Tractional alopecia is a type of hair loss that impacts people who put too much strain on their hair.
It was discovered in the early 1900s by doctors in Greenland who found women with tight ponytails were more prone to losing hair.
Catching it in the early stages can prevent the damage from progressing to a permanent level.
Traction alopecia only affects the parts of your hair that are under strain.
As a result symptoms may be localised to only part of your head depending on the cause.
The signs of traction alopecia can be found in the skin around the hair follicles.
The British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) warns that people may experience itching, soreness and flaking around the scalp.
This may progress into scarring and the loss of hair.
If the hair follicles have been destroyed, the scalp may instead appear smooth and shiny and the hair loss becomes permanent.
There are actions that you can take to minimise or reverse the damage to your hair.
If detected early your hair should grow back naturally.
The BAD recommends changing your hair styles regularly to avoid putting too much strain on a single part of your scalp.
Occasionally wearing a tight bun, ponytail or using a tight sports helmet does not cause permanent damage but doing these continuously over a long period of time can.
Hair risk poses a limited direct medical risk: Bald people are at greater risk of skin cancer from sunlight.
More pronounced is the impact on mental health.
Surveys of people experiencing hair loss report that they feel they have less self confidence, worse mental health and are more likely to describe themselves as ageing prematurely.