Traction Alopecia

Alopecia is one of the most common hair loss disorders known to this world. With that in mind it is important to note that alopecia takes on many forms, some of which are very rare while others are very common. This is the case with traction alopecia. With the new hair styles that are abound in the world, traction alopecia is becoming more and more common, especially among the younger generation. That is very distressing as people who are still in the early teens are being stricken with hair loss and the out come of the treatments is not good in this day and age.

Traction alopecia is hair loss due to constant pulling and tight bindings on hair like thinning hair. This is common for people who wear braids and corn rows over an extended period of time. As the hair is broken by the pulling it eventually stops growing back, making a spot of baldness appear. It is also very common for this kind of hair loss to occur in people who are using rubber based ponytail holders on a regular basis. The rubber will connect with the hair and cause it to break off as it is being removed. When that happens the hair will cease to grow after being broken so many times.

The real problem with traction alopecia is the fact that it does not respond well to treatment, such as Rogaine. Once the disease has set in it is very important for the person to seek the attention of a doctor. With the proper diagnosis the disease can be reversed if it is caught in time. The problem with that is the fact that the hair loss can be slow in progressing, as it is part of the hair being broken, one at a time. This means that the person who is being affected may not notice the balding area right away but in time they will. If the person is seeing excessive hair loss when the braids are being taken out then it is best to seek the advice of a doctor to see if you are a victim of traction alopecia.

Again, traction alopecia does not respond well to treatment options, such as drugs and so on. This is because the disease is not based on genetics or a immune center problem but all because of the abuse that is done to the hair. The only real treatment if the disease has progressed past the options of simply stopping the pulling, is to have a hair transplant.

A hair transplant is simply. Healthy hairs are removed from other parts and planted into the section where the hair has been lost. The hope is that the hair will take root and begin to thicken with time. When this happens the problem has been solved. However, hair transplants are very expensive and it is certainly best to make sure that you do not do this kind of damage in the beginning.

It is now known that over heating of hair is also a cause for traction alopecia for male hair loss treatment. If you are using curling irons and hair dryers on a daily basis you are opening yourself up to this disease. Most would suggest that you use the low heat settings on both and skip a few days a week to make sure that you are allowing your hair to settle before more heat is applied.