Wearing a ‘man bun’ can make you go bald as experts warn against trendy style

Boffins are warning that regularly tying locks up into a bun, a style made popular by football legend David Beckham, can lead to hair loss caused by constant scalp tension

Experts are warning against tying hair up into a bun – a style made popular by David Beckham – because it can make you go bald. Top British hairdresser Rachel Valentine said regularly sporting the do led to “traction alopecia”, hair loss caused by constant scalp tension.

Football icon David famously wore a “man bun” in his noughties playing heyday, starring for Real Madrid and England, but a later buzzcut exposed a thinning pate. Ms Valentine said a new variation of the style known as the “messy bun” was currently all the rage but warned it came with risks.

While another barnet boffin, “hair educator” Abbey Yung, warned tightly scraping back tresses into a ponytail can have the same effect.

South London-born supermodel Kate Moss famously rocked the look, earning her hairstyle the cheeky nickname of “the Croydon facelift” because it was so tight it looked like it pulled the forehead up.

Ms Valentine and Ms Yung, whose videos on the subject have gone viral on social media, spoke out on behalf of British clinic UK Hair Transplants.

London crimper Rachel, warning against the trendy look, said: “Some of us are probably guilty of doing it every single day. I know that shoving your hair up in a messy bun is sometimes the quickest thing to do to get your hair out your face, but it’s so damaging in so many ways.”

She said fans of the hairdo suffered “super-tight” tension around the crown area, a key danger area for baldness. And those who bleach their hair blond like Beckham has in the past, are at even greater risk because coloured locks break more easily.

US-based Ms Yung said “tightly pulled, high ponytails” could cause breakage of the roots. She said: “It’s important to remember that wearing these styles once or twice won’t usually cause much harm, but doing them every day can put constant stress on your hair follicles, potentially leading to permanent damage and long-term hair loss.”

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