Treating Damaged Hair Shafts Caused by Traction Alopecia with GroMD

Dermatologists at the Yale School of Medicine studying traction alopecia have warned that hairstyles which use tight braids, ponytails, dreadlocks, weaves, extensions and other traumatic forms of hair styling can result in extreme and irreversible hair loss.

Professors of dermatology and cutaneous surgery, Victoria Billero and Mariya Miteva, explain the dangers of habitual aggressive styling and what it can lead to:

“In its later stages, the disease may progress into an irreversible scarring alopecia if traumatic hairstyling continues without appropriate intervention.”

At groMD, our doctor-developed hair restoration formula specifically works toward managing and countering progressive pattern baldness, hair thinning and hair loss. So, when we become aware of a hair loss condition that is deemed ‘irreversible’, we start to panic. Later in this article we explain how groMD shampoo and follicle activator spray can restore broken or weakened hair shafts caused by excessive hair pulling.

Traction alopecia is caused by the hair follicle and dermal papilla sustaining damage from constant long-term pulling and tension on the hair. Rather than being rooted in singular traumatic instances, then, it comes from light to moderate tension over years at a time. Those who usually wear their hair in braids or a bun, for instance, might find themselves suffering from this later in life if they don’t give their hair regular lengthy breaks.

As we mentioned, this condition is most common in African American patients who choose hairstyles like cornrows or braids, since the styles involve excessively tight braiding and a lack of opportunity for hair to achieve its necessary rest. Interestingly, Sikh men, who are required by their religion to keep their hair upright and constantly growing, also suffer from this issue disproportionately, since their religious prescription requires a pulled-back hair style that has no chance to come undone during the day.

If you are reading this and consistently style or wear your hair in a tight or pulling fashion, then you must stop and consider the grim follicular future ahead. It is more likely, however, if you are reading this article, that you have experienced or are currently experiencing hair loss caused by traction alopecia.

Contrary to more common hair loss regimes like pattern baldness, this variety of hair loss is more common in younger adults and teenagers. If you are reading this and consistently style or wear your hair in a tight or pulling fashion, then you must stop and consider the grim follicular future ahead. It is more likely, however, if you are reading this article, that you have experienced or are currently experiencing hair loss caused by traction alopecia.  

Outside of actual pulling on the hair, chemical processing (like extensive dyeing, for example) can bring about this condition as well. Dyes, along with straighteners and bleaches, have a major impact on your hair’s keratin structure, and your hair becomes increasingly fragile to activities like combing and shampooing as the damage gets more extensive.

How to Restore Weakened Hair Shafts Caused by Pulling?

Choosing the right treatment for traction alopecia hair loss will depend on whether or not the damage to the hair follicles is reversible. Upon first noticing the effects of traction alopecia it is necessary to put into practice looser hair styling practices. It is at this stage that we recommend a potent cocktail of Minoxidil and groMD shampoo and conditioner.

Both of these potent medical therapies serve to block DHT (the hair follicle killer) and enhance blood flow to the scalp. Minoxidil is an over-the-counter topical medication. Research has indicated that the majority of men who use the medicine consistently demonstrate a deceleration in hair loss and a re-growth of miniaturized follicles.

The groMD hair restoration system is boosted with Saw Palmetto, Stinging Nettle and Licorice Root Extract - all DHT blockers found in nature. This product also contains caffeine and menthol to dilate the blood vessels around each hair follicle for improved circulation. Ultimately this therapeutic program will stimulate dormant follicles and allow vital nutrients to reach every hair strand.