Scalp Ageing Is A Thing, And Here’s What You Can Do About It

Did you know your scalp ages six times faster than the skin on your face? We know to look for lines, wrinkles, sagging skin, discolouration and dryness as signs of ageing for the skin on our faces. But few of us know what constitutes scalp ageing and the effect it has on the health and quality of your hair. That’s why we’re breaking down how your scalp ages, and what you can do to minimise the effects on your hair.

How does the scalp age?
Just as with the rest of your skin, the production of collagen and elastin in the scalp slows as we age. This means the scalp gets thinner and has less elasticity. Over time, the scalp is unable to hold on to moisture like it used to and gets dehydrated faster. It also becomes dry because oil glands produce less sebum. The production of melanin, the substance that gives hair its colour, slows, as does the growth cycle of the hair follicle. All this happens intrinsically and is brought on by chronological ageing, which can be determined by genetics. However, environmental and lifestyle factors like pollution, sun damage, smoking, stress, frequent chemical and heat treatments all contribute to and exacerbate scalp ageing.

What does scalp ageing look like?
Scalp ageing takes place under the surface, but manifests above as changes to the colour, texture, thickness, shine, smoothness and softness of your hair.

One of the first signs of an ageing scalp is white hair. As production of melanin declines, hair follicles become transparent and look grey or white. Although you may see your first greys around your 30s, premature greying can be triggered by extreme stress or traumatic events.

Need an extra round of the scrunchie when it comes to tying your hair in a ponytail? Thinning strands, where each strand is thinner in diameter due to shrinking hair follicles is another sign that your scalp is ageing.

Dry and brittle hair also points to scalp ageing as there is a lack of sebum to coat it and give it that luscious, glossy look. Without moisture and sebum to keep it conditioned, hair is more susceptible to breakage. This is made worse by excessive exposure to UV rays, pollution, heat and chemical styling.

While it’s normal to lose about 100 strands of hair daily, a slower hair growth cycle means it takes longer for new hair to grow in the place of fallen strands and hair loss becomes more apparent.

While all this sounds dire and quite depressing, all it not lost with age. The right products, treatments and lifestyle changes can help slow scalp ageing and manage its effects on the hair.

Tweak Your Diet And Lifestyle
Feed your scalp from within with a diet rich in proteins, antioxidants, zinc and magnesium that help strengthen the scalp and reduce oxidative stress. Managing stress will also help slow down scalp ageing, as will cutting down on chemical and heat styling. Keeping the scalp (and hair) protected with a hat or cap that is made of fabric that has ultraviolet protection whenever outdoors will help lessen the damage from the sun’s rays and prevent the scalp from getting sunburnt and the hair dry and brittle.

Add A Hair Tonic To Your Haircare Routine
You wouldn’t think twice about using a serum to slow down the effects of ageing on your face, so why not use one for your scalp? The Hair Regeneration Tonic with PhytoKines (Hair Loss 1 to 3) has an anti-inflammatory effect on the scalp, promotes a healthy hair cycle and prevents hair loss thanks to botanical stem cell extracts and Allosterys PE. Massaged into a clean scalp with the fingertips it helps anchor dermal papilla, protects hair from free radical damage while boosting hair density so it looks fuller and thicker. It also helps to inhibit 5-alpha reductase and is anti-DHT making it suitable for early thinning of hair and hair loss prevention.

Get A Scalp Conditioning Treatment
Condition the scalp and boost hair growth with the Micro-Pulse Hybrid Scalp Treatment. The hour-long session combines electroporation and needleless derma stamping to help improve absorption of scalp nourishing nutrients into the upper and deeper layers of the scalp. During the session, a meso-nanochip filled with multiple microcrystals is used to “stamp” the scalp to create micro aqua channels in the skin that help deliver nourishing ingredients deep into the scalp. These microcrystals are ultra-fine, measuring only 0.3mm to 0.8mm in depth and are shaped like an “inverted volcano” making this treatment great for anyone who is afraid of needles. At the same time, electroporation uses low electrical pulses to create lipid bilayer aqueous channels to also deliver nutrients deep into the scalp. The double delivery system helps to boost scalp health which in turn helps with hair growth and reduces hair loss.

Schedule a consultation with our specialists today.