You may have seen the pictures of supermodel Naomi Campbell in the press recently, where an obvious bald patch can be seen under her wig as she attends a photo shoot.
Experts and trichologists suggested that this obvious sign of female hair loss was caused by traction alopecia, a condition where the repeated pulling on the scalp causes the hair follicles to weaken and the hair to fall out.
Whether Naomi has this particular condition or not, she is a prime candidate to suffer from it due to the profession she has chosen. As a supermodel, she is constantly required to change her look and this often means different hair styles such as weaves, braids and tight ponytails – all styles that can damage the scalp over time and cause traction alopecia.
It isn’t just supermodels and women in the entertainment industry who can suffer from traction alopecia, however. One famous hairstyle, the tight, high ponytail, termed the ‘Croydon facelift’ due to the way the scraped-back style pulls the skin on the face upwards, is particularly bad for hair follicles.
If you regularly choose to wear your hair in any of the aforementioned styles, take care that you don’t fall victim to traction alopecia. Ask yourself: is it really worth losing your long, luscious locks over a hairstyle?