Bubble Hair: A Report of Two Cases

    October 2006 in “ International Journal of Dermatology ”
    Darius Mehregan, Lisa Sayoc, Daisy P Ramos, Indira Misra‐Higgins
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    TLDR Excessive blow-drying can cause "bubble hair," leading to hair loss and fragility, but improves when heat use is reduced.
    In the 2006 case report, two women, aged 20 and 42, presented with hair loss and increased hair fragility due to "bubble hair," an acquired hair shaft abnormality caused by excessive heat application from blow drying. The first patient experienced patchy hair loss in the occipital scalp area, while the second had diffuse hair loss. Both had vacuolization of the hair shafts, but no evidence of fungal infection. Upon discontinuing the use of blow dryers or reducing the heat setting, both patients showed improvement in their alopecia at the 1-year follow-up. The report emphasizes that hair shaft abnormalities, though rare, should be considered in patients with unexplained alopecia and that examination of the hair shafts can be a simple diagnostic technique. The condition of bubble hair is characterized by vacuoles within the hair shafts, which can be easily diagnosed by direct examination of the hair under light microscopy.
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