hair follicle).

2. Cromacalin (Cromacalin) - stimulates the synthesis of DNA in keratinocytes and hair follicles. These are natural herbal preparations that prevent hair loss and stimulate the growth of new ones. Preparations are generally effective, but there is no reliable data on the long-term preservation of the effect after their cancellation.

3. Procapil - triple stroke for the causes of alopecia: decreased microcirculation, atrophy of the follicle caused by the influence of androgens and loss of the extracellular matrix of the follicle ("aging follicle"). Stimulating metabolism prokapil delays the effect of capillary aging, therefore, is also an excellent means for preventing hair loss.

4. Adenosine is an absolutely new and very powerful hair growth stimulant, opened in Japan. Adenosine stimulates hair growth due to influence on hair growth factors - it stimulates the growth factor of hair fibroblasts and stimulates the growth of blood vessels (vascular factor).

5. Procyanides B2 and C1 are powerful natural stimulators of hair growth, lead to hair thickening and decrease in loss due to inhibition (suppression) of the work of a special enzyme involved in the regulation of the hair cycle.

6. Copper peptides - have a powerful anti-inflammatory effect, and also affect the thickening of the hair and the extension of the growth stage, due to the effect on DHD of dehydrohistosterone. Ideal for seborrheic and androgenetic alopecia.

7. Herbal extracts - most often these are drugs that cause pronounced flushing on the surface of the scalp, since the main task of all drugs to prevent hair loss is to improve the flow of blood, which means better breathing and nourishment of the hair follicles.

The most commonly used extracts are: peppers (active ingredient - capsaicin acid, which is contained in the maximum concentration in grains), hop cones (one of the most powerful and traditional natural phytoestrogens), ivy extract (actively working on B vitamins), Thai ficus leaves In the east it is considered to be one of the most powerful aphrodisiacs), cayaputa, eucalyptus, peppermint (essential oils with a characteristic odor and a cooling or warming effect work).

Important : when solving the problem of hair loss, there are 2 mandatory rules of procedure and time: the course lasts from 4 weeks to 3 months with a frequency of 1-2 times a day to 2 times a week.

But now we really approach the problem associated with the scalp - dandruff. For a deep understanding of the problem, and most importantly - for understanding the ways to solve it, we need to understand the structure of the skin and the causes of dandruff:

                                      Skin or derma (dermis)

It is generally believed that the skin is the largest organ of the human body in weight, area and volume. The weight of the skin is approximately 6% of the total weight of a person (although in this case the layer of subcutaneous fat, which is completely different in each person, is not taken into account). The skin area in an adult reaches approximately 1.5 to 2.3 m².

There are 3 layers of skin : epidermis, dermis (actually the skin) and subcutaneous fat (hypoderma = subcutaneous tissue = panniculus adiposus).

In the perspective of talking about dandruff, the structure and role of the hypodermis is not very important to us, and we will only talk about the dermis, but we will talk about the epidermis in detail, since it is he who is responsible for the external condition of the skin.

Fig. Skin and its underlying structures

Dermis or the skin itself, is a fairly dense connective tissue, which is the support for the appendages of the skin (including hair), as well as vessels and nerves. The fibrous structures of this layer consist of collagen and elastin fibers.

Usually two layers are distinguished :

1. papillary layer (adjacent to the epidermis) on which there are numerous outgrowths containing capillaries and nerve endings. In some areas of the papillary layer, smooth muscle fibers are located, mainly associated with hair follicles, as well as imparting strength and elasticity to the skin.

2. mesh (reticular) layer containing in a large number of blood and lymphatic vessels, nerve endings, as well as hair follicles, sebaceous and sweat glands.

The border between the dermis and the epidermis is the basal membrane , consisting essentially of two proteins - collagen and laminin. We can say that this is a kind of fibrous mat, softly and resiliently fastening two layers and in fact, orienting the movement of skin cells from depth to top (and not vice versa). On the basis of the basal membrane lie keratinocytes , the cells of the next layer of the skin - the basal layer (see below). After division, one of the cells remains on the membrane, and the second breaks away from it and begins to move upward, filling with keratin, which displaces moisture, turns it into a horny scales (this is how the permanent exfoliation of the cells of the upper epithelium occurs). The same cell that remains attached to the membrane retains the ability to repeatedly divide, thus ensuring the infinity of the skin renewal process.

The epidermis is a multilayer keratinizing (hardening due to loss of moisture) epithelium, the thickness of which varies from 0.03 to 1.5 mm (the thickest layer of the epidermis in humans on the palms and soles of the feet). Histologists distinguish only 4 layers in the epidermis: basal, prickly, granular and horny.

The lowest is the basal layer , the germ layer consisting of a single row of germ cells, in which proteins and various biologically active molecules are actively synthesized (for example, growth factors). In the case of damage to the upper layers of the skin, these cells begin to actively move up, providing rapid healing of wounds.

It is in the basal layer that melanocyte pigment cells are present . Immediately above it lies a spiny layer consisting of 5-10 rows of fairly voluminous cells, in the cytoplasm of which the synthesis of keratin is enhanced. As you move toward the surface of the skin, the spike-shaped cells become flatter. By itself, the cell can no longer bring any nutrients. Then a granular layer follows . It consists of 1-5 rows of fairly flat cells, which fit tightly to each other. As they approach the surface of the skin, they lose the nucleus (which deprives them of the ability to divide), and the amount of water in them decreases noticeably.  

The stratum corneum is structurally part of the epidermis, but it is quite difficult to call it a "living part" of "living skin", since it consists of dead, denuclearized cells and is completely devoid of nerve fibers. In the cells of the stratum corneum, the accumulated keratin from keratinocytes is deformed into a flat polyhedron, which is often called a horny scales . These scales are arranged on each other in the form of columns. The stratum corneum is at the same time an external protective layer of the skin and an effective barrier against loss of water by the skin in particular and the whole organism as a whole.

The chemical and physical processes of the degeneration (keratinization) of keratin cells are so synchronized that newly formed keratinocytes move to the surface with a single layer! The rhythm of this process determines the rate of skin renewal , which fits in about 21-28 days . And any violation of this rhythm in a living organism always leads to a whole stream of events, which leads to a system failure with unpredictable long-term consequences. Now we can definitely say that accelerating the process of renewal is not good. For example, it is this accelerated cell division on the skin of the scalp that leads to such a serious problem as dandruff, and then to seborrhea.

Dandruff Characterized by the appearance of a large number of white or yellow scales on the skin of the scalp. If you see such an ecdysis over the entire volume of the head, then most likely it is not dandruff, and a common cosmetic defect is peeling (hyperkeratosis). Real dandruff, most often located quite locally - the marginal line of hair growth, the crown zone, the temporal zone.

To date, the main cause of dandruff is considered to be conditionally pathogenic fungus Pityrosporum Ovale (also known as Malassezia Furfur), which eats absolutely in all people and is considered part of the normal microflora on the skin surface. As soon as suitable conditions for its rapid reproduction appear on the scalp, the result is a changed life cycle of skin cells, which instead of the prescribed 26-28 days is reduced to 10-14 days. The trouble is that by the end of this period the cell simply does not have time to go through complete dehydration and accumulate keratin in sufficient quantity, which means that it can not freely separate from the surface of the scalp.

Until now, it is not very clear what is really the cause of dandruff not in all people, if everyone has a fungus. In addition, it is not at all clear why dandruff, like most chronic diseases, passes through an exacerbation, that is, it appears that it disappears, but it never ends up to the end, that is, it does not heal.

It is generally believed that the fungus begins to "thrive" because of a number of medical reasons , such as a decrease in the overall immunity of the body, hormonal changes (thyroid gland, fibroids / f, adnexitis / g, inflammation of the prostate gland / m), beriberi (especially vitamins A, group B and F), stress, impaired function of the gastrointestinal tract and even a change in diet in the direction of greater consumption of heavy carbohydrates and fats.

Now, when we understand the causes of dandruff, we also need to learn to understand that in order to effectively rid the client of dandruff, one must work in several directions at once. Namely - removal of skin scales (dandruff), which already have + bringing the life of the skin cells to normal + the normalization of the number of colonies of the fungus Pityrosporum Ovale + getting rid of inflammation and itching, which appear due to the dirt accumulated under the scales of dandruff. Thus, modern lines often consist of several drugs, perform all of the above listed functions. Almost always there is a shampoo, which is recommended to distribute strictly on the scalp, pre-shaking thoroughly. Shampoo is applied 2 times and must be aged for at least 5-7 minutes. This is necessary, since it is during this time that dandruff flakes soften, and then gently wash off the surface of the skin. In addition to shampoo, lines can contain scrubs = peelings, tonics, lotions and so on. Always read the instructions for use, and understand that never such a device is not divided, because in this case, the essence of the fight against dandruff can be lost!

Properties of anti-dandruff products : according to the principle of exposure and the most popular components used in them.

1. antimycotic = antifungal. Affect directly on the fungus Pityrosporum Ovale: zinc pyrithine, ketoconazole, furacilin, sulsen, klimbazol, imidazole, hydropyridone, micnazole, clotrimazole.

2. cytostatics - slow down the accelerated process of division and multiplication of epithelial cells: octopyrox (the strongest, the most fashionable cytostatic to date, which is used to this day a huge number of professional brands), kaolin, sulsen, tar birch, resorcinol, pyrotonolamine, ichthyol and naphthalan Connection.

3. keratolites - exfoliating, in the form of non-abrasive scrub for the scalp based on chemical peelings, which softly soften the scalp, and then they are washed: salicylic and boric acids, sulfur, kaolin, sulcene, hydroxy acids - lactic, apple, lemon, .

4. antimicrobial - detoxifies microorganisms that cause itching and inflammation: furacilin, clotrimazole, ichthyol, sulfur, zinc, zinc pyrithite, birch tar, sintomycin, chlorhexidine.

5. with plant extracts, specific components, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, soothing and immunomodulating properties: nettle leaves dioecious burdock root, chamomile flowers, stigma and corn pollen, tansy flowers, leaves and flowers of calendula, elecampane root, flowers and leaves of St. John's wort, roots Aralia, leaves of plantain, bark of oak.

Here she is - the ABC of care