Hair loss in children is in reality not very common; nevertheless it is significant enough that about 2 million children have been suffering from at least one kind of Alopecia (hair loss) or another in the US alone.
The good news is that at least 60 per cent of children suffering from Alopecia will grow faster than the condition without requirement for treatments. As with all types of Alopecia, a change and complete refurbishment of hair takes time - sometimes above a year or even more, but for the in the majority of children, it would spontaneously answer. On the other hand, the bad news is that 40 per cent will not have such luck that can be quite troublesome for both; the parents and the children affected by this condition frequently feel cosmetically abashing situation.
One should keep in mind: hair loss in children is generally not because of vitamin deficiencies (unless severe malnourishment is the case), poor scalp circulations, hair-bands, hats, or chilly weather. The majority of the children affected by hair loss do so due to some particular reasons. Any kind of such loss is to be diagnosed by a pediatrician or by some dermatologist.
Here are few of the common hair loss in children
Tinea capitis in children
This is the most common cause for hair loss in kids. It is a condition caused because of superficial fungal infections of the skins of the scalp, eyebrow, and eyelash, with a tendency for attacking each hair shaft and follicle. The condition is considered to be a form of trivial mycosis or dermatophytosis.
Several other labels are used when to refer this infection, including ringworms of the scalp and Tinea tonsurans. In the United States and other regions of the world, the cases of Tinea capitis have been increasing. Children with this generally have patchy hair loss with some broken-out hairs noticeable just above the surfaces of the scalp. The patch of hair loss is generally round or oval, but many times irregular. Sometimes one can notice gray flakes or scales.
Diagnosing condition: The best way for a doctor diagnosing any type of fungal infection of the skin is by scraping the area, and to look at the specimen under a microscope for checking any contains of fungus.
The cure: Tinea capitis is generally treated with some antifungal drug like Griseofulvin that is taken by mouth for about 1-2 months.
Any injury to hair shafts in children
This is another common factor to make hair loss in kids. Often the trauma is because of tractions (constantly worn tight hair-braids, ponytails, etc.) or by frictions (such as rubbing against some bedspreads or wheelchairs, for instance). Chemicals burn is another causative factor too.
Another misinterpreted cause of traumatic hair loss is known as Trichotillomania, a habit of twirling or plucking-up body’s own hairs. Trichotillomania is considered to be an obsessive-compulsive disease, which can be extremely difficult for treating, since the patient generally feels obliged to pluck their own hairs. The hair losses would be patchy, and marked with broken hairs of varying lengths. Within the patches, hair losses are not completed. Some kids with Trichotillomania also have trichophagy, which is a habit of eating the hairs they pluck and kids with this habit, develop abdominal masses comprising of balls of undigested hairs into their intestines.
Diagnosing the condition: This is generally self evident. The patient's parents complain of obsessive hairs’ pulling.
Cure for the condition: Hair pulling is generally treated with cognitive/behavioral therapies or relaxation methods that can be very effective. As long as the hair injuries were not severe or chronic enough for causing scarring, the hairs will re-grow when the trauma is no mor
Telogen effluvium in children
Telogen effluvium is some other common factor that brings hair loss in children. To understand Telogen effluvium, one should understand hair normal-life-cycle. Any individual hair follicle would have a long growth stage, developing steadily growing hair for over 2-6 yr (making it on an average 3 yr).
This is complied by some brief transitional stage (about 3 wk) when the hair follicles degenerate. This, in turn, is complied by a resting stage (about 3 months) when the hair follicles lie dormant. The last phase is known as Telogen phase. Once this has come out, the growth stage starts again -- new hairs start growing and pushing out the old hairs’ shafts and the entire cycle repeats. For most of the people, 80-90 per cent of the follicles are in the growing phase, about 3 per cent are in the brief transition stage, and generally less than 10 per cent are in the Telogen stage. Each day about 50-100 hairs are shed and replaced by newer hairs.
A child with Telogen effluvium, nevertheless, is a victim of something that happens to interrupt that normal life-cycle and to make many or all of the hairs stuck to the Telogen stage. After several weeks, partial or complete baldness come out. The causes include very high fever, surgeries under general anesthesia, overdose of vitamin A, severe and prolonged emotional distress such as demise of any loved one, severe injury, and the use of some prescription medicines like Accutane for acne.
Diagnosing the condition: There are no conclusive diagnostic methods to accurately confirm Telogen effluvium.
Remedy for this condition: Once a stressful event is over, full hair growth generally begins between 6 months to one year. No other treatments are generally advised.
