Update: In addition to potentially making you go bald, man buns could get you in trouble at Brigham Young University's Idaho campus. The school's Student Honor Office has announced that man buns fall under “extreme hairstyles” and those who wear them could face disciplinary action, reports the student newspaper Scroll. According to BYU-Idaho's campus-attire standards, hair "should be clean and neat, avoiding extreme styles and unnatural colors.” It should also be noted that the school, which is affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, bans caffeinated coffee and tea as well — so Brooklyn hipsters, take note.
This story was originally published on September 25 at 5:30 p.m.
This story was originally published on September 25 at 5:30 p.m.
In the great man-bun debate, it looks like Team Clean-Cut just moved ahead. According to Mic, the topknot is causing traction alopecia — a dermatologist interviewed on the site says he sees it once or twice a week. Maybe Leonardo DiCaprio was privy to this news before we were...
"Traction alopecia refers to hair loss secondary to continuous strong, tight, pulling hair styles," Francesca Fusco, MD, a dermatologist at Wexler Dermatology, told us. "It is commonly seen around the hairline, but can happen anywhere. It usually appears after months or years of tight hairstyles. The pull or traction traumatizes the hair follicle, damaging it irreversibly so it can't grow hair anymore."
The bun, "man" or otherwise, isn't the only style that's cause for concern, warns Dr. Fusco. Basically, if you wear your hair pulled back in some fashion often, you should be wary. This means topknots, braids, ponytails, weaves, the works. "Wearing ponytails with rubber bands can cause breakage at the site where the band rubs the hair shaft — I see lots of women with this; they say their pony has gotten skimpier," Dr. Fusco continues. "Cornrows and weaves — if too tight and done continuously — can lead to traction alopecia as well."
But just because you throw your hair into a bun once in a while does not mean you're at risk of your hairline receding. The key here is how often you wear these styles, and how tight you're pulling the hair. On top of topknotting with care, Dr. Fusco says using shampoo and conditioning products that hydrate both the scalp and hair is important. "A healthy scalp provides the base for healthy hair. Ingredients like sunflower oil, almond oil, coconut oil, like in Clear Scalp & Hair shampoos and conditioners, will nourish the scalp and hair."