Month: May 2014

Properties of Hair – Part 3

In the third installment of the properties of hair, lipid or fat content of the hair shaft will be our subject. The lipid content of hair is approximately 1-9% .

The lipids found in hair are tightly bound to the proteins via various bonds, and as such, are referred to as Integral Hair Lipids.  They confer resistance  to the hair shaft, protecting it from the environment by forming a lipid envelope. Most of the lipids are found in the the hair cuticle and inner root sheath. Major constituents are fatty acids, phytosphingosine, and ceramide in decreasing order. Minor constituents are cholesterol, cholesterol sulfate and cholesterol oleate. Interestingly the lipid components differ from the skin to hair follicle to the hair shaft.

Table showing lipid constituents in hair and skin compartments

Sebum % Epidermis % Hair mg/g Hair mg/g Follicle %
Free cholesterol 5 26 ± 0.6 0.5 0.5 3.7
Free fatty acid 13.1 ± 1.6 4.0 23.4 29.6
Cholesterol sulfate 3.9 ± 1.4 2.9 0.4 0.3
Triglyceride 57 0.2
Cholesterol esters 5 1.7 ± 1.1
Glucosylceramide 1.0 ± 0.6
Unidentified 5.7 ± 0.9
Sphinghosine 26.3
Wax ester 26 4.1
Squalene 12 <0.2

The major fatty acid, representing 40% of the total fatty acids, is identified as 18-methyleicosanoic acid. The next abundant are palmitic acid and stearic acid. Alkaline treatments (hair colorings, bleaching, perms) or sunlight can lead to a loss of 18-MEA and causes the defatting of hair. As such, the hair becomes dry and brittle and loses its elasticity and luster.

They all serve to decrease the friction between the hair strands. Their role in hair are slowly being delineated. Their presence may indicate something more important with respect to the functioning of the body. Ceramide production has been found to decrease with age. Also, it has been found that errors in lipid metabolism could result in abnormal skin and hair diseases.  As more and more research is done, we shall see the exact role they play in hair.

QOM-May

questiontext

Dear Doc,

My 5 year old son has been scratching his head like crazy in the past few weeks. There are some bumps at the back of his scalp. It’s driving me nuts! The barber keeps scolding me for not using any oil for his dry scalp. Right now I’m using some  Sulfur 8 shampoo but that is only somewhat helpful. I don’t know what else to do! Help!!!! Thankfully his brother is not affected.

Dry Scalper

answertext

Dear Dry Scalper,

This is so commonplace it isn’t funny. It also pains me that your barber didn’t tell you that your son needs immediate treatment and shouldn’t return to him until treated. Seborrhoeic dermatitis  or what people call “dry scalp”  or “dandruff” is only seen  in children and adults who have already undergone puberty.  A special kind of infantile seb derm is seen in children under the age of one. Any pre-pubertal child who has “dry scalp” has scalp ringworm aka Tinea capitis until proven otherwise.

tinea capitis

photo obtained form quizlet.com

You need to carry your son to a GP or dermatologist. His scalp infection will only go away with oral medication that he will need to take for a month to six weeks. If improperly treated he will have permanent hair loss in the affected area. I have seen adult men who cannot grow their hair  out because of improper treatment of their scalp fungus. It is not a pretty look.

You will have to wash his hair on a daily basis or as often as possible with an antifungal shampoo and use an antifungal cream on the area twice a day. This will cut down the spread of the condition to other children. He must not share any caps, hats, brushes, combs, towels, pillows and cases with anyone. Anything that he uses on his head must be washed on a weekly basis.

Do not carry him to a barber until his scalp is properly treated and he is clear of the fungus. For the future, look at the hygienic practices of any barber you take him to. A lot of times kids get it from other kids, their barbers or from any pets that they may have.