We ladies love to style our hairs, don’t we? Irrespective of whether we have short-length hair or long-length, wavy, straight or curly, a lot of time and effort goes into having it styled to perfection. And, with new hair styles evolving day-by-day, we don’t hesitate at all in trying out all those styles to find out which one of them suits us the best. Often, during these hair styling sessions, we make use of various hair styling tools, products, accessories, etc.
By the end of your hair styling process, you would have achieved your desired hair style; however, not many people are aware of its negative impact. It might sound surprising, but yes, hair styling can lead to certain hair problems including hair loss.
Can Excessive Styling causes hair loss?
Though excessive hair styling may not cause direct hair loss, it is definitely one of the causes which leads to hair loss problems. Certain hair styles require your hair to be bound tightly and this puts unwanted pressure on the roots of your hair, causing them to break. Similarly, when you use various hair styling accessories such as hair bands, rubber band, etc., to keep the hair style in place, it can also cause your hair to break and fall off.
Most often than not, a majority of the hair styles will require additional hair styling tools and products such as straighteners, curlers, blow dryers, gels, etc. All of these may not cause direct hair loss but they do have a negative impact on the health of your hair. You will notice that prolonged use of these tools and all the excessive styling will damage your hair, making them dry and brittle. Ultimately, the damages hair leads to a bigger problem of hair loss.
This condition of hair loss due to excessive hair styling is known as traction alopecia. Though hair loss occurs majorly due to other factors, excessive hair styling can also be considered as one of the causes.
Does Hair Loss Due To Over Styling Grow Back On Its Own?
The good news is that yes, depending upon the extent of the condition, hair loss due to over styling can grow back on its own once you stop subjecting it to all the various hair styles. However, this is possible only if the hair loss occurred is on a minimal scale. In such cases, it is possible for the hair to grow back from its root on its own. But the time taken for the hair to grow back can take up to a year as well.
In cases where extreme hair loss has occurred due to excessive styling, it would be difficult for the hair to grow back on its own. You will have to visit your dermatologist to find out what treatment can be undergone to improve your hair loss condition.
Treatments for Hair Loss that could be due to Excessive Hairstyling
There are couple of treatments which are quite popular and effective in treating hair loss problems, improving the look and feel of your hair as well as promoting the growth of hair. Below are some of those hair loss treatments:
- Topical Medications– Base on your dermatologist’s prescription, you can try Minoxidil which is popularly known as Rogaine. This medication is available in foam or liquid form and is FEDA-approved. Effective for people of all genders, this medication is applied topically on the affected areas of the scalp. Though this is an effective hair loss treatment, it can take anywhere between three to four months for the desired results to show.
- Platelet-rich Plasma Therapy (PRP) Treatment– The platelet-rich plasma therapy or the PRP treatment as it popularly known as is one of the most popular treatments for reversing hair loss. This is a non-invasive treatment. In this treatment, a small sample of blood is withdrawn from the patient’s arm, which is then put into a centrifuge in order to separate the plasma and the platelets. The plasma is then activated which is then injected into the scalp with an injection. This injected plasma helps in stimulating the growth of hair as well as repairing the damaged hair follicles. After a couple of sessions you will notice that the hair has started growing naturally from the affected areas.
- Hair Transplantation– Another effective treatment for restoring back your lost hair is to get a hair transplant In this treatment method, tiny hair follicles are transplanted from one part of your scalp to the affected areas. This treatment also provides natural looking results.
How to Prevent Hair Loss from Excessive Styling?
In order to prevent hair loss from excessive styling, you can follow the below measures:
- Try and choose the right hairstyle. Avoid hairstyles which put pressure on our hair roots and scalp. Tight ponytails, tight buns, etc., should be avoided as much as possible.
- Avoid using hair extensions and weaves as these may enhance the look of your hair, they have a long-term negative impact on your hair roots.
- Hairsprays and gels with long-holding effects could damage your hair as they contain various chemicals. Prolonged contact of these chemicals on your hair could destroy the hair shafts and also lead to hair loss.
- If you are using chemical products for styling your hair, then ensure that you give adequate time gaps between each of the styling sessions. For example, if you have coloured your hair, you should ideally wait for at least 2 weeks before you get a perm done. Always ensure that you deep condition your hair whenever you subject your hair to such chemicals.
- Avoid heating tools as much as possible and if you do have to use them, then ensure that you set it at a low temperature.
- While preparing your hair for any of the hair styles, use a wide-toothed comb to gently remove all the tangles.
- Before you use a curling iron or straightener, apply a layer of heat protectant.
Though hair styling is a part and parcel of our daily lives, care should be taken that it does not lead to unwanted problems such as hair loss. Always stick to hair styles which not only suit you but those which also do not cause any pressure on your scalp. In situations where you need to have a tight ponytail or bun, ensure that you take some time off in between and allow your hair to breathe.If you notice that your hair fall is becoming extreme, then it is best that you get it checked by a dermatologist and undertake the right treatment to reverse the hair loss Author Bio Name: Riya DeshmukhContent Writer – Hair & Beauty Care Expert – With a degree in Life Sciences, I have had diverse experience in writing for beauty and health care domain; with topics like skincare, hair problems, tips and advice being my forte. I aspire to bring change in the lives of people through my earnest and research based articles.
