Hello everyone,
As part of Alopecia Awareness Month here at Black Venus Beauty, we are raising awareness of the different forms of alopecia. We believe that more awareness should be raised so anyone suffering from alopecia does not feel ashamed and knows that help and various solutions are available. As we mentioned before, we are not professional experts, so we advise you to contact a GP or professional expert if you are experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned below.
In our previous blog post, we covered Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia (CCCA) which you can read here. In this post, we will continue with Traction Alopecia.
Traction Alopecia
It is a type of hair loss caused by constant pulling on some hairs more than others, leading to the development of bald patches.
How does it look like?Traction alopecia can occur anywhere on the scalp where there are mechanical forces pulling the hair. Often hair loss is seen at the front, sides, or back of the scalp.
Some people may experience itching, soreness, or increased flaking of the scalp.
For those people who have longstanding traction alopecia, you may notice a smoother and shinier scalp where the hairs have been completed destroyed.
What are the causes?
Wearing tight or high-tension hairstyles for a prolonged period of time may lead to traction alopecia.
Some of these hairstyles can include tight ponytails, buns, braids, weaves, or hair extensions. Chemical products such as relaxers can also play a part.
How is it diagnosed?
Diagnosis is based on your history and pattern of hair loss. As with most types of alopecia, a scalp biopsy may be required should they need further investigation for the diagnosis.
How is it treated?
Traction alopecia can be treated by stopping the use of tight hairstyles or chemical products.
Minoxidil solution may be used as a form of treatment on the affected areas to stimulate hair regrowth.
Another form of treatment includes potent steroid preparations (lotions, gels etc) as these can help improve any symptoms of itchiness or redness on the scalp.
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned above, we recommend contacting your GP straight away. Please note we are not professional experts so there may be additional symptoms which are not listed above.
Here at Black Venus Beauty we pride ourselves on providing the best quality products for curly and afro hair. We want to unlock the potential of your hair and provide products specific to the needs of your hair, including preventing types of alopecia.
If you are interested in learning more about alopecia check back our next post on Lichen Planopilaris.