Premature Balding In Children: Causes And Treatments

All of us have experienced hair loss at some point of our life, whether or not it be during being pregnant, after delivery, or maybe while you live far from home due to studies or job. We always tend to blame the hard or chlorinated water, pollutants, pressure of work and health issues for our hair loss which can be true in most instances.

Premature Balding In Children

You are reading this topic means you are a mother who is very much concerned about your child’s abnormal hair fall or unusual thinning of hair. Here is a good news. About sixty percent of children affected with alopecia are found to get back to normal without undergoing significant treatment.

Before finding solutions for hair fall, we should know about the hair growth cycle.

What Is The Hair Growth Cycle?

There are three stages in the growth and shedding of the hair.

1. Active phase: This is the growing phase of hair. The length of the hair is determined by the years the active phase lasts. The hair in the area like arms, leg and eye lashes have very short active phase hence they are shorter than hair on the scalp. The hair on the head has the growing or active phase which lasts for three to five years normally. People with very long hair are blessed with long active phase
2. Transitional stage: At this stage the growth stops. The root sheaths start to shrink and get affixed to the root of the hair. At this stage hair is called club hair. This stage lasts for maximum eight to ten days
3. Resting phase: This is the phase in which hair fall occurs. During this stage hair follicle will completely undergo rest. Club hair formation is completed and then the hair starts to fall and the follicle remains inactive for around three months. Normally about 25 to 100 hair in this phase is lost from a healthy head per day

Then after the rest of around three months, the active phase of hair starts and the cycle go on and on. For a normal person with no health issues eighty to ninety percentage of follicle will be in the growth phase, five present follicles are in the transitional stage, and ten to fifteen percent are in resting phase. When the growth cycle is altered or disrupted for some reason, all these proportion is altered significantly causing abnormal hair fall.
Do you know the fact that hair loss and balding is not essentially the matter of men and women? Even though it is not common, children also are found to be affected by hair loss.

What Causes Result In Baldness In Children? What Are The Remedies For Premature Balding In Children

The cause of alopecia for your kid may vary from simple to complicated reason. Like, sleeping on the same side night after night resulting in the appearance of bare patch on that side to other notable conditions such as:

1. 1. Tinea Capitis:
      • This is the most common fungal infection among children which results in hair loss. The hair breaks close to the scalp result in small bare patches which slowly join together to form large round bare patches. As the hair break close to the surface it looks like a black spot in the scalp. Mild itching and scaling are observed in some cases
      • This is caused by ring worm, fungi that invade the scalp of your child
      • Infection is transmitted by sharing towels, combs, hats, hairbrush and pillows with the infected child
      • Usually, anti-fungal treatments are prescribed by the doctors
   2. Telogen Effluvium:
      For some reasons the growth cycle of hair is changed remarkably the hair in the growth phase is converted into the resting phase. This gives rise to the greater degree of hair shedding. Here, instead of bare patches thinning of hair throughout the scalp occurs.
      Getting more hair on your child’s brush during combing or finding the clump of hair in bath room may be an indication for your child having Telogen Effluvium.
      • This condition develops immediately after your child gets through a severe fever, surgery, or prolonged emotional stress
      • Since this is not an infection, it is not transmitted
      • No treatment required. Once the reasons that triggered Telogen Effluvium subsides, the hair thickness will return to normal between six months to one year

1. 1. Alopecia Areata:
      Alopecia is the medical term for hair loss. Hair lose can be partial or complete. When the loss of hair is in patches, it is termed as alopecia areata. About one in every thousand children are found to have alopecia areata.
      • When the hair in the entire head is lost, it is called alopecia totalis. If your child did not undergo proper treatment the chances of the Alopecia areata developing to alopecia totalis increases
      • In Alopecia, areata round or oval bare patches which are, glossy and smooth appears suddenly can say literally overnight. The scalp looks healthy devoid of any scarring. Complete regrowth of hair will happen within a year
      • The cause of alopecia areata is still unknown. Even though it is proved that stress and food habits has nothing to do with this disease. Some researchers think that it is caused when the body’s immune system attacks the hair follicles. It is seen that alopecia areata runs in some families also shedding lights on its genetic chances
      • Alopecia areata is found to be non-contagious
      • Doctors prefer no treatment to Alopecia areata. They usually advice watchful waiting because there are every chance of regrowth of hair without any treatment Alopecia areata after three months(recalling the growth cycle helps you to understand any regrowth of hair can’t be occur within three months)
   2. Trichotillomania:
      This is also known as hair pulling disorder, and can be seen commonly in kids.
      • Some children develop irresistible urges to pull out their own hair leaving patchy bald spots. They usually practice it while watching TV, when feeling sleepy, when they are anxious of something, when they feel insecure etc.
      • Hair will grow back when they stop the habit of pulling the hair out
      • There is no approved medication. The best treatment is to pay no attention to his behavior. Try to spend more time with your child and try to resolve whatever bothers him. If needed, you can take advice from a child psychologist to stop the hair pulling habit
   3. Traction Alopecia:
      • This condition is found more in girls. Ill-treating hair by constantly putting tight ponytails or wearing tight braids or traumatizing hair by combing very hard or blow drying will affect badly on your child’s fragile hair causing them to fall out. The hair loss usually occurs along the hairline.
      • Handling your child’s hair gently and using the hair style that apply less tension on the hair itself is an appropriate treatment.
   4. Other reasons:
      There are some other reasons that may result in hair fall in children. Take them as an indication to diagnose the related health problem and seek treatment as soon as possible.
      • If your child develops a thyroid problem hair fall will be one of the indication
      • Hair fall may be the signal to a severe nutritional problem
      • Losing hair shows the iron deficiency in children
      • Chemotherapy and radiation used in the treatment of cancer kill hair follicles. The child undergoing chemotherapy sheds almost all of his hair. But no need to worry as it all will grow back when the treatment is stopped

There can be many reasons that your child is losing hair. if you feel concerned about the loss of your child’s precious strands, it is advised to see your child’s paediatrician.