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BACKGROUND: Sensory and structural characteristics of hair can be modified by chemical and physical treatments, as dyeing, brushing, but also by external factors, as sunlight radiation. However, quantitative data relating damage to the degree of hair curliness and treatments are missing. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of chemical and physical treatments on different types of hair. METHODS: In this study, we compared the effects of bleaching/dyeing, thioglycolate-based straightening, brushing/flat iron and UVA/Vis radiation on different types of hair: Caucasian (straight dark brown, straight blond, wavy dark brown and curly dark brown) and Afro-ethnic hair. RESULTS: Bleaching/dyeing and UVA/Vis radiation increased combing work of Afro-ethnic hair tresses, indicating damage to the cuticle scales, which was confirmed by SEM images. Further, bleaching/dyeing caused wear on cuticles with high protein loss and reduction on the tryptophan content, independently of the hair curliness, which characterizes those procedures as very aggressive to hair structure. Straightening using ammonium thioglycolate, due to the oxidative treatment evolved, caused significant colour fading in brown/black tresses, while UVA/Vis radiation affected the colour of only blond hair tresses since they are poor in eumelanin, the photoprotective and photostable melanin molecule. CONCLUSION: The combination of analytical and image techniques contributed to understanding how the hair shape is related to the type of damage caused by several chemical and physical treatments. These findings contribute to the development of safety cosmetics that insure the beauty of curly hair, both Caucasian and Afro-ethnic hair.

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Morphological changes in hair surface are undesirable, since they cause shine loss, roughness increase and split ends. These effects occur more frequently in the cuticle, which is the outermost layer of the hair strand, and thus the most exposed to the environmental damages. Sunlight irradiation contributes significantly to these morphological alterations, which motivates the investigation of this effect on hair degradation. In this work, the influence of irradiation and hand-washing steps on the morphology of pigmented and non-pigmented hair cuticle was investigated using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). To simulate daily conditions, where hair is hand-washed and light exposed, samples of dark brown and gray hair underwent three different conditions: 1) irradiation with a mercury lamp for up to 600h; 2) irradiation with the mercury lamp combined with washes with a sodium lauryl sulphate solution; and 3) only washing. A new preparation procedure was applied for TEM samples to minimize natural variations among different hair strands: a single hair strand was cut into two neighbouring halves and only one of them underwent irradiation and washing. The non-exposed half was used as a control, so that the real effects caused by the controlled irradiation and washing procedures could be highlighted in samples that had very similar morphologies initially. More than 25images/sample were analysed using FESEM (total of 300 images) and ca. 150images/sample were obtained with TEM (total of 900 images). The results presented herein show that the endocuticle and the cell membrane complex (CMC) are the cuticle structures more degraded by irradiation. Photodegradation alone results in fracturing, cavities (Ø≈20-200nm) and cuticle cell lifting, while the washing steps were able to remove cuticle cells (≈1-2 cells removed after 60 washes). Finally, the combined action of irradiation and washing caused the most severe damages, resulting in a more pronounced cuticle extraction (≈1-4 cuticle cells after a 600h irradiation and a 60 times washing). This irradiation dose corresponds to ca. 2months of sunlight exposure (considering 5h/day) in Campinas-SP, Brazil, during the day period of maximum irradiation intensity. The combined action of irradiation and washing can be explained by the creation of fragile photodegraded spots in the endocuticle and in the CMC, where the mechanical stress associated to the washing steps are more prone to induce rupture.

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The surface of the hair is the region most exposed to solar radiation and to the environment in general. Many of the well-known damaging effects of sun exposure on hair must start or even be restricted to the most external cuticle layers. As such, this work investigates morphological, ultrastructural and chemical changes in the outermost cuticle layer of dark brown hair, using atomic force microscopy (AFM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). The results showed that after 230 h of irradiation with a mercury lamp, small bumps with globular shape (heights lying in the 1-5 nm range) appeared on the cuticle surface and their size increased with increasing irradiation times. In addition, the enlargement of pre-existing holes was also observed (holes increase around 350% in depth) and the height of the steps formed between the edges of two cuticle scales increased around 65%, as a result of 500 h of irradiation. The damages in hair strands were accurately identified by analyzing exactly the same surface region before and after irradiation by AFM images. Finally, the results were discussed in terms of the chemical differences between the non-irradiated and the irradiated hair, for instance, the increased level of cystine oxidation as a consequence of photodegradation.

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Yellowing is an undesirable phenomenon that is common in people with white and grey hair. Because white hair has no melanin, the pigment responsible for hair colour, the effects of photodegradation are more visible in this type of hair. The origin of yellowing and its relation to photodegradation processes are not properly established, and many questions remain open in this field. In this work, the photodegradation of grey hair was investigated as a function of the wavelength of incident radiation, and its ultrastructure was determined, always comparing the results obtained for the white and black fibres present in grey hair with the results of white wool. The results presented herein indicate that the photobehaviour of grey hair irradiated with a mercury lamp or with solar radiation is dependent on the wavelength range of the incident radiation and on the initial shade of yellow in the sample. Two types of grey hair were used: (1) blended grey hair (more yellow) and (2) grey hair from a single-donor (less yellow). After exposure to a full-spectrum mercury lamp for 200 h, the blended white hair turned less yellow (the yellow-blue difference, Db(*) becomes negative, Db(*)=-6), whereas the white hair from the single-donor turned slightly yellower (Db(*)=2). In contrast, VIS+IR irradiation resulted in bleaching in both types of hair, whereas a thermal treatment (at 81 °C) caused yellowing of both types of hair, resulting in a Db(*)=3 for blended white hair and Db(*)=9 for single-donor hair. The identity of the yellow chromophores was investigated by UV-Vis spectroscopy. The results obtained with this technique were contradictory, however, and it was not possible to obtain a simple correlation between the sample shade of yellow and the absorption spectra. In addition, the results are discussed in terms of the morphology differences between the pigmented and non-pigmented parts of grey hair, the yellowing and bleaching effects of grey hair, and the occurrence of dark-follow reactions.

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Objetivo : Estudar a prevalência de zumbido, verificando se há associação entre a queixa desse sintoma e o teor de mercúrio e mensurar seu impacto na qualidade de vida. Métodos : Estudo seccional em toda a população do Lago do Puruzinho, localizada na margem esquerda do Rio Madeira, cidade de Humaitá, Estado do Amazonas, Brasil. Todos os residentes maiores de 18 anos, de ambos os gêneros, foram submetidos à anamnese, avaliação otorrinolaringológica e exame audiológico. Os indivíduos que apresentaram queixa de zumbido responderam à versão traduzida do questionário Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI). Também foram pesquisados os teores de mercúrio total no cabelo desses indivíduos. Resultados: Para análise dos resultados sobre a queixa de zumbido, os sujeitos foram divididos em dois grupos quanto à presença ou não de zumbido. O Grupo 1 foi composto por indivíduos que apresentaram queixa de zumbido e o Grupo 2, por indivíduos sem zumbido. Foi observado que 40% dos indivíduos apresentaram escores do THI compatíveis com handicap leve. A análise da associação da presença de zumbido com os teores de mercúrio total no cabelo mostrou que ambos os grupos apresentaram níveis elevados de mercúrio, porém não ocorreram diferenças entre os grupos. Conclusão : Um quarto dos ribeirinhos apresentou queixa de zumbido e exposição significativa ao mercúrio, mas não houve associação entre o zumbido e os níveis elevados de mercúrio. .

Purpose : To study the association between the prevalence of tinnitus and mercury exposure and measure the influence of tinnitus on the quality of life. Methods : We conducted a cross-sectional study of men and women aged above 18 years residing in the Lake Puruzinho region, which is located on the left bank of the Rio Madeira, Humaita city, Amazonas state, Brazil. All subjects underwent anamnesis, otorhinolaryngologic evaluation, and an audiology test. Individuals who experienced tinnitus completed the translated Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI). We also examined the levels of total mercury in the hair of these individuals. Results : To analyze the results regarding the prevalence of tinnitus, the subjects were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of tinnitus. Group 1 was composed of subjects with tinnitus and Group 2 was composed of subjects without tinnitus. Consequently, 40% of individuals had scores consistent with mild handicap according to the THI. The analysis of the association between tinnitus and levels of total mercury in hair samples showed that both groups had high levels of mercury. However, this finding was not significantly different between groups. Conclusion : Herein, 25% of the subjects complained of tinnitus and significant exposure to mercury; however, there was no association between the prevalence of tinnitus and high levels of mercury. .

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OBJECTIVES: In this research, an experimental and theoretical study was conducted to design a photodegradation mechanism of the amino acid tryptophan (Trp) in hair fibres. METHODS: For the experimental research, Caucasian hair fibres were exposed to several different solar radiation simulation periods. Then, Trp and its photoproducts (N-formylkynurenine and kynurenine) were assayed by excitation and emission spectroscopic analysis. RESULTS: For the theoretical study, reactions involved in the photodegradation of Trp were evaluated by high-level quantum mechanical calculations in a density functional theory (DFT) framework which indicate a probable Trp degradation mechanism with a minimum expended energy pathway. CONCLUSION: The biochemistry concerning these reactions is essentially important for a biological system where the degradation of Trp occurs.

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The solar radiation promotes color fading of natural and dyed hair by free radical generation, which oxidize the pigments, and it has been proposed the incorporation of antioxidants in order to reduce the alterations of hair color. Due to its high content of polyphenols and tannins, which are potent antioxidants, the hydroalcoholic extract of Punica granatum L. (pomegranate) was used in this research. Hair care formulations containing pomegranate extract were applied to red dyed hair tresses, and these were exposed to UVA radiation. Non-ionic silicone emulsion presenting color protection properties were also used for comparison purpose between the results obtained with different treatments, including silicone in combination with the pomegranate extract. The pomegranate extract at 5.0% and 10.0%w/w was effective in preventing the hair color fading in 37.6% and 60.8%, respectively, but the association of hydroalcoholic extract and non-ionic silicone emulsion is not encouraged. Mechanical properties were not affected by UVA radiation, since significant differences in breaking strength were not observed. Considering the conditions which the tresses have been exposed, it was concluded that the pomegranate extract at 10.0% w/w in hair care formulations are effective in reducing color fading of red dyed hair.

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We have studied the spectroscopic properties of hair (white, blond, red, brown, and black) under illumination with visible light, giving special emphasis to the photoinduced generation of singlet oxygen ((1)O(2)). Irradiation of hair shafts (λ(ex)>400 nm) changed their properties by degrading the melanin. Formation of C3 hydroperoxides in the melanin indol groups was proven by (1)H NMR. After 532-nm excitation, all hair shafts presented the characteristic (1)O(2) emission (λ(em)=1270 nm), whose intensity varied inversely with the melanin content. (1)O(2) lifetime was also shown to vary with hair type, being five times shorter in black hair than in blond hair, indicating the role of melanin as a (1)O(2) suppressor. Lifetime ranged from tenths of a nanosecond to a few microseconds, which is much shorter than the lifetime expected for (1)O(2) in the solvents in which the hair shafts were suspended, indicating that (1)O(2) is generated and suppressed inside the hair structure. Both eumelanin and pheomelanin were shown to produce and to suppress (1)O(2), with similar efficiencies. The higher amount of (1)O(2) generated in blond hair and its longer lifetime is compatible with the stronger damage that light exposure causes in blond hair. We propose a model to explain the formation and suppression of (1)O(2) in hair by photosensitization of melanin with visible light and the deleterious effects that an excess of visible light may cause in hair and skin.

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IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD: Hirsutism is the excess of terminal hairs in females and can result in immense distress. Women often spend significant time and funds seeking permanent hair removal. Commercially available physical therapies have usually already been accessed before presenting to the clinician for treatment. AREAS COVERED IN THE REVIEW: We give a brief outline of physical therapies in the treatment of hirsutism with an emphasis on recently emerging hand-held laser hair removal devices for home use, which will become an increasingly important hair removal modality. The current evidence for topical ornithine decarboxylase inhibitor, oral antiandrogens, ovarian suppression and insulin sensitizers in the treatment of hirsutism is also reviewed. WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN: With advances in home laser hair removal systems the role of the clinician will increasingly become the use of pharmacotherapy in the treatment of resistant hirsutism. This article provides a review of the current literature for the use of pharmacotherapy. TAKE HOME MESSAGE: Despite the availability of a range of physical and pharmacotherapies for the treatment of hirsutism, permanent hair removal remains elusive.

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In general, human hair is claimed to turn yellower after sun exposure. This is particularly affirmed for white hair. However, quantitative data relating yellowness to hair type and to the radiation wavelength are missing. This work shows results of the effect of full or UVB-filtered radiation of a mercury vapor or a xenon-arc lamp on the yellowness of virgin white, dark-brown, blond and red hair. All hair types showed a substantial change in yellowness after irradiation, which is dependent on the hair type and radiation wavelength. Surprisingly, white hair turns less yellow after both full and UVB-filtered radiation exposure. This effect is more pronounced when UVB is filtered from the radiation system. The only radiation that shows a photo-yellowing effect on white hair is infrared. As the yellowness of white hair is commonly related to tryptophan degradation, fluorescence experiments with hair solutions were performed to identify the natural degradation of tryptophan which occurs in hair after light irradiation. Pigmented hairs were also studied, as well as hair treated with a bleaching solution. Although we observe a decrease in tryptophan content of hair after lamp radiation, a direct correlation with hair yellowness was not achieved. Results are discussed in terms of hair type, composition and melanin content.

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