Traction alopecia was once the burden of women, primarily African-American women. Tight and hard hairstyles have been in fashion for decades due to their stylish look. Alternatively, for women with Afro-textured hair, leaving their hair in a natural state can be inconvenient, and the caliber of hair follicles requires greater force to hold them in place. Therefore, tight ponytails wrapped at the crown or nape, braids, cornrows, weaves, and even the weight of extensions can damage hair and pull follicles out of their roots. Since pinned hair pulls more on the hairline and edges, these are the areas that show early signs of baldness.

Traction alopecia in women

Hard and tight hairstyles have become fashionable in recent years for people of all hair textures, including straight and wavy. The high bun or even the favorite twist of working women can put enough pressure on the scalp to cause permanent hair loss. Even in the past, the hairpins used by nurses to hold caps securely on the head caused stress hair loss. Due to changing trends in male grooming in major and minor cultures, stress hair loss is no longer a problem exclusively for women.

The trend of dreadlocks and hair loss due to tension

In the heyday of the ’90s and early 2000s, dreadlocks became the favorite hairstyle of white countercultures. Dreadlocks are rope-like strands of hair formed through a planned braiding or matting process. Historically, this hairstyle has been in use since Ancient Egypt, later becoming a source of ethnic identity among various African groups such as the Maasai warriors or the Turkana people. The caliber of Afro-textured hair lends itself to building locks that can be styled and maintained. The dreadlocks popular among people with Caucasian-textured hair are generally formed through the “twist and rip” method that puts pressure on the scalp, as well as through “free forming.” namely negligence. This results in hair that tangles and tangles in uneven strands. The harmful methods employed to encourage Caucasian-textured hair to dread are inherently unhealthy and are completely removed from the methods employed for Afro-textured hair, making dreadlocks on white people both unhygienic and culturally inappropriate. The pressure exerted on the scalp during the “twist and rip” process can rip hair follicles from their roots, causing permanent baldness.

The Man Bun style of the Millennial generation

In recent years, the latest trend that has dominated men’s grooming clothing is the men’s bow tie. Although it is an improvement in terms of cultural appropriation, the hairstyle can still be damaging to the scalp. The intensity with which hair is pulled into a high bun or half bun can still rip the follicle along the hairline and edges, causing permanent hair loss. In fact, since the man bun reached its peak in 2015, many young men have reported hair loss with the hallmarks of traction alopecia.

What men can do about traction alopecia

If caught in its earliest stages, traction alopecia can be treated by first discontinuing man bun practice and using Minoxidil (Rogaine). For any other progressive stage, the only curative treatment is a hair transplant. The most common methods used by hair restoration surgeons are follicular unit transplantation (FUT) and follicular unit extraction (FUE). FUT surgeries involve an excision at the back of the scalp to harvest follicles, leaving a visible scar if the hair is worn short. FUE surgeries are less invasive and use a piercing tool to extract follicular units without removing an entire strip of skin. Thanks to advances in FUE hair restoration, men have a greater number of grafts available to restore their hair. According to a 2012 report in the Dermatology Times, the FUE system called the UGraft combine has such benefits, with additional advantages in preventing common causes of follicular death. Also, with the advanced forms of FUE, there are more options on where the hair comes from. The use of finer hair would allow the use of finer hair at the nape or even body hair which can be used to create more natural looking temples. Because the hairs on the temples are the first to thin in male pattern baldness, advanced FUE would be the hair transplant procedure of choice.