African-American hair is beautiful. It is strong and it is versatile. But for all of those qualities, African American hair is also susceptible to certain kinds of damage that other hair types are not as sensitive to. If you are struggling with hair loss around your edges, you know this fact very well.
First, let’s review why you are losing your edges.
Tight Hairstyles
From Senegalese twists to micro braids these hairstyles provide a wide range of styling opportunities for African American women and are immensely popular all over the world. But these hairstyles pull the hair in position and constrict the movement of the natural hair, causing trauma to the edges or what is technically called the anterior hairline.
Chemical Damage
As readers of this blog, it is more than likely that you wear your hair natural or are taking steps to do so. You are already on your way to correcting the problem as that is an important component in correcting the problem. Hair damage from chemical treatments is one of the leading factors of why women lose their edges. As many of you already know, straight hair has been a hairstyle that African American women have worn for decades. The process uses a chemical to change the pattern of the hair follicle for a period of time. Excessive heat from curling irons, using a rubber band to bind the hair, and a lot of brushing and combing can also cause this style of hair loss. This type of hair damage can cause the hair to break and the ends and become shorter or thin and pull from the edges.
Stress & Unhealthy Lifestyle
Alopecia due to stress happens more often than one might think. Your body responds to stress in different ways and hair loss is one of them.
How to Stop Breaking Edges
You need to immediately stop or correct the above three factors if you have not already done so. Give your hair a break from tight hair styles, limit the chemical process, hydrate your body, work on de-stressing your life. Additionally, there are nonmedical tips you can try and medical procedures available.
Non-Medical Methods To Restore Edges
As with all non-medical methods, nothing is guaranteed or proven and will take a lot of time and patience. However, there are many women who say keeping their hair moisturized helps lessen the breakage along the edges. Apply oils along the edges 3-4 times a week rubbing it into your edges to help promote growth. If damage is minimum, this can help restore some broken hair and help regrow your edges over time.
Medical Methods to Restore Edges
There is also the medical option which is a hair transplant. This is basically a surgical way to implant hair follicles in locations that no longer grow hair. Hair transplant for edges has really grown in popularity in recent years as more woman choose to wear their hair natural.
I hope this post was informative and wish you luck on your hair journey!
AUTHOR: Dr. John Frank
 Dr. John Frank is a Board Certified Alopecia and Hair Follicle Surgeon who has been practicing hair loss medicine for over 15 years. He was a Tight End for the San Francisco 49ers with two Super Bowl wins. He left a booming NFL career to go to Medical School at Ohio State University College of Medicine to study facial plastic surgery and Otolaryngology (Ear, Nose, Throat). He now specializes in hair and scalp reconstruction. He has treated thousands of patients, with a strong interest in treating hair loss and reconstruction for African American women. He has offices in New York and Ohio.
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