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The term alopecia is used to define hair loss. Traction alopecia is hair loss induced by constantly pulling on your hair, like tight hair bands during working out. You can form this condition if you often wear your hair in a tight ponytail, bun, or braids, especially if you use chemicals or heat on your hair.
Traction alopecia can be inverted if you stop stretching your hair back. But if you do not interfere soon enough, your hair loss may be permanent.ย Doctors in Greenland first identified this condition in the early 1900s. It was found that women who wore tight ponytails had highly receding hairlines.
Symptoms
It may show up as tiny bumps on your scalp that look like pimples in the early stages. As the condition advances, the main symptom appears that is missing and broken hair. The follicles along the front and sides of your scalp are most often impacted. Nevertheless, you may also see hair loss on additional areas of your scalp, depending on your hairstyle.
Traction alopecia can cause the following further symptoms:
- Redness of the scalp
- Bumps
- Soreness or stinging of your scalp
- Itching
- Scaling
- Folliculitis is the inflammation of the hair follicles
- Pus-filled blisters on your scalp
Wearing a tight ponytail for an extended time makes the hair follicles so damaged that they can not make new hair.
The symptoms of traction alopecia are separate from those of other forms of alopecia. In different types, hair loss transpires in patches all over the scalp, and in traction alopecia, just the hair pulling is impacted.
Causes
You form traction alopecia from always wearing your hair in a tight ponytail because pulling on it constantly loosens the hair in its follicle.
For instance, you might lose hair if you often:
- Wear your hair into a tight ponytail or bun
- Wear tight braids, cornrows, or dreadlocks
- Consistent use of hair extensions or weaves
- Always put your hair up in rollers overnight
Likewise, people with excessively long hair can also get traction alopecia because the weight of the hair pulls on their scalp. Furthermore, men could also have it in their beards if they twist it too tightly and too often.
Although it can influence people of any ethnicity, this condition is widespread in African-American women. It transpires more frequently among professions that usually put their hair up in a tight bun, such as ballerinas and gymnasts.
This condition can affect people of any age, but it is more likely to happen as you get older. It is because your hair becomes more damaged the longer you tightly pull on it.
Prevention
To prevent traction alopecia, you should wear your hair down. Even if you have to wear your hair into a ponytail or bun, keep it loose and low on your head.
Following are a few ways to prevent this condition:
- Change your hairstyle every couple of weeks. For instance, alternate wearing braids and wearing your hair down.
- When wearing a ponytail, do not use rubber or elastic bands to hold it in place, as they can pull out too much of your hair.
- Avoid chemically processing your hair, like dyes. The chemicals can deteriorate your hair, making it brittle.
- Wear extensions or weaves for only a short period and take a break between each use.
- Make the braids thick when braiding because thinner braids pull more tightly.
- Never use hair relaxers.
- Keep the heat setting low on your hairdryer, flat iron, or curler.
- Never sleep in rollers. You should wrap your hair instead.
- Choose a satin wig cap because it would not pull as hard on your scalp if you wore a wig.
Treatment
To treat traction alopecia, see a dermatologist as the doctor will examine your scalp. They might also take a sample of tissue called a biopsy to check other potential causes of hair loss.
The primary treatment for traction alopecia is changing your hairstyle. You should avoid wearing your hair in a tight style, specifically overnight. Moreover, if your hair is too long, cut it. Minimize the use of chemicals and heat, as they can damage your hair a lot.
Your doctor might prescribe the following treatments as per your condition:
- Antibiotics for preventing infection in any open sores
- Topical steroids for bringing down swelling on your scalp
- Antifungal shampoos
- Minoxidil to help regrow hair
- Biotin supplements for strengthening your hair
However, if you have lost a lot of hair and can not grow back naturally, a hair replacement technique may prove to be effective.
Traction alopecia is easily reversible with the right treatment. For instance, if you stop wearing a tight hairstyle that generates it, your hair will grow back normally. But if you continue styling your hair in the same manner, the hair loss will be permanent. It is best to keep an expert with you in your journey for better guidance. Book an appointment with the best Dermatologist in Karachi through Marham for more information.
