What Is Traction Alopecia And How To Recover From It
It can be really scary when you start to notice thinning in parts of your head. Whether it be your edges, crown, your temples, or any other vulnerable part of your mane, thinning can be jarring and a pain to recover from, especially if you don’t know the cause. One likely cause is traction alopecia. We’re gonna tell you what it is, what causes it, and how to heal from it.
What Is Traction Alopecia
Traction alopecia is acute hair loss caused by excessive pulling and tension on your roots. It most often appears around your edges, but can become an issue anywhere you part, pull, or manipulate the hair regularly. Traction alopecia can appear in various levels of severity and can usually be reversed with a patient and gentle hand.
Identify The Cause
Traction alopecia is most often caused by excessively tight styling. That includes but is not limited to tight or heavy box braids/twists, tight buns and ponytails, etc. It can also be caused by excessive manipulation in specific areas, like if you part your hair on the side and brush/slick it down everyday. That can cause traction alopecia. Once you’ve identified what is causing your thinning, it would be wise to stop it all together.
Reduce All Tension On Your Roots
If you are experiencing traction alopecia, to begin treating it you should reduce all tension on your roots. No tight, heavy, or precise styling. You should just let your hair be. Be very gentle when washing or combing your hair. You don’t wanna put your scalp through any more stress.
Give Your Scalp Some TLC
As you’re recovering, you’ll want to give your scalp extra tender love and care. You can stimulate the hair follicles with regular massages, and you can ease any irritation by moisturizing your scalp with soothing products. Also make sure you let your scalp breathe.
Be Patient
The most important part of any road to recovery is patience. It can be frustrating to deal with the aftermath of traction alopecia. And depending on how bad the thinning is, it can take quite some time for the hair to grow back to a healthy state. If you are patient and focus on health rather than a speedy recovery, you should be well on your way to reversing your traction alopecia.
Have you ever dealt with traction alopecia? Tell us about it in the comments.
What can I use in my hair ad everyday moisturizer?
What about hormonal alopecia or inflammation of the scalp Alopecia-what help do you have for that ?
Hey , maybe about 4 years ago I was taking down my hair from a style with a tight ponytail. I noticed a larger bald spot in the back of my head near my ear. It had no hair left where the spot was , it also was tender and sore and had a small bump. I went to the doctor they told me it was nothing and that I couldn’t wear hairstyles that pulled my hair. Years laters my hair had fallen out extremely bad til the spot becoming forming on the other side of my head . My hair can not grow in these two spots. I had tried everything from shampoo to oils . The spot are extremely sore and tender and will not allow my hair to grow. Also sometimes they are very HOT AND HURTS . So I just gently rubs hair growing oil there and massage to help smooth my nerves. Please help . I been dealing with this problem for years. I just want my hair to grow back in these spots .
I had seborrheic dermatitis on my scalp in 2009. I was treated for that and haven’t had a problem with it since then. It damaged my edges so bad that I didn’t have edges. My edges are slowly growing back. I’ve used a lot of products that claimed it would restore my edges but it didn’t work for me. My edges didn’t start growing until stop using chemicals in my hair and started going natural. I am hoping to have my edges back to normal in the near future.
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