I am a African American woman and i was chemical burn by relaxer about 7 yeas ago. I do not know how and if you can help me with me living in the Caribbean. I was thinking of getting toppik but will that work on my African hair? please help
Yes. I know many African American men who came into our office to get a consult with us and when they are using Toppik, it seems to work well. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work in the same way for women. Give it a try!
I am a 48 year old African American female. I am diabetic. I also relax my own hair. For a while, the hair on the sides of my head has grown considerably, but the hair on the top of my head had not. Is this indicative of any particular condition? Thank you for your help.
You may have chemical damage from relaxing your hair, or genetic hair loss…. or something else entirely going on. There are a variety of possible causes for hair loss in women (see here).
Without seeing you, I can not tell much. Make an appointment with a good doctor/dermatologist who will give you an opinion.
I am a 18 year old Black Teen and I have a receded hairline. But I was born with it. And to top it off the hairline on the sides of my head do not match and look out of proportion. What can I do to lower and get a straighter hairline? is surgery possible? or are there other methods?
Surgery is possible, but often not recommended to men of your age because of the risks of balding that may impact your future look. I don’t know that there is anything you can do at this point, unfortunately.
Hello. I had busted my head from a starbucks cappuccino bottle(Please don’t ask how It’s a personal issue..) And I was bleeding harshly from my head so my parents wrapped my head with some bandage really tight and put some healing glue over the scar. In like a week in a half it healed and the glue came off like a scab and I was left with a very smooth scar on the back of my head near the root of my head about the size of a quarter, the top part of your pointer finger(the first line part and up cant explain it good). I know hair isn’t growing back because its been three years.
I want to have the scar removed from my head, the surgery is they cut it out then sew your scalp back together and your left with a lined scar that is barely visible when hair is grown a little. I do NOT want hair transplant please don’t give me information about it. Please explain as much as you can about the “scar removal” surgery I have in mind and also a cost for this.
What I would like to have is have a surgeon cut out the scar since its a little smaller than a quarter and stitch the scalp back together leaving me with just a tiny thin line scar that would be. No wider that the original sizer of the sizer or length. Also since I am african american, I want to cut my hair down low to about a 2 but I can’t cause of this baldspot, my dad is willing to try surgery but not until its reasonable. Remember it is about the size of a quarter which is very small compared to others.
Thank you please help me with my problem. Also the color of the scar is about my skin color maybe even a bit darker, I have black indian hair so a big brown baldspot sticks out. Please fill me in with everything you possibly can.
Scar removal from the scalp sometimes works well… and sometime doesn’t work well. That depends upon:
I would have to see your scars to determine what I would do. From what you described here, I am at a loss. You need to see a cosmetic surgeon with experience in scar revision.
My daughter is 15, she has not had a perm in 3 years or more. Just recently her hair began breaking off on the ends and around the edges of her scalp. She uses biosilk shampoo and conditioner and she does flat iron and blow dry her hair at least 3 or four times weekly. What can we do to stop the breakage and promote the growth of her hair? We are african american.
The use of the flat iron could still contribute to damage, but this is best managed by a good hair stylist with lots of experience with African hair types.
13 year old african american daughter having continuous hair loss for several years. Hair is processed and has several bald spots especially in back. Suffers from excema if that helps. Please HELP! Beautician just sews false hair in her head but has yet to get it to grow. Can you please tell us where to start.
It sounds like your daughter is having chemical problems with the things that the stylist is using. Hair loss is common when chemicals are applied to relax the hair. I am wondering what you mean that the beautician is sewing false hair into her head, though.
Hello. I am a 42 year old black female that is experiencing hair loss. I am wondering if this is due to me chemically relaxing my hair myself. I do have a low thyroid condition that I take medication for daily. Could this be contributing to my hair loss. It seems to be getting worse. I recently permed my hair but I burned my scalp pretty bad. Will my hair grow back? Could you give me any suggestions of products to use that might help? Thank you
Chemical damage and thyroid conditions can both contribute to hair loss, and there’s no way for me to try to pinpoint the cause via email. Try stopping the chemical use on your hair and give it a year or so to see if there is improvement. The hair could regrow, but it depends on the severity of the burn. At this point, all you can really do is wait it out to see.
Hello,
I am a 20 year old African American who has experienced some hair loss for the last two years. There is no history of male pattern baldness on either side of my family so im pretty confident its not genetic. I noticed I only lose hair during the winter months, but the loss is significant. I believe it is related to a skin condition I have. My mother said it happened to me when I lost hair when I was a few weeks old, but it came back when she moisturized my scalp.My questions: can it be due to the same condition? Is the loss permanent? Is there anything I can do to regrow my hair?
Thank you
On occasion, I have heard that a rare cycling of hair loss occurs when the weather gets colder. A possible skin condition that causes hair loss in winter months doesn’t make much sense to me. This isn’t something I’m familiar with, so I don’t know if the loss is permanent or if there is a treatment for it. Have you seen a doctor?
Hi, i’m a 21 years old male, and i’m mixed caucasian/african.
Here’s my question. My dad’s (caucasian) been balding since age 30, and is now completely bald at age 60. He is the worst case of MPB in my entire family. On my mom’s side, there is no history of hairloss whatsoever. Myself, i’ve got a lot of hair, semi-african and semi-european, but very dense, with a kind of “coarse” afro look (very far from my dad’s hair). I have my mom’s hairline (mature, typical from her race, where there are no hairloss), and thick hair (i think).
I’m afraid i might end up as my father, but is there really a risk? If i ever go bald, at what age it might happen? Don’t the african genes dominates caucasians’ (i’m dark skinned)? What about mixed people in MPB?
Thanks a lot for your help!
There’s no way to tell if you will be bald simply based on your race… mixed or otherwise. Even with a family history, it is never truly clear. It’s possible that the balding gene exists somewhere in your mother’s family tree, too (and it can skip generations).
The best thing to do is to go see a doctor for an examination. Tests such as miniaturization studies and bulk measurements can establish a baseline so that you can track what is going on with age. You can also get a genetic test called HairDX, which is about 70% accurate, to find out if you have the gene. It won’t tell you if/when it’ll express itself, but it’s a start.
I’m a 26-year-old black male. I have suffered from razor bumps in the back of my head for about 10 years. The razor bumps have now caused hair loss in that area. I have a scar in the back of my head and hair won’t grow in that area. What can I do? I want my hair back. Is it possible that it will grow back? What type of treatment do I need?
If this has been progressing over 10 years or so, then it is likely that you have lost your hair in the various areas where these bumps are. Consider not shaving your head completely, but perhaps just clipping it with a #1 guard electric shaver. Then wait up to 6 months or so and then you may know if this process reverses. Hair transplants could be used if the problem is not too extensive. I’d have to see what you’re describing to recommend much beyond just playing the waiting game.
Hi, I’m a 17-year-old african male who’s experiencing hair thinning at both the left and right frontal areas of my head. I’m sure it isn’t hereditary as my older brother of 19-years still has a head full of healthy hair. I think this may be due to the numerous products I’ve used in recent years to maintain a wavy texture in my short hair. Now that I wish to grow an afro, the thinning is more visible than if I have short hair. I was wondering if growing an afro could disguise the thinning or if it could allow the thinning hair to strengthen again?
Thanks
Let your hair grow out and you should see that it will take on its natural appearance. The new hair that grows out from the scalp never had product or chemicals on it, so this hair will curl/kink if that is your normal character. I am assuming that the chemicals you used did not damage the hair below the skin.
That being said, you might have a maturing hairline or early genetic loss. Unless you used excessive chemicals in just the hairline, it sounds like it could be genetic (which could skip generations). You might not necessarily follow the exact timetable as your older brother if there is hair loss in your family history. I wouldn’t be able to make that determination without an examination, so you should talk to a doctor if you’re concerned.
Hi, I am a 23yr old black woman, ive been processing my hair all my life and recently opted to keep it ‘natural’ (Afro) i have very thick hair and about a month ago i was washing my hair and noticed a bald spot… My Hair is still thick all around the rest of the head but the area around the bald spot is starting to thin and fall out…
What could be the cause? I am Petrified!!!!
There’s so many possible causes for bald spots producing female hair loss that I dare not list them. It would be impossible for me to pinpoint the cause via email. Here a list of potential blood tests women might have to find a cause for the hair loss if it is more diffuse, but a single balding spot may be simply a fungus effect or a more complex autoimmune disease. Or it could also simply be due to some error or allergy in the chemical process that could have damaged a spot.
I wish I could tell you more, but without an examination it would be too difficult.
Dr. Rassman,
In many of your posts regarding body hair transplant, I see that you tend to discourage the use of body hair for transplants. Some of the reasons include the fact that body hair is curly and does not grow long enough. I am a black person who grows a short Afro. I have a bald spot of the right front side of my scalp which I have managed to concealed with my own pubic hair. It just so happens that my pubic hair is just as curly and has the same texture as my scalp hair. So what I do from time to time, is cut my public hair, wash it thoroughly and then get it entangled with my scalp hair in the balding area. The entangling is due to the curliness of the hair and it holds even in the wind.
So far no one seems to notice. In fact, when I first saw a hair loss doctor, he was amazed at how well I concealed my hair loss.
In any case, I think transplanting hair from the pubic area for African Americans may be a viable option since both the pubic and scalp hair in African Americans is curly and perhaps has the same texture in most African American(as is my case). In any, what is your take on this issue.
I have done a few pubic hair to scalp transplants and they work very well. I recall one African American fellow in particular and a few Caucasian patients that had this done over the past many years. The FUE technique may have a good role here.
I have also seen another person who used pubic hair to entangle with their afro to add bulk with the same observations you demonstrate. It’s certainly not for everybody, and I still say scalp hair works best.
i am a 62year old african american and i have universal alopecia. I am a female i was wondering if there is anything out there that could grow my hair back or could i get a hair transplant. I haven’t tried anything for it, i only wear wigs.
For men, I might recommend scalp micro-pigmentation (SMP), as this can give the appearance of a closely cropped traditionally male hairstyle… but for women, unless this type of style is an option for you, I wouldn’t recommend it. There is unfortunately nothing available (aside from wigs) today. You couldn’t get a hair transplant, as you have no hair to move.
Snippet from the study abstract:
BACKGROUND: Few studies have extensively examined the prevalence of hair care practices and their association with scalp and hair conditions in African American girls.
OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine the prevalence of hair care practices and their association with traction alopecia, seborrheic dermatitis (SD), and tinea capitis (TC).
METHODS: A questionnaire was administered to caregivers of African American girls aged 1 to 15 years. Multivariate analyses were performed to determine the association of hair care practices with reported disorders.
Read the rest — Hair care practices and their association with scalp and hair disorders in African American girls.
201 surveys were sent out to caregivers of African American girls aged 1 to 15 years to look for links between traction alopecia, ringworm, and seborrheic dermatitis. Almost all of the respondents used oil/grease in the hair, and a substantial number used ponytails, braids, or cornrows. The results were published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
The study concluded: “Certain hair care practices were strongly associated with development of traction alopecia and SD.” The situation of traction alopecia in women of African decent is epidemic in Western society. Many, many women have ruined their hair and developed significant balding from the various ways they went about managing their kinky hair.