That stated, any styling ritual that consists of intense warmth and harsh chemical substances in your scalp and hair—utilizing curling and flat irons, getting frequent perms, chemical straightening procedures, or enjoyable therapies—can harm the follicle, and worst case situation, trigger everlasting hair loss.

What you’ll in all probability discover

Trichorrhexis nodosa normally entails a mix of hair loss and modifications in texture: Your hair may look frayed, with small, bead-like nodes alongside the strands, and really feel brittle to the contact.¹⁰ “You may additionally discover elevated breakage, and shorter, uneven strands,” Dr. Mitchell says. “In additional extreme instances, there is perhaps patches of thinning or an total discount in hair density.”

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5. Extreme dandruff

There’s dandruff after which there’s its extra extreme cousin, seborrheic dermatitis: A pesky pores and skin situation characterised by a rash (that will look darker, lighter, or redder than the encompassing pores and skin), in addition to itchy and flaky patches that arrange store in spots with plenty of oil glands, together with your scalp. “It’s pushed by an inflammatory response in opposition to organisms that dwell on our scalp—particularly, Malassezia yeast colonies,” Dr. Lo Sicco says.¹¹

These flaky patches, mixed with the oil that’s produced by the scalp, can clog your follicles, in the end impairing the hair’s nutrient provide and weakening its construction (to not point out the next harm—and shedding—that may occur once you continually scratch your head).¹² In the meantime, the inflammatory response disrupts the traditional hair development cycle and may set off telogen effluvium, Dr. Mitchell explains, the place, once more, your hair follicles go on strike for an prolonged interval, solely to later shed in bulk.

What you’ll in all probability discover

Except for the entire infected scalp factor, any such hair loss isn’t normally related to dramatic balding, however a gradual discount in hair density—notably within the type of elevated shedding wherever the seborrheic dermatitis is providing you with probably the most bother. “The hair itself may additionally grow to be finer and extra fragile as a result of inflammatory processes disrupting the expansion cycle,” Dr. Mitchell says.

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6. Infected hair follicles

Folliculitis is a pores and skin situation that strikes when hair follicles grow to be infected—say, from bodily irritation (shaving, traction, wigs) or an an infection (bacterial, fungal)—which compromises the integrity of the follicles.¹³

There are two principal kinds of folliculitis: superficial and deep. The previous entails solely a part of the hair follicle and can seemingly heal inside just a few days, whereas the latter consumes the whole follicle and tends to be extra extreme and long-lasting.

“Because the follicle turns into infected, harm can occur to the encompassing tissues that disrupt the traditional hair development cycle,” Dr. Mitchell says. “In extreme instances, the an infection might result in scarring, inflicting everlasting hair loss.”

What you’ll in all probability discover

The actual sort of folliculitis you expertise will depend upon the underlying trigger (friction or an infection), however “it sometimes presents as small, acne-like bumps or pustules surrounding the affected hair follicles,” Dr. Mitchell says. “These could also be itchy, tender or painful, and in some instances, type clusters that resemble a rash.” Because the situation progresses, you may begin noticing the encompassing pores and skin changing into irritated and darker, lighter, or redder, too.