DO CERTAIN HAIR STYLES CAUSE HAIR LOSS?

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There are a lot of causes of hair loss. Typically, common causes of this unwanted condition are hereditary hair loss, stress induced hair loss, certain medical conditions and treatments, poor diet and habitual hair pulling.Traction alopecia is a type of hair loss that is particularly common in women because of constantly wearing certain hair styles that put too much tension or to too much pulling to hair. Most of the time, this hair pulling is worn for long periods of time and this can damage the hair follicles and scalp.

In women and children, pigtails and ponytails are probably the most favorites of styles, but extra care should be taken that the style does not pull hair tightly to prevent any scalp damage. Consistently wearing the same hair style can cause hair loss along the sides, where hair is being pulled the most.

Cornrows are traditional hair styles worn by African-Americans. Typically, the hair is braided close to the scalp and usually left alone for a month or a few weeks. The advantage of this style is that it’s very low maintenance. The problem with this style is it is difficult to clean properly and can cause dandruff and an itchy scalp. Most of the time hair loss is not noticed because hair is entangled and no obvious hair fall is seen.

Women nowadays love to wearing weaves. This involves attaching premade natural or synthetic hair strands to your original hair. This makes hair look longer and thicker. Unfortunately, this cause increased hair fall because the hair strands carry additional weight from the extensions.

Men on the other hand prefer to wear dreadlocks. This is done simply by entangling hair together as it grows. When hair is long enough it become matted and very twisted and this can cause stress to the scalp. Same as cornrows, this type of hair style is prone to dandruff that can cause severe itching. This style is very difficult to clean too, that can lead to infections.

All the styles above have the potential to pull the hair roots and damage the scalp. In worst cases, this can lead to an infection and cause permanent bald areas due to scar formation once the wounds heal. Prevention is always best and avoid these types of hair styles. But if this your liking, then wear these styles for a short period of time or don’t pull to tight.