The slicked-back bun hairstyle exploded in popularity this year, with countless celebs like Bella Hadid and Hailey Bieber wearing the trend.
It’s tight and sleek, with not a hair out of place – but while it may look amazing, it could be wreaking havoc on your scalp.
In fact, experts say this particular style can cause hair loss, which is known as traction alopecia.
This is where hairstyles that are too tight cause tension on the hair follicle itself – and this tension can result in the hair being pulled out and loss of hair on your scalp.
Over time, it may eventually exhaust the growth potential of the follicle itself, to the point the hair will not regrow.
Dr Daniel Ness, a senior hair transplant surgeon at Harley Street Hair Clinic, said: ‘Many hairstyles can cause hair loss, however, the main ones are tight ponytails and buns, tight braids, and extensions.
‘While wearing your hair in a tight bun or ponytail every once in a while won’t cause any long-term damage, repeatedly wearing it in this style can damage your hair follicles over time.
‘Tight buns and ponytails can often pull on the hair directly from the root, causing the follicle to become damaged, and then scarred. This scarring will eventually halt hair production.’
The trending slicked-back bun is the perfect example of this hairstyle, which is created by tightly brushing your hair back and securing it so it pulls on your temples.
Dr Daniel adds: ‘This puts hair follicles under a lot of tension.
‘If you often wear your hair tightly pulled back like this, the first sign of hair loss may be broken hairs around your hairline or thinning hair around the temples, known as frontal or parietal hair loss.
‘One of the primary causes of traction alopecia is the maintenance and additional weight of extensions in your hair.
‘If you’re using hair extension systems, we recommend that you allow time for your hair to be extension-free to enable the hair to recover and be maintained.’
We don’t know about you but we want to nurture our locks going into 2023, not damage them. As a result, Dr Daniel shares a few things to keep in mind going forward…
Minimise time spent wearing your hair up
While Dr Daniel said it would probably be best to ditch the hairstyle altogether, it’s popular for a reason. So how can you wear the style and limit the damage?
Dr Daniel says : ‘If you wish to continue styling it that way, then you should consider ways to minimise the amount of time your hair follicles are under tension.
‘This can be achieved by trying a looser look sometimes, or wearing your hair down when at home.
‘You should also avoid elasticated hair grips as these can increase the tension on the roots.
‘Chemicals and heat can also cause traction alopecia, so be sure to avoid these where possible.’
Catch traction alopecia in its early stage
If you’ve been wearing these hairstyles constantly and have already started to notice the thinning of your hair or patches of hair loss, then it’s not ideal.
‘Traction alopecia can be reversed, but only if it’s caught early enough, and the hair follicles have not been permanently damaged,’ adds Dr Daniel.
‘If traction alopecia is left untreated and continues, this may lead to permanent hair loss which would require hair transplantation to remedy.’
But there are symptoms that are indicative of traction alopecia early on, so you can repair the damage.
‘These symptoms include redness, soreness, or stinging of the scalp, bumps or pus-filled blisters on the scalp, itching and scaling, or folliculitis which is inflammation of the hair follicles,’ Dr Daniel continues.
‘If you notice any of these symptoms, consider changing or altering your hairstyle to prevent further traction alopecia occurring, as well as any irreversible damage to your hair follicles.
‘If you are worried about traction alopecia and any of these symptoms, you should consult an expert hair clinic who will be able to advise you on treatment options.’
Treatment options are fairly limited
Now for the answer you’ve really been hoping for. Is it possible to treat traction alopecia? Well, sort of.
As we said before, the best course of action is to avoid tight hairstyles completely to give your hair time to recover. Wear your hair down or, if you have to put it up, do so loosely.
Dr Daniel says: ‘If you experience any pain when doing your hair, then it’s likely it may damage your scalp as a result.
‘If avoiding the style doesn’t work and you’re still experiencing issues, you should see a hair or dermatology expert for a consultation on treatment options.
‘In milder cases, we may advise you to try antifungal shampoos, or vitamin B complex supplements, such as biotin, to strengthen the hair.’
If the above isn’t working then there are prescriptions you can get to try and help the process along.
‘In moderate cases and depending on the symptoms, you may be prescribed topical minoxidil for hair growth, oral antibiotics to prevent infection in any open sores, and topical steroids or injected corticosteroids to bring down swelling,’ adds Dr Daniel.
‘If the traction alopecia has progressed to a more severe level, hair transplantation may be required to reshape the hairline and restore it to its original shape.
‘Once treated for traction alopecia, hair often grows back after six months. In more severe cases, it can take around a year for the hair to grow back.’
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