PicoDash

IT'S the celebrity hairstyle of the moment. 

Rihanna, Kate Hudson and Hailee Steinfeld and a host of stars sported the top knot look at last week's Met Gala in New York.  

But copying this red carpet favourite could lead to permanent hair loss, a leading UK hair transplant surgeon has warned.

Wearing hair in tight ponytails, pigtails, or braids over time can cause trauma and damage to the area where the hairline meets the forehead, says Dr Edward Ball.

The pulling force can cause a form of gradual hair loss called traction alopecia. 

Men with a penchant for a man bun are also at risk.  

Reality TV star Calum Best has previously revealed he underwent three hair transplants after pulling his hair too tightly into a ponytail caused him to go bald in his early 20s. 

The top knot is back: Rihanna wowed at the Met Gala on Monday

Ultra-tight, scraped back hairstyles have been adopted by women for years to appear more youthful and has even acquired its own slang term: Croydon facelift. 

The look has been favoured by model Kate Moss (who coincidentally hails from Croydon) and was also once popular with former X Factor judge Cheryl and singer Katy Perry.

The look occasionally pops back into fashion among the A-list, with Sienna Miller, Nicole Kidman and Victoria Beckham all having paraded face-lifting ponytails. 

RELATED ARTICLES

• Previous
• 1
• Next

• Three quarters of women risk missing out on children because... The baby girl whose face is being squashed by a birthmark:... Why sleep tracking apps are BAD for your health: Study... Want to know how good you are in bed? Smart condom will rate...

Share this article

Knot concerned: Actresses Kate Hudson (left) and Hailee Steinfeld (right) went for the sleek look at the annual fundraising gala

High brow: Candice Swanepoel (left) and Kate Bosworth (right) opted for a wrinkle-smoothing hair do on Monday

Jennifer Lopez (left) and Ashley Graham (right) also went for tight up dos at the New York event

However Dr Ball, of The Maitland Clinic, warned the damage can be irreversible without surgery.

He said: 'The persistent traction, or pulling, can cause inflammation around the follicle,' he explained.

'This can cause scarring which will permanently damage the follicles and lead to long-lasting loss of the hair.

'If you catch traction alopecia early enough then some hair loss may be reversed. 

'But in many cases it is an irreversible process and once the hair has fallen out the only option is a wig or hair transplant.'

Victoria Beckham, Nicole Kidman and Alex Gerrard have all opted for the tight knot or pony tail

As well as tight hair dos, over-styling and over-brushing the hair can also cause problems.

He added: 'Many people will be surprised to learn how easy it is to damage the hair through traction alopecia.

'Your hair doesn't need to be pulled back to a point where it is painful - if you wear it particularly tight and for a long period of time, for instance as a dancer, then you run the risk of hair loss. 

Dr Edward Ball says prolonged tension on the hairline may induce follicular inflammatory changes that are irreversible

'The loss will be most evident around the forehead and temples, where the most force has been applied to pull the hair back. 

'Very sleek ponytails where the hair is pulled tight have been a common style for a while now, so it's no surprise we are seeing more and more women coming to us with signs of traction alopecia and requesting help.'

And men are not immune to the problem, as the trend for man buns is also causing a spike in the problem. 

Reality TV star Calum Best, son of footballer George Best, suffered from traction alopecia by pulling his hair back too tightly into a ponytail.

He underwent three hair transplants to rectify the problem.  

'The same is true for men, as styles such as the 'man bun' become increasingly popular,' said Dr Ball.

Calum pictured after his third hair transplant in two years (left) and before (right)

'The message is that if you are aware that you wear a tight hairstyle, it's important to give your hair a rest.

Just last month, Britain's Got Talent street-dancing star George Sampson, 23, revealed he had a £9,000 operation to repair his locks after head-spinning left him balding.

TYPES OF HAIR TRANSPLANTS 

There are currently two main methods of transplant surgery.

Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT) or 'strip' surgery involves removing a thin strip of hair-bearing skin from a permanent area of the scalp, where hairs are genetically programmed to continue growing for life.

This is the 'donor area', and it's done under local anaesthetic. Using high-powered microscopes, healthy hair follicles are harvested from this piece of scalp tissue and transplanted into an area of hair loss, the 'recipient area', using very fine forceps.

The whole process can take between 4 and 12 hours. The newly-implanted hairs will begin to grow through after around four months.

Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) can restore hair loss without removing a thin strip of hair, therefore avoiding a linear scar.

This method extracts individual follicular units directly from the scalp, leaving only tiny dot scars.

The surgeon next makes microscopic slits in the patient's scalp, and the individual grafts will be implanted.

Like FUT, only local anaesthetic is required for FUE. A typical FUE treatment would involve extracting up to 2,000 grafts and could take 10 hours.

The new hairs will begin to grow approximately four months after surgery, and will continue to grow through for the next 10 to 15 months.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3IpbCmmZmhe6S7ja6iaKCVlrm1tI6aqa2hk6GyboCTcGlyaWRkn6q0wKelmmWjYrivu9Nmo6inm2K6orfEZnl6hHRisrm8xKurZq%2BRp7u0esetpKU%3D