Can men experience traction alopecia?

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 sleek appearance. Alternatively, for women with afro-textured hair, leaving their hair in a natural state can be inconvenient, and the caliber of the hair follicles requires a stronger force to be exerted 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 from their roots. Since the collected hair pulls more on the hairline and edges, these are the areas that show the first signs of baldness.

Traction alopecia in women

Hard and tight hairstyles have become fashionable in recent years for people of all hair textures, even straight and wavy. The statement bun or even the twist that working women prefer can put enough pressure on the scalp to cause permanent hair loss. Even in the past, bobby pins that nurses used to hold caps securely on the head caused tension hair loss. Due to the changing trends in male grooming in the mainstream and in subcultures, tension hair loss is no longer a problem unique to women.

The trend of dreadlocks and tension hair loss

In the heyday of the 90s and early 2000s, dreadlocks became the favorite hairstyle of white countercultures. Dreadlocks are rope-shaped strands of hair of uniform size that are formed through a planned braiding or matting process. Historically, this hairstyle has been used since Ancient Egypt and later became a source of ethnic identity among various African groups such as the Masai warriors or the Turkana people. The gauge of afro-textured hair lends itself to forming strands that can be styled and maintained. Popular dreadlocks 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 training.” namely negligence. This results in hair that tangles and tangles in uneven strands. The harmful methods employed to encourage Caucasian textured hair to fear are inherently unhealthy and completely different from the methods employed for Afro-textured hair, making dreadlocks on white people both unsanitary and culturally inappropriate. The pressure exerted on the scalp during the “twist and tear” process can pull hair follicles from their roots, causing permanent baldness.

The Man Bun style of the Millennial generation

In recent years, the latest trend to dominate men’s grooming habits is the men’s bun. Although it is an improvement in terms of cultural appropriation, styling can still damage the scalp. The intensity with which the hair is pulled into a bun or half knot can still tear the follicle along the hairline and edges, causing permanent hair loss. In fact, since the male bun peaked in 2015, many young men have reported hair loss with the characteristics of traction alopecia.

What Men Can Do About Traction Alopecia

If caught in its early stages, traction alopecia can be treated by first stopping 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 remove 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 published in the Dermatology Times, the FUE system called the UGraft harvester has such benefits, with additional benefits in preventing common causes of follicular death. In addition to the advanced forms of FUE, there are more options on the origin of the hair. Using finer hair would allow for the use of finer nape hairs or even body hair that can be used to create more natural looking temples. Because temple hairs are the first to thin out in male bun alopecia, advanced FUE would be the hair transplant procedure of choice.

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