Hair is not only your crowning glory but also your body’s barometer indicating good health or the lack of it. Many a times hair problems are the first signs that something is going wrong with you internally and hence the significance of a regular hair check like a body check up assumes even greater significance in today’s world. Here are some of the latest findings based on ongoing hair research by trichologists, in association with departments, all over the world:

Research 1: Vertex balding and cardiac arrest

Research by: Lawrence K Altman

In a study of men under 55, a bald patch in that position was found to be correlated with a slight but definite increase in the risk of heart attack. The more extensive the baldness on top, called vertex baldness, the higher the risk. For men with mild or moderate vertex baldness, the risk was about 40% greater than that for men with a full set of hair, rising to 340% for those with severe vertex baldness.

The risk at this stage is merely a statistical association and does not mean that baldness causes heart attacks. It would be prudent for men with vertex baldness to follow standard recommendations to control other risk factors for heart disease like diet, weight, exercise, smoking and high blood pressure. Baldness affects about 1/3 of men under the age of 55.

The risk of developing heart disease for men with severe vertex baldness was slightly lower than the risks for smoking and untreated high blood pressure

Conclusion: People who are balding on the top are more susceptible to cardiac illness, but the risk at this stage is merely a statistical association and does not mean that baldness causes heart attacks.

Research 2: Smoking and hair

Before considering the question of whether smoking and hair loss are connected, it is important to get a little understanding of what goes on in the hair follicles, the tiny little factories responsible for hair growth.

Smoking can cause dull, lank and smelly hair. Giving up smoking can make your hair appear shiny and healthy. Smoking doesn’t only affect the look and smell of your hair, it can also cause it to break off. Smoking stops enough oxygen and nutrients flowing through your body, which means your hair doesn’t get the right amount of the essential nourishment it needs to stay healthy.

Effect of smoking on blood supply and the circulatory system

Here is a short list

• Nicotine causes an increase in adrenaline, which in turn increases blood pressure and suddenly makes the heart beat faster
• Nicotine causes blood vessels to constrict which in turn makes it harder for the heart to pump blood through the arteries, which in turn impacts the blood circulatory system.
• Smoking produces carbon monoxide, which inhibits the blood's capacity to carry oxygen.
• Mice exposed to cigarette smoke for 3 months develop hair loss and grey hairs, whereas mice that are also given the chemoprotective agent N-aceytlcysteine in their drinking water do not. A study involving 268 men over 30 found that the men who smoked were more likely to suffer from premature aging and grey hair

Conclusion: Smoking is not only injurious to health but also to hair

Research 3: Hot air: An effective non-chemical treatment for head lice

Research by: Department of Biology, University of Utah, USA

Head lice are a major irritant to children and their parents around the world. Each year millions of children are infested with head lice. In this study, the effectiveness of several methods that use hot air to kill head lice and their eggs was examined. Six different methods on a total of 169 infested individuals were tested. Each method delivers hot air to the scalp in a different way.

The most successful method, which used a custom built machine called the Louse Buster, resulted in 100% mortality of eggs and 80% mortality of hatched lice. This machine was effective in killing lice and their eggs when operated at a comfortable temperature, slightly cooler than a standard blow dryer.

Conclusion: One 30-minute application of hot air has the potential to eradicate head lice infestations i.e. both eggs and lice.

Pic: Thiago Martins