Children’s Hair Loss
Hair loss is a very sensitive issue when it comes to children, this condition can occur in young innocent members of the society. Alopecia (hair loss) is actually not very common in children. In the United States alone, almost 2 million children suffer from a specific type of alopecia. Medical practitioners have confirmed the good news that at least 60% of children affected with alopecia will just resolve itself without any treatment taken. However, 40 percent of which will probably be bothered by such devastating condition making the parents of the child to be frustrated and worry.
Hair loss or alopecia in children can be caused by inflammatory diseases or conditions, trauma, medical condition side effects, and in effect with chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
*”Children’s Tinea Capitis” is a fungal infection of a child’s scalp. When this occurs, the child begins to itch and scale his or her scalp which often leaves a visible patch of skin on the head. This fungal infection is generally contagious. Children having this type of fungal infection are treated with antifungal creams and sometimes oral antifungal medications are recommended. Washing the child’s scalp twice a week with selenium sulfide shampoo seems beneficial to shorten the course of tinea capitis.
*”Children’s Trichotillomania” is an irresistible urge to pull one’s hair which results in irregular visible patches on the head. This is considered to be an emotional disorder and can make the child to be its habitual act. Trichotillomania can mostly happen to depressed, dejected and frustrated children or in any way that the child has emotional and psychological deficiencies. Parents can be of a great help to this condition by ignoring the act which is hair pulling and by focusing more on the emotional inadequacy of what the children are enduring.
*”Children’s Alopecia Areata” is a prevalent form of patchy hair loss condition in children. Children with this condition show a totally bald part on the scalp, most often in circular patches with no signs of inflammation, redness or scaling. Alopecia areata is not contagious and is caused by psychological stress, hyperactive disorders, foods, or the results from nervous breakdown. However, there is no proven treatment for this type of hair loss condition; most children with alopecia areata grow new hair within 12 months.
*”Children’s Traction alopecia” is another common cause of hair loss among children. This can happen mostly to girls, with constant tight hairstyles and other physical aggressions applied to the hair like successive curling, teasing, blow drying, fluffing, combing, bleaching and straightening. All these aggressors can certainly cause hair to fall out especially around the hairline and along the front and sides.
*”Children’s Telogen effluvium” normally occurs in infants when they shed the mature hair and replacing it with a baby hair. Although studies show a much older child can also experience this type of hair loss condition usually a few months after an illness, it has been said that the hair growth cycle is disturbed with many hairs moving from a growing state to a resting state. Telogen effluvium can show extreme visible patches on the head, although there are no significant chances of irritations, redness and inflammation shown. The hair usually grows back between 3 to 6 months.
