Will hair ripped out at salon grow back?

[pinkmuffin]

Soo I had extremely long hair and after awhile of not getting it cut I had an extremely bad matted hair underneath. I had about 3 separate matts and I spent days and weeks trying to untangle them. There was absolutely no way to get them out. I had to go to a salon and tried to have them untangle it with a tool. The matts were all the way to the roots and only on the under part. Was this the best way to do this or would have just cutting off at the roots have been better? She forcefully started ripping it out until my scalp was feeling sore and I knew something didn't feel right. She was basically rushing. This was three months ago and I really don't see any new hairs sprouting up or anything from underneath. Is this just slower to grow or do you think my hair is permanently damaged? I heard that by 3 months I should see new hairs? I have been using rosemary oil, coconut and black castor oil on it. My front part of my hair seems to be growing fast and got a lot longer but the back of it just seems the same to me and there are patches still looking like its missing. Near the nape of my neck is where theres a huge missing hole in the center with no new growth. Is this part hard to grow? I'm extremely sad because i loved my hair. I have very coarse thick hair but the under part has always gotten knots and been a different thinner texture. I was thinking about using rogaine on those parts. Will this work for damaged follicles as well? That or nioxin. What should I be doing??
Do you think my follicles are damaged for good or do I need more time? I am so worried if someone could help out please.

[Jo Ann]

I don't know about new growth, Pinkmuffin, but I DO know about mats.

I went through a bad bout of depression and heavy meds about 12 years ago, and, well, I didn't take care of myself very well; as a result, my (then) BSL hair got VERY matted. I had to work patiently from the bottom of the mat, gently combing from the bottom up. Every once in a while, I would gently tug on the mat, to see if it moved, then work from the top, gently pulling the hair out. I worked back and forth like this very patiently, until I got the mat taken care of--usually, the worst part of the mat was the collected shed hairs. By working back and forth between the bottom and top, I could get the hair still attached to my head separated out from the body of the mat. Patience is the key! If you find yourself getting frustrated, set whatever implements you are using DOWN and take a break!

Sometimes, a dab of conditioner or oil can help you work through the mats, but work carefully because the moistened/oiled hair will be a bit more fragile (it will stretch before it breaks).

If you find you ever need to go back to a stylist to work through your mats, pick the one with the longest hair--he/she should be more sympathetic to your lengths and not try to rip through it like a lawnmower through overgrown brush. Forcefully ripping through a customer's hair is NO way to ensure a repeat visit!

[Beeboo123]

Oh god. I would have gone with loads of conditioner or oil, and gotten someone I know to detangle it. I don’t trust hairdressers =[

IMO, the hair will take time to grow back, since they were pulled out by the root. Furthermore, from your description (center of nape of neck, on the base, different hair texture), it sounds like those hairs are baby hairs, which grow very much more slowly. I doubt that the damage is permanent, it’s just going to take time. I used to do some acrobatics which caused my hair there to get pulled out (neck hangs), and the hair took very, very long to grow back.

Rogaine and nioxin will not help. They both have minoxidil as the active ingredient. In hormone-related hairloss, hairs are replaced by increasingly finer hairs. Minoxidil encourages the shedding of these hairs, and for those follicles to produce thicker hairs. However, this only works for the vertex of the head.

Try not to worry too much about it! I’m sure your hair will grow back in time. The damage I had was repeated over a period of several years, but I recovered fully. As yours is a one time thing, I am sure your follicles will be able to recover fully too. Can the bald patch be hidden by braiding your hair down, instead of wearing it in a high bun or ponytail?

[lapushka]

Forcefully ripping probably didn't help much... If next time you have this issue, try and put some oil or conditioner in your hair and try and get it to loosen bit per bit.

Can I ask how come your hair was this matted? :)

If hair has been ripped out, it's not the same as it falling out. It's the same when you epilate... it takes a bit of time. 3 months though... well, you should have seen something.

I'd be a little more patient, maybe?

Or, go see a dermatologist and tell your story there, how long it's been since it's been ripped out. More might be going on. I don't know what country you are in, and whether or not it's easy to see a doctor, but that would be my recommendation.

Good luck to you. :flower:

[ghanima]

pinkmuffin, I am sorry for your hair, I hope it regrows soon. I don't really think it will stay a bald spot.
I tend to make mats in the nape very easily. I wash and comb my hair once a week, and could stretch it longer but when I do, oh the detangling ordeal especially in the nape! so once a week it has to be, mainly to avoid mechanical damage to the hair when I detangle. It's already a stretch, and when my hair will be longer I will have to find some other way, possibly.
Next time, yes put on a nice movie, oil the hair and all comfy on the sofa, with patience, finger detangle the mat. Or something I found that worked incredibly well some time ago when I helped a friend unknot his dreadlocks was to use a woolen needle. Most important, lots of oil or of detangling spray. Hairdressers don't have the time or patience or mentality to do this kind of things properly, sigh!

[Anje]

I think it takes a while, several months, for a follicle to reset and regrow a hair. There's a resting phase after hairs shed naturally, and it would make sense that a follicle that saw its hair forcefully removed would go through one at least as long as a normal telogen period, which runs about 3 months. So don't give up hope just yet!