Trichoptilosis (from the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
τριχο- ''tricho-'' "hair" and the New Latin ''ptilosis'' "arrangement of feathers in definite areas" from the Greek πτίλον "feather"), schizotrichia, and informally split ends, is the splitting or fraying of the hair-shaft due to excessive heat and mechanical stress.This condition occurs when the outer layer of the hair is damaged and the hair fibre divide into two or more strands.
Types of Split ends
Double split
The most common type of split ends, where the single hair forks into two.
Feather split
In this type of split ends, the hair appears feathered at the end, with multiple splits splaying out.
Tree split
In this type, the ends branch out multiple times, resembling branches of a tree.
Knot split
The hair has a bulb at the end, becoming thicker at the tip.
Causes
Thermal
A thermal column (or thermal) is a rising mass of buoyant air, a convective current in the atmosphere, that transfers heat energy vertically. Thermals are created by the uneven heating of Earth's surface from solar radiation, and are an example ...
,
chemical
A chemical substance is a unique form of matter with constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Chemical substances may take the form of a single element or chemical compounds. If two or more chemical substances can be combin ...
or
mechanical
Mechanical may refer to:
Machine
* Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement
* Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations o ...
stress can cause split ends. For example, the use of
curling iron
A hair iron or hair tong is a tool used to change the arrangement of the hair using heat. There are three general kinds: ''curling irons'', used to make the hair curl; ''straightening irons'', commonly called ''straighteners'' or ''flat irons'', ...
s and other heat treatments may cause split ends. Excessive application of
hair products such as
perms and
hair coloring
Hair coloring, or hair dyeing, is the practice of changing the color of the hair on humans' heads. The main reasons for this are cosmetic: to cover gray or white hair, to alter hair to create a specific look, to change a color to suit preferen ...
may strip protective layering off the outside of the hair's shaft and weaken the hair, making the hair prone to split ends. Mechanical stresses include pulling a
comb
A comb is a tool consisting of a shaft that holds a row of teeth for pulling through the hair to clean, untangle, or style it. Combs have been used since prehistoric times, having been discovered in very refined forms from settlements dating ba ...
forcefully through tangled hair and repeated combing. Split ends can be a symptom of
copper
Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
transport disorders such as
Menkes disease
Menkes disease (MNK), also known as Menkes syndrome, is an X-linked recessive disorder caused by mutations in genes coding for the copper-transport protein ATP7A, leading to copper deficiency. Characteristic findings include kinky hair, growth ...
and
occipital horn syndrome. Rubbing the hair up towards the scalp does not cause split ends.
See also
*
Trichorrhexis nodosa, sometimes referred to as "
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
hair", is caused by a genetic condition.
References
Human hair
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