Question about dreaded white dots

[Shibe]

I know what dots are, but I'm curious as to the extent of damage they cause. If white dots are at the end of the hair, do they turn into splits?

[lapushka]

I grew out from shoulder to hip with white dots all over my hair. Some broke off, yes, but most just sat there and remained intact. I was reluctant (to say the least) to cut off damage. Most of them didn't want to come off, until we did some major S&D at hip, and because half of my hair thinned out from that (I had that many), hair had to be cut back to BSL. But don't freak out over white dots. They don't need to go pronto, if you don't want them gone. :shrug:

[darklyndsea]

I've had some bad white dots. When they're really bad, they split apart so you end up with a hair that splits and then comes back together. But most of the time, they just snap off and then you have a teeny tiny split on the end.

[Anje]

I know what dots are, but I'm curious as to the extent of damage they cause. If white dots are at the end of the hair, do they turn into splits?

Well, for me they break off. Then they morph into splits. :P

[yogagirl]

Well, for me they break off. Then they morph into splits. :P
Same here.

When I used to get white dots, I would bend the hair and right at the white dot the hair would bend at a sharp angle. Just a tiny tug and it would break off at that spot, leaving an end with a white dot. That end will then be very prone to splitting. When I saw white dots at the very end of a hair, I assumed they were where a hair had broken off though I have no way of proving that.

[meteor]

I know what dots are, but I'm curious as to the extent of damage they cause. If white dots are at the end of the hair, do they turn into splits?

White dots (acquired trichorrhexis nodosa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichorrhexis_nodosa)) are symptoms of damage and they can look like this (http://pittsburghcurly.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/white-dot.jpg) or this (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Tricho-hepato-enteric_syndrome_%281%29.jpg/230px-Tricho-hepato-enteric_syndrome_%281%29.jpg).
It looks like an explosion of the cortex at a single point on the hair. If they're at the very tip of the strand, then I think the dot is the point where it already broke off, and now a split end may form there since the end is sort of unraveled, rather than blunt or smooth and tapered.

If you have a few white dots or split ends here and there, I believe it's no cause for alarm. But if you frequently develop new white dots or splits after a good trim, I strongly suggest carefully looking for and eliminating any sources of damage that you may be causing (heat, chemical, mechanical) and reconsidering the routine (it may not be gentle enough or conditioning enough for your hair type).


Well, for me they break off. Then they morph into splits. :P

Yes, I believe that's a very common development. :agree:

[Kherome]

Me as well. (They break and become splits.) They also seem to travel up the hairshaft quite readily if not dealt with immediately upon discovery. Might be dependent on hair type too though.

[endlessly]

I had a friend who once had those white dots on the ends of every single strand of hair and in her case, they did eventually turn into splits. But, even worse, the damage continued to spread upwards, so once she would have the split trimmed off, her new ends would immediately be covered in white dots. Since she went to the salon very frequently, her trusted hairdresser told her that those white dots were a result of damage and in her case, frequent high-heat styling and every day washing/drying plus constant bleaching.

I have a very strange mix of textures in my hair and the only time I ever see the white dot is on my kinky, coarse hairs and since they tend to be considerably weaker, any small amount of damage affects them more than the rest of my hair. Personally, I snip them off and since they occur so rarely, I hardly ever notice their absence.