Split ends
The phenomenon of split ends, also called trichoptilosis, is a hair problem that depends on an alteration of the hair shaft with concurrent modification and deterioration of the structure, form and physiology of the hair.
Scientific collaboration between Professor Marco Toscani and Dr. Pasquale Fino, Chair of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Umberto I Health Center – “Sapienza” University of Rome.
Excess sweat production on the entire surface of the body or just in some areas (especially the scalp, palms of the hands, soles of the feet) is called hyperhidrosis.
Some of the causes that may lead to temporary hyperhidrosis are physical hyperactivity, fevers, saunas, vomiting and dysentery. Causes that may instead lead to a repeated state of hyperhidrosis are hyperthyroidism, hypoglycemia and alcoholism.
Psycho-affective causes may lead to constant hyperhidrosis, particularly in young people.
Hyperhidrosis of the scalp is often confused with seborrhea but certain elements exist that differentiate the two different scalp conditions: those who suffer from hyperhidrosis have off-white, only slightly red, wet, dull skin with dry hair tips and the skin of their face is neither greasy nor oily.
Eccrine sweat glands cause hyperhidrosis. These are located over the entire body, especially on the scalp, face, palms of the hands, soles of the feet, bikini area and armpits. Sweat glands have a tube-like structure, with the base located in the deeper dermis, coiled upon its own structure. These glands exit onto the skin in correspondence with an epidermic crest. These vascularized, innervated glands are regulated by the autonomic nervous system (cholinergic fibers of the sympathetic nervous system). The eccrine sweat glands produce sweat (through merocrine secretions), composed 98-99% of water, 0.8-1% of minerals and the remainder of organic substances such as urea, lactic acid, uric acid, etc. When sweat mixes on the surface with everything else, it determined the formation of the hydro-lipid-acidic film which makes it necessary to wash one’s hair regularly (3/4 times a week) with a delicate, frequent-use, non-aggressive shampoo, so as to cleanse without irritation.
Hyperhidrosis appears when there is an excessive presence of water on the scalp. This increase in water in the composition of the hydrolipid film, the skin’s first defence from the external environment, leads to an increase in pH towards alkaline values with the loss of bacteriostatic power and scalp sensitivity. Hyperhidrosis nevertheless has internal causes that are difficult to overcome and eliminate. The proper composition of the hydrolipid film must be reset so as to rebalance the pH and consequently the function of the skin as a barrier.
Among the causes of hyperhidrosis we note:
1) hyperemia: excessive blood circulation leads to emotional hyperhidrosis;
2) lymphatic circulation: a slowing of the lymphatic circulation leads to a build-up of lymph at the subcutaneous level with liquid stasis and perspiration;
3) menopause: hormonal imbalances that occur cause cutaneous vasodilation accompanied by excess sweating.
Hyperhidrosis is a complex phenomenon with effects not only at the level of the scalp but also of the hair, which often appears wet.
The phenomenon of split ends, also called trichoptilosis, is a hair problem that depends on an alteration of the hair shaft with concurrent modification and deterioration of the structure, form and physiology of the hair.
Some parameters and characteristics should be taken into consideration when assessing hair types and morphologies: shape, density and appearance. The appearance of hair, in the form of lanugo, occurs during the fourth month of pregnancy.
Trichotillomania is a type of hair loss due to voluntary pulling by the patient which often ends up breaking the hair shaft. In general, the patient twists the hair around a finger.
The gesture is occasional when going to sleep or concentrating on a task, but may become repetitive or obsessive.
Seborrheic hair loss is a form of premature hair loss that generally afflicts men in their youth (onset between 20 and 30 years of age), mainly affecting the frontal region and the crown. The cause, as the name of the condition suggests, is related to an excess production of sebum that provokes or accelerates hair loss.
With the term Telogen Defluvium we mean a modest, not excessive, loss of hair in the telogen phase, but which tends to often be irreversible, with the precise characteristics of hair in decay or involution. The hair that falls out is usually short and fine, with bulbs that are undeveloped and reduced in size.
In the trichological field, with the passing of age hair whitening is seen to follow the greying process of the hair on the scalp (called grey hair). Hair becomes grey (white) following a natural biological aging process of the melanocytes, which are the cells tasked with coloring hair.
In the majority of people, the first grey hairs appear around 35/40 years of age in women and around 30/35 in men.
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