Antifungals and astringents, and the relation of AGA to acne

Hey dudes

This is something I've been thinking about for a long time.

As I've said I believe that AGA is caused by excess sebum (caused by excess DHT) which then becomes infected usually by a fungal strain (hence why most with AGA have dandruff). I believe that this then kills the hair.

For the record, this is interesting:

...in 2007 it was discovered that the responsible agent is a scalp specific fungus, Malassezia globosa,[14] that metabolizes triglycerides present in sebum by the expression of lipase, resulting in a lipid byproduct oleic acid (OA). During dandruff, the levels of Malassezia increase by 1.5 to 2 times its normal level.[2] Penetration by OA of the top layer of the epidermis, the stratum corneum, results in an inflammatory response in susceptible persons which disturbs homeostasis and results in erratic cleavage of stratum corneum cells.

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dandruff#Causes
(also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malassezia)

That's interesting, isn't it? So apparently this fungus uses lipase to metabolise the sebum fat, essentially.

Therefore we are presented with three potential solutions, if we are hoping to tackle this after the actions of DHT.

1) Decrease sebum, such as with an astringent like witch hazel

2) Kill the fungus, such as with an antifungal like coconut oil

3) Possibly decreasing lipase in the scalp, reducing the fungus' ability to feed on sebum. Seems a sloppy solution but it could still work.


Any views on this? Thanks,

Hoppi


EDIT -- Weirdly, Candida albicans (which I've long suspected to be the cause of my health woes) also is capable of breaking down lipids for food:

Some lipases are expressed and secreted by pathogenic organisms during the infection. In particular, Candida albicans has a large number of different lipases, possibly reflecting broad lipolytic activity, which may contribute to the persistence and virulence of C. albicans in human tissue.[7]

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipase

Hoppi, I created a thread about a month or so back about my no shampoo experiment. I did this for two weeks, my scalp became incredibly irritated and hair began to fall out like no man's business (esp the hair line). I started washing again, inflammation stops, so does the shedding.

Yet, despite the anti-fungals in shampoo, sodium lauryl sulphate is a surfactant which causes irritation if over applied or if not thoroughly rinsed off. SLS free shampoos / soaps are probably best to use.

Since I started using Nizoral about 2x a week and stopped dermarolling, my inflammation has been reduced to zero - if inflammation is that itching and stinging I used to feel in my temples. I´m also experimenting with a topical that I use 3x a week, consisting on olive oil, egg yolk, cayenne pepper, green tea and propolis.

I´m also inclined to believe that MPB is correlated with high sebum production, dandruff and acne...I also believe now that manuals cause more inflammation and make you loose hair faster.

The two things that spring to mind are Polysorbate 80 and Bentonite Clay

The LLLT guys swear by both those things to completely clear out sebum from the follicle so their lasers can penetrate deeper into the skin (and I can testify they are extremely effective at clearing the scalp)

But diet is also a key. Fried foods (esp PUFAs) bad ... no surprise I still get zits and blackheads if I eat crap like that.  Vitamin A (retinol e.g, from liver) good. Gut flora health e.g. for  Substance P production etc. etc.

Also, I've heard an alternative to your theory... that if sebum accumulates then DHT and all that crap gets trapped. And it's the trapped stuff that damages the hair, vs DHT itself causing sebum increase (a quick check suggests this theory is prob more accurate: "lowering DHT levels in adulthood had no effect on sebum production." http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8381804)

Overall though, I'd 100% agree, getting control of scalp sebum levels seems crucial for healthy hair, excess and build up of sebum is asking for trouble if wanting to keep hold of your hair.

Well, from my own personal observations FWIW, sebum doesn't become inflammatory unless it builds up for a few days. This might suggest two things: 1. It builds up so much that it encases the papilla (it is produced inside the follicle wall) 2. When it encases the papilla squalene oxidizes and forms into inflammatory squalene peroxide.

Yet, even remedying this issue is not enough to regrow hair, esp follicles which have permanently entered into the telogen phase. There seems to be a threshold level where growth factors are completely switched off within follicles that have been dormant for a long time. This is pretty evident just by observing how ineffective fin / minox is in those who have been bald for years.

Regrowing hair should, technically, be a very simplistic process for the body. Follicles are incredibly tiny, and the actual hair growing cells are microscopic. If growth factors were triggered, then it would only be a matter of weeks before we began to see terminals growing through.