'I'm a dermatologist and common hair mistake I see can cause damage'
Dr Aamna Adel, a dermatologist based at the 152 Harley Street clinic in London, has revealed the worst hair mistake she has seen clients make. She shared a reel on Instagram urging others not to make the same mistake
A UK dermatologist has shared the worst hair mistake she sees in the clinic.
Dr Aamna Adel works at the 152 Harley Street clinic in London and has a specialism in hair loss for children and adults. She often gives hair and skincare advice and tips on social media, where she has 1.7 million followers on TikTok and 677,000 on Instagram. The London-based dermatologist shared a reel on Instagram where she revealed that the worst hair mistake she sees in clients is hair extensions. She advised to avoid hair extensions âat all costs.â
Speaking in the reel, she said: âOkay I have to talk about this. As you guys know I'm a dermatologist, I specialise in hair. I see hair loss in clinic literally all of the time. I donât know who needs to hear this: There is no such thing as safe hair extensions.â
Dr Adel claimed that it doesnât matter if youâre using I-Tip or tapes or another type of hair extensions because she âcannot begin to tell youâ the number of women she has seen in the clinic that have been experiencing hair loss and traction alopecia âbecause of the literal weight of the hair extensionsâ on their natural hair. Traction alopecia is a type of hair loss caused by constant pulling.
The hair loss expert added that she hears the same story every single time which is that women feel like they had âreally thick and luscious hairâ but then they started using hair extensions and lost their good quality hair. Dr Adel explained this is because the hair extensions âare pulling your hair out and theyâre causing traction alopecia.â
Instagram
She pleaded with her Instagram followers to avoid getting hair extensions and promised it will be âthe biggest mistake that you could ever make for your hair.â The British Skin Foundation has also linked hair extensions with hair loss and traction alopecia.
On its website it says: âHairstyles often associated with traction alopecia are tight ponytails (causing hair loss at the front and side margins of the scalp), tight buns (causing hair loss at the sides and back of the scalp), as well as attachment of weaves or hair extensions.â In her Instagram post caption, Dr Adel wrote: âAvoid at all costs!!
âThereâs no such thing as âsafeâ hair extensions. No matter what type of hair extensions you are using the extra weight on the hair shaft can cause trauma to the hair follicle with repeated tugging over time.
âA common scenario I hear again and again is someoneâs hair use to be medium or thick but after wearing hair extensions their hair became thinner⌠donât get sucked into the cycle."
Her Instagram reel amassed 163,000 views, 1,888 likes and plenty of comments.One user said: âTRUTH. I lost half of my hair density from extensions. I took them out about a year ago and Iâve already seen much new growth and less scalp and pain tension.â
Another agreed: âI have said this for years! Ever since I trained as a hairdresser 18 years ago all methods are so bad for your hair and scalp! Thins your hair and makes you have bald patches, no matter what the method they are so damaging!
âBlonde bleached hair and hair extensions are the worst combo. Your hair will never repair or get better no matter what you use on it unless you drop the extensions and bleach.â
A third user argued: âThe problem is that not everyone is blessed with lovely thick hair naturally, I know extensions are not the best for your hair. Sometimes it just makes people feel better.â
A fourth commented: âI wear tapes and Iâm obsessed. Canât be without them. This all sounds like a future me problem to deal with.â
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