What caused my hair loss, Vioxx or Traction Alopecia due to hair bonding?

I have always had long, beautiful, healthy hair.  I wanted to highlight my hair with a different color.  My beautician recommended hair bonding instead of dyeing my hair a different color.  May 1999, I started the bonding process.  I was really pleased with the outcome and I decided to continue to have my hair bonded with the different color.  October 1999, I began taking Vioxx for a medical condition.  February 2000, I have experienced tremendous hair loss.  Without any warning, my hair started falling out.  Where ever my hair was bonded, I have no hair.  I founded out Vioxx can cause alopecia (a very small percentage of people that were studied experienced alopecia) and hair bonding can cause traction alopecia.  As a result, I do not know which one caused my problem.  What I want to know is will my hair grow back and if so, is there anything that I can do to speed up the process?  I have discontinued the Vioxx and the hair bonding.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Faye:

It's hard to say, because there's barely a drug in the Physicians Desk Reference which doesn't list "alopecia" as a side effect "in a small number of patients."

I think traction alopecia is much more likely, especially because you say the hair loss is mainly where you had the bonding.  Your hair is almost certainly going to grow back, because traction, unless far more prolonged than yours was, does not destroy the follicle.

Best.

dr. R