Children With Hair Loss, What you Should Know.
Children with hair loss face so many challenges in life as well, and we will point some of those here in this article and how parents or guardians can protect children with hair loss with either further damage or fix/stop current hair loss.
Hair loss has been a problem of almost every modern-day adult.
Most often we see men moving around the streets with a bald head. This problem has been there for years and various solutions have come up to deal with it.
The cause of concern is that not only adults, kids are also suffering from hair loss and the number of kids suffering with the problem is alarming and should be taken seriously.
Let alone in the United States more than two million children are suffering from this problem and the number of affected children is increasing day by day.
This problem has been looked over previously because the parents think that it is just a normal hair loss and it will stop after some time. This leads to a lot of hair fall among kids and when this get noticed, most of the hair are already shed off. Children with hair loss lack confidence and suffer a lot of problems because of that.
There are plenty of reasons for why children suffer with hair loss. There are different types of hair loss too and all of them are because of different reasons.
All these types of hair loss have to be dealt with different methods and are to be done with proper attention given to the little one. The different types of hair loss which are common among children are as follows.
Tinea Capitis
This is more of a fungal infection in the hair scalp. This type of hair fall is visible as small patches on the head of the child.
These patches are due to a contiguous fungal infection that works like a ring worm on the head which produces scaly, ring like lesions to form.
The area on the head which is affected by this infection looks like a hole or a patch on which hair don’t grow at all.
This hair loss in children is visible properly and looks very bad to be honest. Children.
Medical researches show that there are various types of Tinea capitis and they are caused by different types of infection causing fungus.
The conditions include tinea capitis, tinea favosa (favus resulting from infection by Trichophyton schoenleinii), tinea corporis (ringworm of glabrous skin), tinea imbricata (ringworm resulting from infection by Trichophyton concentricum), tinea cruris (ringworm of the groin), tinea unguium or onychomycosis (ringworm of the nail), tinea pedis (ringworm of the feet), tinea barbae (ringworm of the beard), and tinea manuum (ringworm of the hand).
These all types of fungus effect the hair loss in a different way. Children with hair loss suffering from Tinea capitis are diagnosed by just looking and observing the hair patch that has been caused and it is confirmed by using ultraviolet light to check the presence of the fungal infection of the head.
Treatment of Tinea Capitis
The treatment of Tinea capitis generally is of 4-6 weeks of duration and the treatment is based on the dosage of antifungal infections medications. These medications are to be prescribed by the doctor and are in no case should be taken by own consent.Â
The most common medication of treatment of Tinea capitis for children with hair loss is griseofulvin. This is a medication that has been used for a long time and has been very popular among doctors for the treatment of Tinea capitis.Â
This medicine has proven to be the one of the best ones for its treatment. The medicine dosage from expert physicians and doctors is prescribed to be that of 20-25mg/per day and the dosage can be either single or divided.Â
This amount of dosage has proven to be the best in most of the cases and has surely helped in treating Tinea capitis among children with hair loss.Â
There are also new modern medicines that have replaced griseofulvin and are also effective in the treatment of Tinea Capitis. Medicines like itraconazole, terbinafine, and fluconazole are being used these days for the treatment of this infection.
Prevention of Tinea Capitis
Preventive measures have to be taken in order to reduce the chances of someone catching up the same infection. Since it’s a fungal infection, the preventive measures are easy to follow and do not require very much effort.Â
The basic idea is to not get in direct contact with the affected child. As this is a fungal infection, children suffering from this may cause it to spread to other children around them.Â
So care should be taken that the affected ones have different combs and use different towels so that it does not spread. These things might seem too small to be taken into consideration but these affect in a big way and can help in reducing chances of your child catching this infection.
Alopecia Areata
Alopecia Areata is just another worse form of Tinea Capitis. In this form of hair loss, there are more than one patches on the head of the child.Â
Children suffering from hair loss with this disease have a forehead full of patches, where there are no hairs. This hair loss problem is different from Tinea Capitis in a lot of ways.Â
First of all, the hair loss in this condition occurs just in a matter of few days and patches emerge very quickly.
However, the patches that are on the head of the child are not inflamed but are smooth.
The reason for this type of hair loss in children is that the immune system of child mistakenly thinks that some hair follicles are of outside and attack those hair follicles in order to prevent damage that the immune system thinks it can do.
This is a disease that is very rare among children and only affects 1 out of 1000 children suffering from hair loss. Since the number of children suffering from it are less, this does not mean that the problem is less serious.Â
This problem is also treated with medications but the problem is, that there is no fungus or bacteria that is causing the problems, it is the immune system of the body that is causing problems and hence it is very tough to fight this disease.
Treatment of Alopecia Areata
As mentioned earlier, the treatment of Alopecia Areata is very difficult as the problem is caused due to malfunctioning of the immune system. Therefore, the treatment of the same is to be done very carefully so as to protect the immune system too.Â
Therefore, there is currently no rock solid cure for children suffering with hair loss due to Alopecia Areata.Â
The treatments for reducing the effect of Alopecia Areata include use of medications like corticosteroids which are powerful drugs that can suppress the immune system of the child.Â
These medications are send into the body by various means that include using local injections and topical ointment application or even orally. Yet it comes with its problems.Â
Suppressing the immune system may cause in problems such as immune system of the child becoming weak. Weak immune system can cause a lot of other diseases in the child and treating one thing can be very risky for the body.Â
Therefore, it is advised that the guardians of the child must consult with a lot of doctors for going this way for the treatment.
Other treatments include the use of minoxidil, Anthralin, SADBE, and DPCP. These medications may not prevent the hair loss of children and may not prevent the formation of new bald patches, but what they can do is increase the growth of hair and this may help in grow hair on bald patches to cover them up.
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Prevention of Alopecia Areata
There is no certain prevention method of preventing your child from this disease as it is caused by the malfunctioning of the immune system.Â
But if your child is suffering from this problem there are somethings that you can do to prevent the problem from getting worse.
Children suffering from this must be protected from getting in contact with direct sunlight and long exposures to sunlight must be banned, and if it is necessary to go out in the sun, then the child must wear a sunscreen.Â
Moreover, wearing glasses in the sun is a bonus. Also the prevention can be done by wearing something on the head, like wigs or scarves.Â
These things will protect the child from the sun and will help and will protected the affected area of the head.
Telogen effluvium
Another form of hair loss among children is Telogen effluvium. This is a kind of a hair loss in which the normal hair cycle is interrupted. Generally, about 10 to 15 percent of your child’s hair are in Telogen phase.Â
Telogen phase is a resting phase of the hair of your child and lasts about 100 days on the scalp and more for the hairs of other parts of the body like eyebrows, eyelash, arms legs etc.Â
Telogen effluvium is a stage in which most or all the hair on your child’s head are thrown in Telogen state.Â
This is the reason of baldness in some children. This transfer of all or most of the hair into telogen phase causes partial or complete baldness in children. And that happens over a period of month or weeks.
This disease is caused due to a number of problems and that include severe emotional stress, extreme fever, the stress of general anesthesia, vitamin A overdose, injury, side effects of a medication.
Things like severe stress in child’s mind at a very early age cause various complications and hence it may also lead to Telogen effluvium. Hence it is mandatory for parents to keep a check on the child and make sure that child is not suffering from any mental stress.
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Treatment of Telogen effluvium
Treatment of Telogen effluvium does not need any kind of medication mostly as most of the things can be fixed by small things.
In most cases Telogen effluvium is self-correcting. It tends to go away within 6 to 12 months. But to increase the chances and reduce the time of the self-correcting period some things can be done.Â
Proper nutritious diet can be one of them. Children suffering from hair loss due to Telogen effluvium must be given proper nutritious diet and must be fed properly.
Their diet must include all the necessary vitamins and minerals that are important for the growth and nutrition of any child. Moreover, proper care of the hair must be taken in this phase.Â
Hair must be given full attention and must not be dealt with harshly as they are already thin and already suffering with a weaker scalp.Â
Moreover, you can give your child multivitamins so that the deficiency of some of them is fulfilled and your child is healthy. Healthy children will most likely recover faster from this problem than others.
Prevention of Telogen effluvium
There is no as such method of preventing hair loss in children suffering from Telogen effluvium but there are preventions that help in faster recovery.
As all the hairs of the child are in Telogen phase, it is necessary that the hair of the child are cared much more than they had been cared before. It is necessary that no force is applied in pulling the hair because the hairs are too weak to handle that.
Pulling the hair can cause permanent damage, so it is necessary that you take care of your child properly so that your child does not suffer from it.
You must comb the hair of your child very gently. A very gentle approach towards this problem is very effective and will give the best results. It is necessary because the hairs are temporarily in this stage and will eventually come out of this.
Children with hair loss problems due to this condition need special care and proper attention from the parents in order to recover fully and rapidly and hence as a parent it’s your duty to do that.
Hair shaft Trauma
Hair shaft Trauma is the only form of hair loss that is not caused with some fungi or an infection. Children with hair loss due to Hair Shaft Trauma do not suffer from any disease but this occurs due to the constant pulling force that is applied to the hair.
Constant hair pulling results in hair loss among children and is very common among them. The reasons for this can be many. As a parent, you might be putting a very tight pony tail on your child’s head.Â
This constant pulling force may not cause hair loss suddenly but is the reason behind hair loss in children in most cases. Since the hair are pulled, they tend to get more and more weaker from the roots and chances of hair being removed completely from the hair follicle is more.
This pulling force on the hair can also be because of your child pulling hair by himself/herself. Your child might be pulling hair due to any other reason.Â
The reason can be frustration, emotional stress or any kind of pain he/she is suffering from. It is your responsibility as a parent to make sure that you do not let your child suffer from any kind of emotional stress and be with him/her in hard times
Treatment of Hair Shaft Trauma
Treatment of Hair Shaft Trauma is to change your habits immediately once the cause is found out. If the cause is because of those tight pony tails.Â
Stop doing them and make the pony tails on your child’s head weaker and softer so that your child does not suffer from hair loss.
Constant Suffering from Hair Shaft Trauma may lead to permanent damage to the hair of the child and may cause hair to not grow at all.Â
Once the habit of making tight pony tails is removed, hair will automatically start growing and you will see results in some months.
Moreover, you must feed your child with a balanced and nutritious diet so that the hair of your child grow faster and are denser than they were previously. Hence it is your duty to keep a check on these.
Prevention of Hair Shaft Trauma
Prevention of Hair Shaft Trauma in children with hair loss is simple and straight forward.
Eliminate the cause of the hair loss. Do not put very tight knots or pony tails on your child’s head as this will cause to hair to become weaker from the root and will cause hair loss.
Also please take care of your child, do not let him/her suffer from any emotional or mental stress that he/she may have been suffering from.
This emotional stress leads to child pulling hair causing Hair Shaft Trauma.Â
Make sure your child is not in any problem that is affecting him/her emotionally and if he/she is, help him get out of that problem and prove your role as a parent. Establish a proper emotional relationship with your small one and make him/her believe that no matter what happens to him, you will be with him/her always.
Remember, precaution is always better than cure and if you as a parent or a guardian are able to prevent bad things from happening to your child, your child will surely not suffer from these problems and will live a happy and healthy life.