What is Turban Alopecia?
A very peculiar hair loss is found in people who wear turban or other tightly fitting headgear for long duration. In India, it is quite common in Sikh community who wear turban every day through out their lives.
What Causes it?
The main causes of turban alopecia is
1. Putting too much tension or stress on the hair follicle. When hair is pulled in a tight bun or ‘judi’ day in and day out, it puts a lot of stress on your follicles, causing damage. Over the time this chronic tension can cause permanent damage to hair roots.
2. Putting too much pressure on scalp. When turban or ‘pagri’ is wound tightly around head it puts excessive pressure on scalp skin. The scalp areas having high external force for long period develop trophic changes due to reduction in blood supply. This further reduces the chances of follicular recovery.
How to Find out if You have Turban related Hair Loss?
If the hair loss is typically in the areas where turban is tightly wound, it is likely due to it.
Unlike male pattern loss vertex or top of head is spared in turban alopecia, unless co-existing with it.
Universal safe zone may also be depleted due to hair pull and pressure created by turban.
Front and sides are most affected areas with skin changes.
What is Treatment for Turban Hair Loss?
Turban alopecia can cause either temporary or permanent hair loss. If the injury to hair roots is not too severe or not too prolonged, you can try to change your hair style or grooming habits. It’s likely that the hair will grow back on its own. You can also try using anagen promoter therapy or a treatment such as platelet rich plasma therapy to encourage the growth of new hair.
If, there are no signs of regrowth despite hairstyle changes and medication, the hair loss related to turban alopecia is most likely permanent. A person suffering from permanent hair loss due to turban can go for hair restoration surgery. The condition of scalp skin and donor hair will determine the success of surgery, so take opinion of an experienced surgeon before planning.
