Head and Shoulders latest scientific discoveries pave way for further advances in dandruff treatment
June 2011
Latest breakthrough research presented at the World Congress of
Dermatology 2011 by head & shoulders, the world’s leading
anti-dandruff brand, has paved the way for further advances in the
treatment of dandruff (and seborrheic dermatitis), a condition that
affects more than half of the world’s population.
New discovery: ZPT mechanism of action
Following their 2007 success in sequencing the genome of Malassezia
globosa, the fungus that causes dandruff, head & shoulders
scientists have used a combination of various cutting-edge
approaches to unveil how ZPT (zinc pyrithione), the most widely used
anti-dandruff ingredient, works on M. globosa to inhibit its growth.
They discovered that ZPT inhibits the growth of M. globosa by
interfering with the metal metabolism of the fungus (specifically
involving copper) which leads to a reduction of proteins crucial for
the fungal growth.
The role of the follicular infundibulum in effective anti-dandruff treatments
Recent research showed that in addition to occurring on the surface of the scalp skin, M. globosa can also reside in the uppermost part of the hair follicle (the follicular infundibulum). This recessed micro-environment is ideal for the survival of the fungus as it is well protected and has an abundance of sebum oils as food source. Fungal cells might even escape treatment in the infundibulum and can – from there - re-colonize the scalp after a wash and cause dandruff symptoms to re-occur rapidly.
Therefore an effective anti-dandruff treatment strategy has to deliver ZPT to the follicular infundibulum, in addition to the superficial scalp skin surface.
In their latest scientific study, the head & shoulders scientists pioneered new and tailored techniques to quantify and compare how efficiently anti-dandruff actives are deposited on the scalp surface and in the follicular infundibulum during the treatment with head & shoulders.
With these new techniques, the team showed – for the first time:
•that the head & shoulders formulation not only effectively targets the dandruff-causing M. globosa fungus that grows on the scalp surface, but also delivers the micronized ZPT active to the follicular infundibulum.
•that head & shoulders formula actually targets the infundibulum, delivering between 7 to 70 times more ZPT to the infundibulum than the proportionately expected amount. This is one of the factors contributing to the outstanding anti-dandruff benefits of the head & shoulders formulations.
head & shoulders first introduced ZPT as an anti-dandruff ingredient in 1961 and have since evolved the scalp care product formulations using an optimized and efficacious form of the active called micronized ZPT. Although it is known through numerous clinical studies that ZPT really works as a highly effective agent against M. globosa, very little was known about how the active actually inhibited the growth of the fungus cells causing dandruff and how it was distributed on the scalp surface and the follicular infundibulum – until now.
“head & shoulders scientists have achieved some of the biggest breakthroughs in scalp science in our over 50 years of research in this area, including: identifying the actual cause of dandruff - the fungus Malassezia globosa; sequencing the entire genome of this commensal yeast; and – now - uncovering how ZPT actually works on fungal cells at a molecular level. We will continue to work on latest relevant advancements in science and technology, and ensure that the products we develop enable consumers to enjoy fantastic hair benefits and a great daily-use experience, whilst receiving effective treatment for their scalp,” said Dr Rust.
Source
.gif)
