Scalps are like gardens: It takes a whole lot of care and minding to maintain the outcomes lush and wholesome. It’s a fragile ecosystem. And whereas wholesome crops—or strands, on this metaphor—are hardy, it is solely to a degree. Should you pull something by its roots—you danger damaging the plant and the soil.
The identical goes on your hair and your scalp. A wholesome scalp results in sturdy hair, however repeated stress and pulling can harm the entire system. Should you’re a devotee of braids, tight ponytails, or weaves—it’s possible you’ll be noticing hair loss or alopecia. Alopecia is available in many kinds, however traction alopecia (Key phrase: traction—referring to pulling) is restricted to the stress of tight hairstyles. “Extended mechanical stress on hair can result in everlasting harm and lack of follicles,” says board-certified dermatologist Andy Goren, MD. Sadly, says Goren, as soon as traction alopecia is noticeable, it’s irreversible.
Fortunately, that doesn’t imply you’re doomed to hair loss. Should you catch traction alopecia early sufficient, you’ll be able to forestall additional harm. And in the event you’re already experiencing it, you continue to have a number of choices. To crack the case, we requested Goren, board-certified dermatologist Sheila Farhang, MD, and trichologist Zoe Passam the best way to determine traction alopecia and cease it in its tracks (no pun supposed).
Meet the Specialists
- Zoe Passam is a advisor trichologist at Philip Kingsley.
- Sheila Farhang, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist primarily based in Tucson and Beverly Hills.
- Andy Goren, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist and chief medical officer of Daniel Alain.
What Is Traction Alopecia?
“Traction alopecia is a kind of hair loss which happens on account of repeated, extended pulling forces on the hair,” says Passam. “This locations undue trauma on hair follicles, which, if sustained over an extended time period, can result in everlasting hair loss.”
Whenever you pull tightly in your hair, the follicles change into infected, broken, and ultimately scarred. “Within the early phases, hair can develop again. Nonetheless, power kinds over a number of years can change into scarring, and that’s everlasting,” says Farhang.
What Are the Causes of Traction Alopecia?
Traction alopecia doesn’t occur in a single day. It’s form of like coastal erosion—it occurs regularly. Should you’re repeatedly placing your hair into tight types over a number of years, it’s possible you’ll discover your hair thinning and presumably not rising again.
Passam says she usually sees it in Black ladies who come to her clinic since tight hairstyles (like braids and cornrows) are sometimes launched in early childhood. Sew-in hairstyles, tight ponytails or buns, and wigs may also trigger stress on hair follicles. “Others embrace those that pull their again in a bun day by day—particularly whereas the hair is moist,” says Farhang.
What Are the Signs of Traction Alopecia?
Hair loss is the primary—and doubtlessly the obvious—symptom of traction alopecia. “It’s most frequently seen on the hair margins, the place pulling forces are typically best, but it surely might happen wherever relying on the coiffure,” says Passam. “Usually, recession of the frontal hairline will happen, and typically the hair loss could also be preceded by soreness, itching, and bumps on the scalp,” she provides. Take the soreness and irritation signs as warning indicators that traction alopecia might happen and soar proper into prevention.
It’s additionally normally pretty simple to inform traction alopecia other than one other type of hair loss. Should you’re dropping hair however don’t have a historical past of sporting it in tight types, you most likely don’t have traction alopecia. You’ll need to see a dermatologist as quickly as potential about different causes.
The best way to Keep away from Traction Alopecia
To keep away from traction alopecia, you’ll need to rethink any tight types (or at the least give your scalp a break from these types every so often). “Traction alopecia is most steadily induced by hair styling, so avoiding hairstyles that harm hair follicles equivalent to ponytails, tight braiding, flat ironing, and hair extensions scale back the chance of growing traction alopecia,” says Goren.
“Avoiding chemical therapies, equivalent to shade and relaxers, will assist to make the hair much less prone to breakage, and due to this fact keep as a lot hair size as potential,” Passam provides. “Sustaining a superb weight-reduction plan, with loads of protein, can even assist to help wholesome hair development.”
How Traction Alopecia Can Be Handled
Prevention is the secret for traction alopecia. “It normally develops over a number of years and is commonly irreversible until handled at an early stage,” says Goren. That’s why you need to deal with your scalp as kindly as potential and cease the tight styling when you’re forward. In case your scalp is sore, now is an efficient time to present your hair a break.
Should you’ve already misplaced hair, recovering will probably be a bit more durable, if not inconceivable. “The potential for the hair recovering from traction alopecia relies upon very a lot on the time because the onset of the hair loss,” says Passam. “If that is more moderen, it’s potential that some restoration will probably be potential, but when it’s extra long-standing, it’s possible that scarring can have occurred within the follicle, which can, due to this fact, be unable to regrow a hair.”
These within the later phases of traction alopecia can see a dermatologist about good old school topical minoxidil, which is the perfect wager (though not assured) at regrowing a number of the hair.
The Remaining Takeaway
The excellent news? Sporting your hair in a decent ponytail often won’t trigger everlasting hair loss, and also you’ll possible discover some soreness and irritation earlier than you expertise irreversible harm. Should you keep away from these types or at the least give your scalp an extended, wholesome break, you might be able to forestall traction alopecia and presumably even regrow a few of your misplaced hair. “You need to see your dermatologist before later,” says Farhang.
The unhealthy information is that in the event you’re already experiencing hair loss from tight types, you’ve possible scarred the follicle, that means it might not develop again. At that time, the best choice is to see a dermatologist about prescription topicals or steroids.