Her relief gave him courage. At least she didn't say something like, 'Sorry, your case is too severe, I can't help you at all'. He nodded his acknowledgement of her permission to use her name as well and made his way to the seat she indicated.
The question amused him and he gave a bitter sort of chuckle. Apparently in her line of work it was politic to be oblivious to the obvious.
"Over-active sebacious glands," he answered with scientific precision. "Everything I've tried just seems to make the problem worse at my scalp while the ends get as brittle and dry as old straw. I had a haircut a little while ago which helped get rid of some of the worst of the damage, but it's still . . . a mess." Might as well call it what it was.