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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ensions-lead-permanent-baldness.html?ITO=1490
Hair extensions 'can lead to permanent baldness'
By Pat Hagan
Last updated at 1:16 AM on 01st January 2009
Thinning locks: Victoria Beckham's hair doesn't look too lush
Women who use hair extensions risk developing permanent bald patches, skin experts have warned.
It follows research which shows some women start to lose their hair within a week of having false strands fitted.
Dermatologists say the extensions, which are attached to a person's real hair by glue, weaving or braiding, put such tension on follicles in the scalp that they can become inflamed causing hair to fall out - a condition known as traction alopecia.
As a result, many women are left with permanent bald spots because the damage to follicles is irreversible.
The research, which has been published in the British Journal of Dermatology, also stresses that the problem could be far more common than reported.
Even women who had no visible signs of hair loss after wearing extensions had considerable underlying damage to the scalp when examined more closely, dermatologists from the University of Miami in Florida in the U.S. and Bologna University in Italy found.
Fears over the growing use of extensions first hit the headlines two years ago, when Victoria Beckham was photographed with a sizeable bald patch after years of sporting false hair.
Kate Beckinsale, Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears have also all been spotted with thinning hair after using extensions.
Last night, hair experts called for a ban on the popular accessory, which costs between £300 and £1,000 depending on the quality of the hair and the technique used to attach it.
Barry Stevens, from the Trichological Society, which represents hair specialists in the UK, has appeared as an expert witness in a number of court cases involving women who have suffered permanent baldness after wearing extensions.
Several were later awarded thousands of pounds in damages from their hairdressers.
He said: 'This is a very real problem-Hair extensions should be banned because they are no good at all.
'I've been involved in two cases recently and in both the claimants were successful.
'I've had people in tears at my clinic over this. The extensions can destroy the follicles so that hair cannot grow back.
'Women using extensions may not be aware of the presence of traction alopecia. But with time this becomes permanent alopecia.'
In recent years, demand for hair extensions has risen by an estimated 40 per cent and is now worth several million pounds to the UK economy each year.
Although false hair can be fixed by weaving or braiding, clip-on extensions have also proved increasingly popular.
However, many women opt to have extensions glued or fixed on to their own hair with hundreds of tiny metal tubes.
Mr Stevens added: 'My advice to women is stop using them. Hair normally regrows but eventually the follicles become so damaged that they only produce very fine hair or none at all.'
