The Man Bun, This Year's Most Popular Hairdo, Has A Seriously Uncool Side Effect
![manbun](https://d.medicaldaily.com/en/full/354456/manbun.png?w=593&f=708a6574df0fabf89b4820083bfca474)
This year, everyone from Jared Leto to Leonardo DiCaprio has sported a stylish man bun, but dermatologists warn that wearing the fashionable hairdo too tightly for too long can result in an unpleasant condition known as traction alopecia.
The man bun is precisely what it sounds like: a knotted bun worn by men on top of their heads or at the nape of the neck. Unfortunately, a person who wears their hair tightly pulled back for long periods of time can end up developing traction alopecia, a condition characterized by mild baldness around the hairline and temples. On a microscopic level, the constant pulling of hair causes inflammation and scarring to form around the follicles. Eventually, this scarring will prevent new hair growth. Despite how nasty it sounds, traction alopecia-related baldness is gradual and relatively painless. As a result, many don’t realize the full effect of their tight hairstyles until it’s too late.
Although this condition is most commonly seen in women, Sabra Sullivan, a dermatologist in Jackson, Miss., recently told Mic that she has seen an increase in male cases. "It's really, really common. I see it probably once or twice a week," she told Mic. "They're putting traction on the hair follicles that the hair is not really meant to take. Traction alopecia in men is becoming more common."
Traction alopecia is hardly a new phenomenon. Dr. Albert H. Slepyan, a professor from the University of Illinois Medical School, first documented cases of this skin condition some 60 years ago when tight, high-up ponytails became fashionable among women. Today, the condition is considerably more common among women who wear their hair in tight braids, twists, and weaves. Black hair is naturally thinner in diameter, and as a result, is more prone to breakage. This fact, combined with tight hairstyles popular in black culture, has caused the condition to be considerably more prevalent in black communities.
"It's an epidemic. Most people don't want to hear the truth, they'd rather be in denial," Seandee Gaydon, a licensed hair braider in Las Vegas told Mic. "The weave does not last longer because it’s tight, it’s going to make you bald."
Lace-front wigs, which attach to the hairline with the help of an adhesive or tape, can cause similar damage to hair follicles, along with dreadlocks and even vigorous brushing and combing. Traction alopecia can be treated in its earliest stages, but once the scarring has begun, the condition is irreversible. Still, you don’t have to give up your favorite hairstyle in order to preserve your precious locks. Dermatologists agree that simply wearing your style looser is enough to prevent any serious follicular damage.