The Damage: Kate Gosselin Regrets Hair Extensions

Kate Gosselin made headlines with hair that took 20 hours to attach to her head - but the 34-year-old reality TV star says she hates her new hair extensions.

"She thinks her hair looks over processed and damaged," a source apparently told Us Weekly magazine. 

Damage caused by extensions can lead to a hair loss condition called Traction Alopecia, where hair eventually falls away from the scalp as a result of constant tension.

Damaged hair and hair loss from extensions

View Belgravia's Traction Alopecia Treatment Success Stories(Results May Vary and Are Not Guaranteed)

"Hair extensions are one of the worst possible things you can do to your hair," says senior Belgravia hair loss specialist Leonora Doclis. "There are very few occasions in which hair extensions do not cause some sort of damage to your hair. Although the damage is usually minimal, it can sometimes be long term." 

While the damaged hair they can cause is often only temporary and hair health can usually be reversed if, once the extensions are removed as gently as possible, the hair is properly looked after, this is not always the case.

Although prevention is better than a cure here, Traction Alopecia treatment is possible where the follicles are still capable of producing hair and have not been permanently damaged. In those case, the hair loss is likely to be permanent, or require surgical intervention.

Trying new hairstyles

Gosselin, most famous for her TV show Jon and Kate Plus 8 that documents her atypical family's life, has been receiving tips from a stylist on how to care for her new look.

"Kate has been trying different things, from headbands to ponytails to a Farrah Fawcettstyle 'do," the stylist told Us Weekly. "She's just not sure what she wants."

But the make-over was not popular among the whole family. Her nine-year-old twins, Cara and Mady, shrieked "Eww!" when they saw their mother’s signature spiky bob replaced with long blonde tresses.

"They started laughing," a source claims in the magazine interview. "Kate ended up in her room crying."

If Kate Gosselin is concerned about her new hairstyle - and its hair loss potential - it would be wise to have the extensions removed.

When the scalp and follicles are recovering from Traction Alopecia or strain from hair extensions, the best hairstyle is one which is loose - try to wear the hair down, as naturally as possible, without any tight or weighty hair-ties, clips or other hair accessories. Should you need to keep your hair back off your face, a gentle Alice band without teeth or a loosely-tied scrunchie are good options.