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Styling Trends Could Be Causing Hair Loss Among Black Women
by April Maguire
Hair loss is one of the most common ailments on the planet. All told, more than 70% of men and 50% of women will experience a noticeable loss or thinning of hair at some point in their lives. While a majority of this hair loss is unavoidable, thanks in large part to genetics, some of it is attributable to lifestyle choices. In fact, when it comes to a certain segment of the population, namely black women, popular styling trends are dramatically increasing the rate of hair loss.
New Hair Loss Survey
Recently, the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University released the results of a new survey wherein more than 5,500 black women were asked whether or not they had experienced hair loss. Surprisingly, almost half of the women surveyed claimed that they had a noticeable amount of thinning and loss around the crown of their heads. This type of hair loss is usually an indicator that damage has been done to the follicles in this region, and it is consistent with the leading cause of hair loss for black woman, a condition known as central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia.
Typically, central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia is characterized by the inflammation and destruction of hair follicles. Once damaged, these follicles stop producing new hairs, resulting in thinning and baldness. Despite the fact that more than 40% of the women who were surveyed suffer from hair loss consistent with central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia, only around 20% of them said that they had talked with their doctors about it. Even more surprisingly, less than 10% of the women had been officially diagnosed with CCCA.
Be Gentle
Even though central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia poses a significant problem for black women, there is a simple solution. Most CCCA is triggered by unsafe and damaging hair styling practices. According to experts, women should avoid wearing their hair in tight styles, excessive braiding or using weaves for extended periods of time. All of these practices put undue stress and strain on the follicles, causing the type of damage that leads to CCCA. Additionally, it’s a good idea to avoid chemical relaxants or other toxic products that could damage your scalp.
Unfortunately, many of us have no control over whether or not we lose our hair, and most hair loss is going to occur regardless of what you do. Therefore, it’s important that you don’t exacerbate the problem by inadvertently damaging your follicles. Be gentle with your hair, wear it naturally as often as you can, and give your follicles some much-needed rest and relaxation.
If you or someone you know would like to learn more about hair loss and how to treat it, please feel free to schedule a consultation or contact one of our representatives today!
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