Traction Alopecia

Traction Alopecia is a type of hair loss, which occurs when the hair follicles get damaged due to extensive tightening of the hair for prolonged periods.



This type of hair loss is more common among African Americans, Indian Sikhs and Japanese women who tie their hair too tightly. Also women who tie their hair into a very tight knot or ponytail experience this type of hair loss on the front or the sides of the scalp. This increases the tension in the hair giving rise to breakage of hair. Unlike other types of alopecia, Traction alopecia is more common among children, teenagers and young adults due to different styles they make with their hair. People who attach hairpieces on their hair and don’t remove them for long periods of time also suffer through this type of hair loss.

Besides tight hair styles one more cause that leads to Traction Alopecia is over processing of the hair with certain thermal or chemical treatments such as dyes, bleaches, strengtheners etc. The chemicals present in these products are harsh for the hair making them fragile and weak. This damage is irreversible if it has greatly affected the health of the hair. Also the heat from heating instruments such as blow dryers contributes towards traction alopecia. The heat from these devices is harmful for hair follicles causing them to break out.

Traction alopecia can only be stopped if it is diagnosed at an early stage. This can be done by avoiding tight hairstyles that put extra pressure on the roots of the hair causing them to break out. People can make the same hairstyles by avoiding extra tightening or they can switch to loose and gentle hairstyles that are not harsh for their hair follicles. People who have identified that they are suffering through traction alopecia should take immediate action and consult a doctor as soon as possible who usually warns them against hair styles such as braids, cornrows, weaving and chemical processing. These are simple treatments, which only require a little effort on your side and do not include any side effects as well. Many traction Alopecia patients expect quick results once they have stopped making tight hair styles. This is completely wrong because often it takes several months for the hair to recover from this severe hair disorder. Also there are many cases in which some of the areas on the scalp never fully recover from traction alopecia.

It is advised to treat Traction Alopecia as soon as possible because if ignored for a long period of time it sometimes leads to permanent hair loss. Also there is no suitable treatment available to treat advanced stages of traction Alopecia. The hair loss caused by Traction Alopecia usually occurs on the frontal and temporal regions but it can vary depending on the hairstyles.

A treatment suggested for advanced stages of Traction Alopecia is hair transplant. But this is a very expensive treatment and if you will damage the hair grown as a result of hair transplant in the same way you damaged your real hair then the same situation will arise. People say one useful and cost effective method of treating Traction Alopecia is with the help of conditioners and cleansers. To give your scalp and hair a more refreshing look it is a good idea to condition the hair follicles and clean the scalp regularly to overcome damaged hair. But this is not always very effective. Some hair follicles become damage so severely that they remain damaged for the entire life no matter how much you try to treat them.

Besides damaging your hair by putting extra pressure on them with the help of tight hairstyles, there is a psychiatric disease called trichotillomania, in which people try to damage their hair of the scalp, eyebrows, moustache or beard by pulling them out un-intentionally whenever under psychological stress. This type of hair loss is not at all severe and it does not cause any harm to the scalp as well because the broken hair starts growing immediately. This type of hair loss does not occur on any specific region and the hair loss affected area keeps shifting from one region to the other. The best way to treat this problem is by explaining the patients that damaging hair like this can make the roots weaken and that the hairs on the scalp are a delicate thing, which requires extra care and caution. To treat trichotillomania often help of a Psychiatric is taken which will try to eliminate the cause of the psychological stress.

The best way to treat hair loss related to traction alopecia and Trichotillomania is with the help of a strict hair care regimen and by showing patience. Your hair will definitely grow back once causes and factors contributing to these types of hair loss will be overcome.