are dandruff and androgenic alopecia related?

[NickSE]

I suggest you to do some research on how sleep affects our wellbeing - hormones and hair included. You'll be surprised and highly motivated to get better sleep.

[mariobryant]

I have not too long ago started a strong dandruff. And I think it's accompanied by a slight baldness. I'm afraid that it's connected. But there's a lot of useful information. I think it helps to deal with the problem.

[Tom Hagerty]

On many of the hair loss forums I always see the same information about the relation of dandruff to baldness. This information states that baldness does not cause dandruff and that dandruff does not cause hair loss. Perhaps all that is true but my thinking is that many of the people expressing this view are just repeating what others have said before.

Here is my thinking on the subject based on my own experience and on the experience of people who have written emails to me. Many people who are starting to lose their hair have scalps that are itchy and scaly or flaky. When they scratch their heads these scales (dandruff) come off. And sometimes when the scales pop off the hair pops off with them.

There are many things that might cause dandruff like poor diet, improper or too much shampooing of the scalp, or some genetic predisposition. However, I think many cases of dandruff are caused by a sub-clinical inflammation. I don't have any idea what may bring on this inflammation but I have a hint what might alleviate it. On my Testimonial pages I see many descriptions of inflammation and itching and dandruff disappearing after several months of doing the scalp massage. It could be that the scalp exercise makes the skin of the scalp healthier because the quickened lymph flow gets rid of toxic material in scalp tissue which might cause the inflammation.

Of course all of the above is just speculation based on personal anecdote. It does make some sense though. Healthy hair follicles do not find an inflamed and itchy scalp a good environment for growth.

[singhisking]

Well I am posting here after quite some time and there was a special reason for it.
I think in my case stress and environment are biggest culprits.
In november last yr, I was going home for a vacation and I decided I will enjoy my time to its fullest.
I removed all my tension, I kept my head light no zero stress in all.
Would you belive my dandruff improved drastically within 2 days!!!!
In a week I was off it, without any medication at all.
I continued my tenaion free routine for 2-3 months and dandruff though kept coming sometimes. But it was under control and so was my hairfall.
But with onset on severe winter made it little worse.
Then my company sent me to s. korea in feb this yr and all gain was lost.
I thought no issue, it will become better when I will be back in india but it did only slighly improve even in India.
Now I am back in korea right now and though its summer I still have huge dandruff(ofcourse hairfall too) and I am not able to figure whats affecting me most.
Either its stress(due to workload), or shower water or milk which I consume here everyday.


Did anyone have same experience as mine?

[Tom Hagerty]

The following is an article from Livestrong.com with some comments I'll make after the quotation.

Definition

Dandruff is a condition in which excess skin flakes appear on the scalp. Though the body sheds skin cells regularly, normally the cells are too small to be easily seen. Dandruff causes the shedding of large, easily visible clumps, which the Mayo Clinic states is often accompanied by itching.

Causes

Dandruff's main cause is a fungus called pityrosporum ovale, according to Dr. Andersen. This fungus is naturally present on the skin and scalp, but grows excessively on some people. The flakes are actually dead skin cells that result from the fungal problem.

The Mayo Clinic cites several other possible causes, including a dry or greasy scalp, eczema and psoriasis. Certain hair care products can irritate the scalp, leading to flaking.

Effects

Stress can affect dandruff even though it does not cause the condition. People under stress often have an impaired immune system. Because of this, they may not be able to effectively fight pityrosporum ovale. This makes it harder to get rid of dandruff if you already have it,

Dandruff itself may even raise a person's stress level because it is an embarrassing condition. The flakes are often visible in the hair and on dark-colored clothing, making the problem readily apparent.

Treatment

The Mayo Clinic states that some dandruff cases can be treated simply by washing the hair every day with a mild shampoo or by changing hair care products if the cause is irritation. [I doubt this. Shampooing every day won't decrease dandruff. - Tom] Stubborn dandruff is generally treated with an anti-fungal or anti-dandruff shampoo, according to Dr. Andersen. These are available in stores and generally contain selenium sulphide, zinc pyrithione or ketoconazole, all of which are effective against pityrosporum ovale.

Stress reduction can support a shampoo's effectiveness by increasing the immune system's ability to ward off the fungus. Common techniques to fight stress include meditation, deep breathing exercises and regular physical activity.

It all sounds so simple. Just reduce prolonged psychological stress with meditation, deep breathing exercises, and regular physical activity. This may boost the strength of your immune system. And this, in turn, will lower the intensity of dandruff and an itchy scalp. It actually could have that effect. I mean no one wants to argue with the pronouncements of the Mayo Clinic. ☺

[singhisking]

As before, reduction in stress and oral Vitamic C intake(specially orange juice a glass everyday) is working well. The dandruff and flaking is almost over(and ofcourse the hairfall). But my scalp(and my nose) is still oily as hell. So there are chances of its return.

I dont understand if I can get rid of this oily skin issue ever.
I have included workout too, but when I workout I feel acne gets worse and I dont do it regularly.

One last thing, last yr my doctor said I have sinus issues.
Does sinus affect stress headache or upsets stomach or even can have any impact on scalp and skin oilyness like mine??

[Tom Hagerty]

I wish you would read this article about Environmental Sensitivities. Many people who post messages on this forum have problems similar to yours. Some people are more sensitive to environmental factors and these factors, in turn, can have a negative effect on the hair. It's a challenge for people who don't have these sensitivities to relate to people who do. They might label them as "hypersensitive" and tell them to "get with the program." But one doesn't just become tough overnight because of some adverse criticism.

"Just get with the program."

Tough Guy with good hair.png (68.18 KiB) Viewed 114598 times

There is a lot of information in the article I linked to as well as other articles you'll find if you type "environmental sensitivity" into the Google search bar. Of course the hair follicles are sensitive to all environmental factors and they respond either positively or negatively to them.

[singhisking]

First of all, huge Clint Eastwood fan! Saw 'The mule' few months back.

Continuing with our years old conversation, I think yes I do have some sort of env sensitivity which aggravates with stress, high sugar diet. One more thing to add, I spent last few years observing when my dandruff becomes worse and when it subsides.
What I found is that my dandruff almost disappears in spring and autumn(when weather is not extreme) coupled with controlled stress(relaxed mindset).
Loosing on any of these 2 factors is redemption time for dandruff issues.
I work in IT sector which is very fast paced and there is always a sense of insecurity regards to job.

Don't know how am I going to manage it.

Got recently married and had a child almost a month back.
I know the mantra "IT'S NOT THE LOAD THAT BREAKS YOU, IT'S THE WAY YOU CARRY IT", but dont know how to bring it sense to in reality.

[Tom Hagerty]

When I first started losing my hair around the sides of my head I had a lot of dandruff and some itching too. I guess I was experiencing some stress then but not too much. After I learned how to do the scalp exercise and practiced doing it for several months, my dandruff and itching disappeared. This disappearance act might have occurred because of the better blood flow into the skin of the scalp and its better elasticity.

Lots of dandruff and itching

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But I don't really know. It could have been just my time for a better scalp. Anyway, the dandruff and the itching are gone.

My diet has always been good. Very little sugar and a lot of vitamins and minerals from whole foods. I studied nutrition so I knew what the good foods were and I liked them. I wonder if there is some kind of correlation between dandruff and too many refined carbohydrates.

I know guys who work in IT. I play chess with them. They always seem under pressure. Is it related to the job or do people with a certain high-strung temperament just gravitate toward that line of work?

Your ideas about seasonal shifts and dandruff make sense. I wonder if there is a scientific way to check out those ideas.

[singhisking]

So its been 7 years since we started this conversation.
This time I waited for another full year to restrain myself from posting short term results.

This whole year I spent time controlling stress levels, anxiety issues that came with it, a little restriction on sugary diety.
And now I can confidently say that dandruff and hairfall are definitely under managable levels most of the time.
Dandruff does make a come back in between, but I have learnt to confidently keep it under control.

As you said years before lifestyle and diet are the keys, IT WORKED!!!