The Importance of Sebum in Psoriasis

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The oils of your skin provide a lot of immune boundary so that things don't get into the hair root or the region around it and infect our skin. Sebum, while the name is sort of unattractive, to be honest, is actually performing some essential roles both for waterproofing and for our immune system function. We're going to return to sebum later, because it turns out sebum is also very important as it relates to psoriasis and as it relating to some of the fungal components that can cause hair loss.

In this episode, I explain the biology of hair, hair growth, why hair growth slows and what causes hair to stop growing and/or “fall out.” I discuss the essential role of hair stem cells and other supporting biological factors for healthy hair growth. Then I describe various approaches (mechanical and chemical) to slow hair loss by increasing blood flow to hair stem cells, including minoxidil, tadalafil, PRP, microneedling, Botox and ketoconazole treatments. I also discuss how age-related hormone changes cause hair loss and explain the effectiveness of treatments such as caffeine, saw palmetto, growth hormone, finasteride and dutasteride. For all hair growth options, I describe potential side effects, how soon to expect results and the amount of hair regrowth to expect and I highlight effective combination treatments for hair regrowth even in hair “dead” (bald) zones. For many listeners, thinning, brittle hair, or pattern baldness are a source of anxiety and stress. This episode explains the mechanisms underlying hair regrowth tools and the science behind them so that you can evaluate potential treatments and associated side-effect profiles and select the best one(s) for you.

For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com.