Shirley aiming to boost black hair knowledge
By Vic Motune From The Voice
Trichologist helping African Caribbean women to better understand scalp condition
A LEADING trichologist has created an infographic after realising that many of the African Caribbean women she worked with were poorly informed about their hair.
Shirley McDonald, a registered trichologist with the Institute of Trichologists who also runs her own practice in Hendon, London and Birmingham realised she needed to take action after conducting a small survey which found that there was little knowledge about some of the most common hair and scalp disorders that affect black men and women.
McDonald told The Voice: “More than half of those sampled had little understanding of the many disorders that could affect African Caribbean hair and scalp, and their main causes. Hair loss resulting in permanent scarring can occur through chemical and mechanical trauma including relaxers, braids and weaves. The women need educating about this.”
The infographic uses simple jargon-free language and details the six most common afro hair and scalp disorders, including traction alopecia, seborrheic dermatitis, folliculitis nuchae (bumps to the nape area) and telogen effluvium.
Speaking about why so many black women continue to use hair products that exacerbate these types of conditions, McDonald said: “Many continue because they believe what they read and if the product states it will grow hair, cure baldness and stop itching, then they will continue to use it.
Others prefer to ignore the problem simply because they want to achieve a desired style. There’s a certain acceptance with hair practices. When I ask patients if they felt their hair was too tight when braided they said yes, but accepted this as the norm stating that it would last longer. Long term, braiding hair tightly can cause permanent hair loss because the hair follicle has miniaturised as a resulting of scarring.”
SCARRING
She continued: “Some types of hair loss are temporary but conditions like traction alopecia can lead to permanent scarring where the hair will not return due to the miniaturisation of the hair follicle. Given the popularity of weaves and braids, it is not surprising that this is one of the most common conditions that affects African- Caribbean women.
“It is for this reason that micro pigmentation (medical tattooing), where natural pigments are applied at the top layer of the scalp to replicate the natural appearance of real hair follicles or strands of hair has become more popular with Black women and has been added to our roster of services.”
IMAGE: ADVICE: Leading Afro hair trichologist Shirley McDonald says that many people don’t understand the pressures that their hair and scalp are succumbed to
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