Comb
Through Hair Can Be Frightening Experience
By Dr. Wesley Wilborn
Special To The Post
One of the most fright
ening experiences that a
woman can ha ve is to pull a
comb through her "crown
ing glory" and find hand
fuls of hair still in the comb
teeth. V
Sometimes hair loss is a
cause for serious alarm but
there are times when sim
ple adjustments in groom
ing techniques can solve
the problem.
The following is a dis
cussion of thertnany-causes
of hair loss in females with
some practical tips to in
form the public and to
assist the hairstylist in
evaluating, managing or
referring hair looo pro
blems.
Hair 1068 can be caused
by breakage of the hair
shaft for which there are
two basic reasons:
-A hereditary defect in
the hair shaft.
—Damaging hairatyling
or grooming techniques.
Hereditary defects occur
early in life and are
rarely dealt with by the
hairstylist The acquired
hair shaft, .defects., how-: ^
ever,, are the main con
cerns here
Chemical straightening
ana curling agents are the
chief causes of hair
breakage. The over
processing can occur in
both the relaxing or neu
tralization stages. The end
result' is the same, a
weakened hair shaft toat_
breaks immediately or
gradually over a period of
time.
This hair cannot be
restored and only very
gentle banding and time'
will correct the problem
After chemical damage,
very little can be done to
restore the strength of the
hair shaft Changing to a
shorter style or wearing a
hair piece may be
neoaasary for a while._
Hair breakage can also
be caused by hot combs
and curling irons. Too
much beat or too frequent
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ALOPECIA. Too tightly rolled hair or ponytails can
result in bald spots.
use of these appliances can
weaken the hair shaft
leading to a progressive
hair loss. This is most evi
.. dent along, the .scalp, mat-...
gins.
Hair breakage can also
occur in unprocessed hair,
especially in blacks. This is
due to the natural curling
or. kinking of the negroid
hair that makes styling
difficult. Unless a mois
turizing, softening or lu
bricating product is used
_on the hair, excessive
breakage can occur from
combing or brushing.
A very common form of
hair loss, marginal or
traction alopecia, occurs in
black females. This is
caused by tight ponytails
and braids, pulling the hair
from its roots. In adults
this .pattern is caused by
rolling the hair too tightly
or using curling irons too
frequently. The hair is
poral and frontal areas of
the scalp. Years of this
abuse will cause perma
nent hair loss, but early
recognition and corrective
action will prevent this.
Another common, and,
indeed, one of the most
. frightening, .types, pf. heir..
loss occurs after child
birth. This is known as
telogen effluvium.
To explain it, we need to
understand the hair cycle.
This cycle is divided into
three repetitive phases. At
any given time, hairs on
the scalp will be in each of
these phases.
1) Agagen, or the active
growing phase which lasts
for three to five years in
most races.
2) Catagen, or the transi
tional stage between grow
ing and resting hair. This
Chemical agents and incorrect grooming techniques
contribute to hair damage.
lasts for approximately
two weeks.
3) Telogen, or the rest
—ing phase, which usually
lasts three to six months.
At this time the hair is shed
with a small whitish root or
bulb called a “club.”
These club hairs repre
* * sent approximately-HHo-15 •
percent of the total scalp
hair at any given time and
are randomly scattered
over the scalp.
Normally one loses be^u
tween 50 to 100 hairs
daily, with club ends, but
we usually don’t notice it
because that are scattered.
But, in telogen effluvium,
the rate of shedding is in
creased to a noticeable
degree.
During the last stage of
pregnancy, it it currently
felt that there is a slow
down in the conversion
i
from the growing phase
(anagen) to the shedding
(telogen) phase, with a
—resultant retention nf Hairs _
After delivery, the hor
monal changes that caused
the retention returns to
normal and a larger num
ber of hairs then begin to
■shed - .usually. to. si*..
months after delivery.
No treatment is required
for this, and the excess
shedding is usually over in
u six uwnths.
Similar patterns may
follow early termination of
pregnancy, termination of
birth control pill use,
high fever and use of some
medication.
Another not uncommon
form of hair loss is a
condition called alopecia
areata. In its simplest term
it’s “allergy to one’s self."
In this condition com
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pletely bald patches occur
that are usually round or
oval. The sca^fcaormal in
feel and appSMflVce and
there are usually no other
symptoms. When all of the
scalp hair is lost, it is called
alopecia totalis. When the
hair is lost over the entire^
body, it is called alopecia
universalis. In the mild
form the hair may regrow
without treatment, but it
may reoccur in a signifi
cant percentage of cases
These individuals should be
evaluated bv a dermatolo
gist
Scarring alopecia, an
other form of hair loss,
results when a disease or
other inflammatory pro
cess damages the skin on
the scalp and causes
scarring and destruction of
the hair follicles. This can
result from years of using a
hot comb. It is most like
ly due to hot grease get
ting down into the pores,
causing an (hflammation in
and around the—follicle.—
This occurs primarily on
the top of the head.
-Discoid Lupus Erythe
matosus can also cause a
scarring alopecia. It is a
* 'serious- disease- -requiring.
medical attention. It
causes atropy of the scalp
and bald spots. The af
fected area is usually
thinned and whitish,
though some area may be
darkened.
A form of scarring alo
pecia common in blacks is
that caused by repeated
episodes of infections that
cause hair bumps - or
folliculitis. ,
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