Traction Alopecia: Assessing the Presentation, Management and Outcomes in a Diverse Urban Population.

Traction alopecia (TA) is a type of hair loss caused by repetitive tension placed on the hair follicle. An IRB approved retrospective study was conducted at a single institution located in the Bronx, NY. The review identified 216 unique TA patients and collected information on demographics, patient presentation, history, physical exam, treatment, follow-up, and disease improvement. Almost all patients identified as female (98.6%) and most were Black or African American (72.7%). The average age was 41.3 years old. Patients reported hair loss for an average of 2 years and 11 months prior to presentation. Most patients experienced asymptomatic hair loss. Around half (49.1%) of the patients attended a follow-up with 42.5% of these patients noting improvement in hair loss or symptoms across all visits. Duration of hair loss was not associated with improvement in hair loss at follow up visit (p = 0.23).