Baby Hairs or Breakage?

By Marina Westover, Owner, TruYou Hair Co., West Palm Beach, FL

In a time where hair extensions are almost as common as hair color, traction alopecia is rarely ever part of the education or consultation conversation. So let's shed some light on the topic.

Traction alopecia is the result of tracks or rows of hair being sewn or applied too tightly to the biological hair. It can also occur when the weight of the hair being added cannot be supported by the biological hair and causes the hair the be pulled out of the follicle. Finally, the last factor is the daily routine of the actual person wearing the added hair.

I was recently at a salon conducting a certification class for hair extensions and one of the stylists asked a great question, “How do I manage all of my clients baby hairs?” The technical response was easy, “You can clip them up or use Velcro pads and even a little hairspray to keep the baby hairs from getting in the way or tangling up your thread.” The more important response was, “Why does your guest have so many “baby hairs?” These socalled “baby hairs” can actually be the biological hair growing back after being pulled out in a high-tension application. At first glance, we might think that this guest is growing new hair and be elated. But if these baby hairs are only located along the track line, and not all over the head, this should actually be very concerning. The fact is, you can only do this so many times before the follicle scars over and stops producing baby hairs all together.

When adding wefts of hair that are sewn in, the biological hair is pulled into braids or beads to create a base. The hair extension wefts are then sewn to this base or track. Tight braids or small sections of hair are pulled in to beads and then tightened and secured by closing the bead. This feels like it would be a secure application. It might even look “clean” and esthetically pleasing, but the fact is that starting the base of the application with a tight, high-tension method will only result in even higher tension when the hair extension wefts are added. As each stitch is created, joining the biological hair in the tight braids or beads to the new added extensions, additional tension is added to that already tightly secured section of hair. This excessive tension feels like itching and irritation at the track line. Over the next 24-48 hours, the hair follicle can no longer hang on to the hair and it is rejected, more so ejected out of the follicle, bulb and all.

As if that doesn’t give you goose bumps, lets add the weight of thick, long, and heavy wefts to these small sections. The poor little erector pili muscles will give it all they have to hold onto the hair until one rough hair brushing or one more tight ponytail finishes the job and bye-bye hair. Although the hair will regrow as these so called “baby hairs,” the process takes longer and over time, will produce finer hair. Repeating this cycle every 8-10 weeks could cause Cicatricial Alopecia, the scaring of the follicle resulting in permanent hair loss. So how do we know if this is happening?

Most people lose 50-100 hairs per day. With extensions, the hair that is secured in the braid or bead can not naturally fall away when it enters the telogen phase. It is trapped in the braid or bead, therefore, when you remove the hair extensions at the routine maintenance appointment, these hairs come out of the section and may seem excessive. So how do we know if the hair came out due to natural telogen or from excessive tension?

Here are some ways to determine if there is tension damage at a routine maintenance. Prior to removing the extensions:

• Look for evidence of density loss: patches that look thin or even bald.

• Determine if there are signs of irritation or inflammation: areas where the scalp is red, has pimples or scabs.

• Look for areas where there may be clusters of bulbs: bulbs that are all at the same height away from the braid or bead.

When tension damage happens, the bulbs will generally release at around the same time, therefore they will present themselves as clusters.

You might want to run away from sewn methods of applying hair extensions after reading this, so, I want to reassure you that there are better ways to sew hair that reduce the tension and allow for a comfortable and stable application. A low-tension application method starts with a loose base that is secure, yet allows for movement in the biological hair. Reducing the tension at the base then allows for each stitch to secure the wefts but not pull the hair out of the follicle.

You also want to look for even distribution of weight throughout the track line, so the entire row is growing out uniformly. And finally, just ask your guest! If something is hurting or feels uncomfortable, stop and check the section, reduce the tension, eliminate the tight beads and replace with loose sections that allow for up and down movement easily.