Special Hair Loss Concerns for African American Women

The occurrence and treatment of telogen effluvium, alopecia areata, female pattern hair loss, and other common forms of alopecia are the’ same for African American women as for their
Caucasian counterparts.

However, Callender and her colleagues writing in the journal Dermatologic Therapy, point out that some forms of hair loss are more common in the black population or are a cause for special concern in light of hairstyling practices. These include female pattern hair loss (treatment concems), trichorrhexis nodosa, traction alopecia, seborrheic dermatitiaand central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia.

Trichorrhexisnodosa is a type of hair-shaft damage that results from physical or chemical trauma. “Presumably, the decreased tensile strength of chemically treated hair in African Americans, heat exp,osure, and other drying agents playa role in the development of breakage,” Callender writes .. “The involved hairs often break a few centimeters from the scalp’ in areas stressed by combing, braiding, or sleeping.”

The study suggests the subsequent hair care tips and, treatment options:

• Use a well-trained expert for thermal and chemical methods to help avoid damage .

• ‘ Restrict hot comb treatments to once weekly, and ensure they are done on clean, dryhair,

• If hair is by now damaged, it needs to be trimmed” and moisturizing shampoos and hair conditioners must be used.

• When undergoing chemical relaxation, the scalp should be protected through “scalp basing,” a thick emollient used on the scalp to prevent skin irritation,

• Trim hair on a regula:r basis” and have chemical relaxation done :no more than every six to eight weeks,

• Use of hair gels, sprays”, and spritzes for hair sculpt. ing can also lead to the conditione Less-damaging natural hairstyles, wigs, and moisturizing hair products should be considered. Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia in African Ameri … can women is not clearly associated with hair care productsc Black women with the condition should consider many of the same recommendations as above when undergoingch,emical relaxation. ,A “relaxer holiday;” as wellas a natural, chemical-free hairstyle, might be considered, ‘

Traction alopecia is particularly common among African American women, and treatment involves changing the hairstyle that is causing the trauma” If folliculitis is present, oral or topical antibiotics may be prescribed” If there is inflammation, treatment may be similar to that for alopecia areata, with use , of either topical or intralesional (injected into the bald areas) corticosteroids, “In the pre sen It authors” practice, topical minoxidil as a treatment for traction alopecia has been found to be a successful option for some patients,” Callender writes, Seborrheic dermatitis may be a problem for African American womenvagain sometimes resulting from hair care techniques and products.

Some recommendations for this condition are:

• Therapeutic shampoos containing ciclopirox and zinc pyrithione are especially good for women who chemically straighten their hair;

• Other over the counter anti-dandruff shampoos may be used in selected patients” but they should not be used daily, as the labels suggest they can cause excessive dryness or breakage .

• Read labels. Therapeutic shampoos containing tar, selenium sulfide, and salicylic acid may be harsh on chemically treated hair.

While there is no difference in, the manifestation of female pattern hair loss in black women, it should be noted that the use of topical minoxidil can result in undoing the effect of chemical straightening, rendering the hair back to its naturally curly state. “While not commonly found, compounding pharmacies can provide the patients with minoxidil in an ointment base as an alternative vehicle that is more compatible with their hair style,” Callender writes,