Your hair style may cause hair loss – Study

Jonathan Zovoe
Certain hair styles may cause hair loss a new research has suggested.

19 studies which were reviewed by a team of researchers from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore and published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, found a relationship between scalp-pulling hair styles and gradual hair loss (traction alopecia).

The research says it is common among African and African-American women. Their hairstyles cause damage to the hair follicle because of tension at the hair root.

It also determined that chemical straightening of hair increases the damage caused by these hairstyles. The hair begins to break because the shaft of the hair would have become weakened.

Extensions, especially those in which adhesive is applied directly to the scalp, can also damage hair, leading to hair loss.

The research also added that use of heat straighteners on the hair, such as blow drying and the use of flat irons, could also weaken hair, leading to thinning and balding.

A professor of dermatology at Hopkins, Dr. Crystal Aguh, in a university news release said some hair styles meant to boot our self confidence lead to hair loss and scalp damage.

Aguh said, “Hair is a cornerstone of self-esteem and identity for many people but ironically, some hair styles meant to improve our self-confidence actually lead to hair and scalp damage.”

The researchers advised that extensions should be removed after six to eight weeks and braided hairstyles should not last longer than two to three months.
However, Untreated hair was found to be better at sustaining damage done to it during styling.