Health

Ponytails are a real headache

A ponytail can be a real pain...
A ponytail can be a real pain... A ponytail can be a real pain...

A tight ponytail can be a real pain if the hairstyle is part of your look.

Ponytail headache was first identified in a paper in the journal Headache in 2004, which found 50 out of 93 women reported headaches after wearing a tight ponytail.

According to the authors, the problem occurs as the ponytail pulls on the tendons and other tissue in the scalp. In most cases loosening the ponytail reduced pain within half an hour. Another consequence is traction alopecia — hair loss mostly from the front of the scalp.

"Hair follicles are designed to deal with the weight of one hair strand at full length — beyond that, we start to put pressure on the follicular unit," says Eleanore Richardson, a spokesperson for the Institute of Trichologists.

"Hair starts to grow weaker until the follicle gives up and the body reacts by scarring over it — at which point the hair won’t regrow."

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