Bubble hair deformity is damage of the hair shaft, resulting in patches of short weak brittle hair, that feels rough.[1]
It is typically caused by chemicals and heat; temperatures greater than 125 °C on wet hair, such as with the use of hair dryers, hair straighteners and curling tongs.[2]
Definition
Bubble hair deformity is damage of the hair shaft, resulting in patches of short weak brittle hair, that feels rough.[1]
Cause
It is typically caused by chemicals and heat; temperatures greater than 125 °C on wet hair, such as with the use of hair dryers, hair straighteners and curling tongs.[2]
Mechanism
Bubble hair is characterized by rows of bubbles seen microscopically within localized areas of the brittle hair.[3] These air-filled spaces occur in the cortex of the hair shaft that correspond to the breakdown of keratin and local air expansion triggered by hot water passing through the shaft.[2] There may be an inherited predisposition.[4] It can be associated with trichorrhexis nodosa and trichoptilosis.[2]
^ abcdJames, William D.; Elston, Dirk; Treat, James R.; Rosenbach, Misha A.; Neuhaus, Isaac (2020). "33. Diseases of the skin appendages". Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology (13th ed.). Edinburgh: Elsevier. p. 766. ISBN978-0-323-54753-6.