Follicle Atrophy is Not Irreversible！ Start Scalp Care Early to Save Your Hair

Every hair strand grows from continuously dividing cells within hair follicles, which can be considered as the hair’s supply station. They provide blood and nutrients and create a favorable environment for hair growth. Therefore, having healthy hair follicles is crucial for hair growth. When facing a hair loss crisis, it often indicates that the hair follicles have started to shrink and become unhealthy.

Why Do Hair Follicles Shrink?

Genetic Inheritance

Having a family history of androgenetic alopecia can make hair follicles more prone to shrinkage compared to the average person.

Hormonal Changes

Excess male hormones (DHT) can cause hair follicles to shrink. Additionally, hormonal changes during menopause and postpartum can affect the health of hair follicles, leading to hair loss.

High Stress Levels

Prolonged high stress can impact blood circulation, resulting in insufficient blood supply to the hair follicles, which can lead to shrinkage.

Nutritional Deficiency

Insufficient intake of nutrients such as protein, iron, zinc, and vitamins in daily diet can prevent hair follicles from receiving enough nourishment, affecting hair growth.

Excessive Chemical Treatments

Overusing chemical products for dyeing or perming hair can also damage the scalp, leading to injury to the hair follicles.

Scientific Research on the Mechanism of Hair Follicle Atrophy

Hair follicles can be considered one of the body’s tiny organs. When hair follicle stem cells function properly, they can continuously regenerate hair.

Previous research published in the international journal Nature found that hair follicle stem cells undergo symmetric and asymmetric division based on demand, providing new cells for the hair follicle while also maintaining the number of stem cells. This process is crucial for sustaining hair growth.

What Are Symmetric and Asymmetric Division?

Hair follicle stem cells typically undergo periodic symmetric and asymmetric cell division. Symmetric division produces two identical cells that share the same “fate,” while asymmetric division generates one differentiated cell and one self-renewing stem cell. This process ensures the preservation of the stem cell population while also increasing the number of hair cells, maintaining continuous hair growth.

Under normal conditions, symmetric and asymmetric cell division maintains a balanced ratio. However, during the aging process of hair follicles, the half-bridge proteins and intercellular connections become unstable. This leads to abnormal differentiation of hair follicle stem cells during division, deviating from the normal pathway. Eventually, hair follicle stem cells become exhausted or even die, resulting in thinning hair and hair loss.

Can Atrophied Hair Follicles Be Recovered?

Hair follicle atrophy is often not caused by short-term damage but rather develops gradually over time due to various factors affecting their health. If we can recognize early signs of scalp issues and start adjusting our lifestyle and implementing scalp care practices, we can potentially save atrophied hair follicles.

How to Know if Hair Follicles Are in Trouble?

In addition to using professional scalp detection devices, you can observe signs in daily life. If your hair becomes finer and softer, if it increasingly fails to cover the scalp completely, or if you notice daily hair loss exceeding 150-200 strands, these could indicate potential scalp health issues.

What Can We Do to Save Hair Follicles?

As previously mentioned, early follicle atrophy can be caused by various factors. By improving daily habits and increasing nutritional intake, you can help delay follicle deterioration. Additionally, starting a scalp care routine and choosing suitable shampoo and hair care products are essential for maintaining healthy hair follicles.

Reference :

Nature Aging. 2021 Feb; 1, 190–204. doi: 10.1038/s43587-021-00033-7