Diminutive pop superstar Ariana Grande has caused a big stir in Australia, where fans are so desperate to copy her signature hairstyles, they're willing to risk developing
hair loss.
According to
Teen Vogue, her high ponytail, filled with long hair extensions, has prompted a 50 per cent rise in Australian sales of the accessories over the past six months. And this boost is being directly attributed to the former Disney Club mouseketeer by vendors.
Ariana Grande's hair loss issues
The fact that the woman herself has openly spoken about wearing the damaging hairstyle in order to
hide her hair loss. In an Instagam post dated 19th January 2014 the diminutive artist explained all, detailing how she had tried wigs and weaves to cover her damaged hair which had become brittle and snapped due to years of bleaching and dyeing for her breakthrough role as Sam in the hit kids TV show, Sam and Cat. She said that this
hair breakage "
completely destroyed" her hair.
"
I wear extensions but I wear it in a ponytail because my actual hair is so broken that it looks absolutely ratchet and absurd when I let it down," she said, adding to people who complained about seeing her in the same hairstyle all the time: "
It's even more difficult for me to have to wait forever for my natural hair to grow back and to have to wear more fake hair than every drag queen on earth combined."
Whilst the damage she discusses is known as
chemical trauma and hair breakage, the constant use of extensions and tightly fixed hairstyles worn constantly over the years, is likely to bring on its own troubles.
This type of hairloss is known as
Traction Alopecia and can affect anyone at any age. It occurs when the hair follicles become damaged due to being frequently subjected to excessive amounts of tension. These are generally caused by tight hairstyles, including high ponytails and braids, and
hair extensions. Given Ariana Grande's hairstyle of choice involves at least two of these key triggers, it is wise for those wanting to copy it to do so on a far less regular basis.
Dealing with hair breakage and Traction Alopecia
When the strain on the follicles becomes repetitive, or constant - for instance, due to wearing the same tight and/or heavy hairstyle every day for weeks - the hair can become weak, particularly around the hairline, temples and the site where the style is affixed. This can then lead to snapping along the hair shaft and hair looking dry, thin and frizzy. Whilst a good haircut and strengthening conditioning treatments can help this to look better, these will not help damaged follicles.
The first step for anyone concerned about receding around their hairline and/or temples, or other hair issues is to check their hairstyle. If it involves hair extensions, stop wearing them; if the hair is pulled back into a style that needs to be tightly secured - such as braids, a slicked back, taut or high ponytail or bun - then wear the hair down naturally in order to let the follicles recover. If the issue is mild then this in itself should help to resolve the problem, with normal hair growth generally taking around three months to become noticeable due to the organic timeline of the
hair growth cycle.
Whilst
Traction Alopecia Treatment is possible to help accelerate mild to moderate instances of this condition,
preventing this type of hair loss from occurring in the first place is widely advised. Especially because, if the problem is persistent and the follicles are not allowed to recuperate, Traction Alopecia can cause permanent baldness in the affected areas. For this reason, getting a timely diagnosis from an experience hair specialist is crucial.