Late last month, a few weeks after winning her first Grammy for her hit \u201cHrs & Hrs,\u201d Muni Long took to Twitter to let fans know she\u2019d been sick. It wasn\u2019t COVID, exhaustion, or anything stars usually attribute to being down for a number of days. The cause of her prolonged discomfort, she shared, was her wig. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Long revealed that she\u2019d had an allergic reaction from wearing a certain wig and had been \u201csick as hell\u201d for three days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I been sick as hell for the last 3 days. Turns out I was having an allergic reaction to my FOOKIN WIG b*tch. \ud83d\ude02 sittin up here dying tryna be cute. Omg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 My name is MUNI (@munilong) February 24, 2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After more than 23,000 people viewed her tweet, she decided to share further details. While unclear if it was the actual wig or the glue used to hold it in place, the singer-songwriter said once she took it all off, she was no longer in pain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tweets left us wondering what exactly caused her the pain that would leave her ill for that long. Could a wig really make you sick? Board-certified dermatologist Yolanda Lenzy, MD, FAAD of Lenzy Dermatology in Chicopee, Mass. says it was contact dermatitis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s pain in the area where she had the wig,\u201d Lenzy tells ESSENCE. \u201cWith contact dermatitis, you can get pain, tenderness, scaling, redness. Those are the typical symptoms of a contact dermatitis or contact allergen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But sometimes symptoms experienced from hair accessories are more complex than just feeling pain or itchiness. For actress Countess Vaughn, she revealed years ago that her constant use of wigs and glue to keep them in place left her with an oozing scalp and hair loss. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe red flag was the oozing \u2014 from my ears, from my forehead, the whole nape around my head. The pus. It had a horrible smell. It was painful,\u201d Vaughn said during a visit to the show The Doctors in 2014. \u201cI let this go by for six months. What I didn\u2019t realize was I had a bad reaction to the glue that I used to apply the wig, so my hair started falling out. I didn\u2019t want to make the connection. I mean come on, a wig can make you sick? No. No way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Vaughn\u2019s case, Lenzy says she was suffering with a severe form of contact dermatitis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSimilar to patients who have severe eczema, they can have so much itching and scratching that they develop a secondary skin bacterial infection,\u201d she says. \u201cWe call it secondary because the infection is coming from the itching or scratching. It\u2019s not like a primary infection where there was something in the glue that was contaminated. It\u2019s that the reaction is so severe the skin starts to ooze just from the severe inflammation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So what is it about some wigs that could leave our scalps in such great distress? In a time when wigs are, perhaps, more popular than ever, Lenzy shares the ins and outs of contact dermatitis, the impact of methacrylate in common hair products, and why a wig and adhesives you had no problem with today could give you great trouble tomorrow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
01<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adhesives <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe adhesives that are used to fix the wigs, some people use wigs they glue down and some people just use wigs that are attached with the clips that are inside. The ones that are using glue, they have a chemical in them called methacrylate and they are a common allergen for a lot of people,\u201d says Lenzy. \u201cBasically, you can develop something called contact dermatitis which is just an allergic reaction to an ingredient that is coming into contact with the skin. With that you can get itching, scaling, redness, burning. All of the typical symptoms people see with skin sensitivities. So that\u2019s a reason I generally don\u2019t recommend gluing down wigs because you don\u2019t know if you\u2019re allergic to it until it comes in contact with your skin.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
02<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You Can Develop An Allergic Reaction To A Product You Use Often<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou can develop allergies to things you have used with no problems in the past,\u201d Lenzy says. \u201cPatients will say, \u2018Oh I\u2019ve been using this for a long time and never had any problems.\u2019 But you can develop a reaction to things you previously didn\u2019t have a reaction to.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
03<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hair Loss<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWherever you have a lot of inflammation and scratching, you can start to lose hair,\u201d she shares. \u201cIt can grow back because it\u2019s usually more of a temporary situation unless whatever is causing it is not removed or treated properly. You can get continuous inflammation to the point that the hair follicle temporarily goes to sleep and doesn\u2019t produce any hairs. The only time hair doesn\u2019t come back is if any scarring has happened. That usually doesn\u2019t happen unless there\u2019s continual neglect for a long period of time. But generally, it\u2019s a temporary situation. The hair can grow back once what\u2019s causing the issue is removed.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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04<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Early Symptoms to Pay Attention to <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you notice a temporal relationship between when you added the wig and developing symptoms like itching, burning and pain, that\u2019s a strong sign that it\u2019s the contact from that product causing it,\u201d she says. \u201cSo we have to pay attention if we introduce things and find ourselves developing any new types of symptoms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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05<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep Wigs From Being Directly on Your Scalp or Skin <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOne of the things I recommend is you definitely want to protect your edges under the wig,\u201d Lenzy advises. \u201cYou don\u2019t want the wig sitting directly on your scalp or your skin. I recommend the patients use a special headband like the hair grip, so the wig sits on top of that \u2014 it\u2019s like a velvet headband \u2014 as opposed to right on top of your skin. Even if you don\u2019t develop a reaction, consistent wig use will cause damage to your hair follicles and you can end up with traction alopecia.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
06<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rotate Styles to Give Your Scalp a Break<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you have to wear a wig all the time due to a medical condition, when you get home, try letting your hair be free,\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m not a fan of sewing wigs down. Some people go to the salon and get their wig sewed down and don\u2019t take it out until they go to the salon again. I prefer more wig use where people take them off and on daily so they can properly cleanse their scalp and let it breathe.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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07<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Listen to Your Scalp <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe need to listen to our scalp, listen to our skin,\u201d Lenzy adds. \u201cIt will tell us when it doesn\u2019t like something or something is irritating it. Try to do something about it and not expose your hair to the same thing.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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