Could David Beckham Cause Widespread Traction Alopecia Among Men?

 

Photo by PR Photos

I can't say enough about how risky hair extensions are to the long-term health of a person's hair follicles. Over the years, a number of female celebrities have been spotted with what appears to be bald spots or deep hair line recession as a result of damaging hair styles and treatments.

Now, according to the UK's Daily Mail newspaper (read it here), the trend, long limited to women, is crossing over to men. 

UK salons have seen a 200% increase in male hair extension treatments, as more guys seek to imitate the thick, full, lengthy locks of David Beckham, Harry Styles and Oliver Cheshire. But imitating these stars can have dangerous consequences for a guy's hair line: as more men add on extensions, they're increasing their risk for a specific type of hair loss known as "traction alopecia." This condition, which is permanent and can only be treated with hair transplant surgery, is caused by the extra weight and pulling action from the extensions on the hair follicles, which physically damages them.

Both men and women should avoid long-term use of hair extensions or use them intermittently only - and this is especially true for anyone with weak hair. Most stylists will underestimate their potential for damage until it's too late.

Male hair extensions appear to be part of a larger man-'do trend, as bro-braids, man-buns and dude-'tails are also picking up.