“When hair loss is caused by styling practices, the problem is usually chronic use,” Lenzy told BlackDoctor.org. “Women who use these styling practices tend to use them repeatedly, and long-term repeated use can result in hair loss.”
In Lenzy’s work with the Black Women’s Health Study at Boston University’s Slone Epidemiology Center, about 48 percent of African-American women reported hair loss on the crown or top of their scalp – that’s out of the 5,594 women surveyed.
“I hope my research demonstrates the prevalence of hair loss among African-American women and creates more awareness of this problem,” Lenzy says.
Davis, according to The Huffington Post, is also concerned with hypertension, breast cancer and diabetes – all issues plaguing the Black community.
“Caring for one’s self and getting care is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of what we should be doing. Our basic kind of responsibility as a human being,” Davis said.