I Didn’t Know Weaves and Wigs Would Make My Traction Alopecia Worse!

I’m a 38 yr old black female. My hair started thinning in the crown about 10 yrs ago. I started braiding it to keep out the chemicals. About 3 1/2 years ago I was diagnosed with traction alopecia. Had never heard of it before. I started wearing weaves and wigs to cover up the ugliness. I never realized that this would make my situation worse. Now the balding has spread to the top and front of my head. Is it too late for a hair transplant that would work. The hair on the sides and back is relatively thick, but it seems so unhealthy. At the rate I’m going I feel like I should just shave my head bald and call it a day. I feel so ugly. I did see a dermatogolist for the diagnosis, but I never got any advise on what I should do to help the situation. Can you recommend anyone to see on this side of the country??

If you are diagnosed with traction alopecia, you need to keep your hair short with no weaves and wigs. After stopping the insult, you should wait for at least six months and see if your hair regrows. In many cases, traction alopecia may cause permanent damage to the hair follicle and may not reversible. Repeating the evaluation of your hair after this period of time will show the areas of permanent hair loss. At that point, a hair transplant specialist can evaluate you for further treatment options if the hair failed to grow back. Then, if you are using a wig, be sure that it is converted to clips to prevent the transplants from developing traction alopecia.