Clogged hair follicles are very common, and one of the prime complaints of people of all ages. They can occur almost anywhere but some of the most painful spring up on the scalp. These tiny troublemakers can be caused by any number of reason including wax buildup, caused by certain conditioning products; dirt and grime; hormones; along with a myriad of other possible causes. Often they flare up and become infected in places that only a very flexible octopus could comfortably reach. Let’s move on to the hair complex to help us gain a better understanding as to why clogged hair follicles occur.
What we refer to as hair is actually the hair shaft which is a combination of dead hair cells and a protein called keratin. These rope like strands constantly push upwards from a sac like pouch called the follicle. When a clogged hair follicle occurs it blocks the hair growth, leading to backup in dead cells and keratin. If the hair shaft can’t break through irritation and possibly infection will occur until either the follicle dies, the obstruction is removed, or the hair shaft breaks through.
Some people are more prone to blocked hair follicles than others. For instance the hair follicles of people with very fine hair are naturally smaller than those who have very large course strands. A high risk person might be one who has fine hair (small follicles) cooking corny dogs in a greasy hamburger stand who is nervous (lack of blood flow) all the time.
There are certain conditions as well that cause follicles to shrink with the most obvious being male or female pattern baldness. Both male and female pattern baldness are caused by the accumulation of the androgen hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) deep within the hair follicle. Over the course of a couple of hair replacement cycles the buildup of DHT leads to follicle shrinkage. Once this starts to occur the balding process will not be far behind.
As you can see there are a number of causes for clogged hair follicles, with some being more obvious than others. The important thing is to distinguish whether your clogged hair follicle is an isolated incident or a sign of a larger problems that ultimately might lead to baldness.
If you determine your clogged follicles are occurring from poor hygiene, cheap waxy hair care products, or the deep fryer then simply make a few minor adjustments and likely your run in with these pesky little troublemakers will be less common.
If you determine that male or female pattern baldness is at the root of the problem then not only will you be faced with having to restore clogged hair follicles to health but will also need to take steps to block the harmful follicle shrinking hormone DHT.
What Next? There are currently a handful of hair re-growth products (specially formulated for both men and women) which have been proven effective both in blocking harmful hormones, opening and enlarging clogged follicles, and bringing the all important dead hair follicles back to life. These specially formulated treatments can be used both as a preventative tool, starting before hair loss becomes severe, or after loss of hair has become noticeable. In conclusion these products could be just what is needed to free up those clogged hair follicles and promote scalp and hair health.
