Alopecia areata in children: causes and treatment

What's happened

A characteristic feature of focal (area) alopecia is local bald patches with clear rounded boundaries. Baldness begins suddenly. Within twenty-four hours the first bald spots appear on the child’s head.

Alopecia areata is most often diagnosed in children aged three to twelve years. Baldness in babies during the first twelve months of life does not cause much concern among doctors. This situation can be explained simply. The baby lies in a crib or stroller for a long time and rubs the back of his head on the bed.

For toddlers (1.5–2.5 years), alopecia areata is most likely a consequence of the habit of touching and twirling curls on fingers. No medical treatment is required in this situation. It is important for parents to wean their child from this habit by distracting him to more interesting activities.

Baldness in children over three years of age is caused by multiple factors, the main ones being: infectious skin lesions, genetic predisposition, and a weakened immune system.

For children over six years of age and adolescents, alopecia areata is the result of a prolonged state of stress and nervous tension. Stress at school, stress, and fatigue provoke active hair loss. It is important to monitor the child’s psycho-emotional state in order to seek help from specialists if necessary.

Please note that both boys and girls are equally susceptible to baldness.

Types of alopecia in children

I distinguish the classification according to the etiological factor:

Congenital. A rare type of alopecia. The reason is the lack of embryonic formation of hair follicles. The result is that the child has no hair in this area from birth. This pathology rarely occurs as a monoform; more often it accompanies more severe defects (congenital epidermolysis bullosa, endocrinopathies).

Lack of hair follicles leads to baldness on the scalp in children

Transient or physiological. It is typical for children in the first 2-3 months of life. This change is explained by the fact that the child is lying on his back for a long time, and the main load goes to the back of the head, which leads to its “rolling out” and baldness. However, this opinion is disputed, because Baldness of the back of the head also occurs in children sleeping on their stomachs. In view of this, an opinion has been expressed about physiological increased fragility of hair at an early age.

The distinctive features of physiological alopecia are the absence of any health problems. The process is temporary, baldness affects only the back of the child’s head, and the hairline is quickly restored.

Alopecia areata in children. The causes of this hair loss are autoimmune diseases. When there are disturbances in the immune system, the body begins to produce antibodies to its own cells (in this case, to the cells of the hair follicle).

The clinical picture is accompanied by the appearance of one to several areas of baldness on the scalp of a round or oval shape. Sizes from 2-3 cm to 10-15 cm in diameter.

The skin in the affected area is smooth, smooth, shiny, without peeling or hyperemia. The holes where the hair shafts were are widened. The hair along the periphery of the lesion is broken off, short, thickened, and is easily removed, increasing the area of ​​baldness.

Seborrhea is a dysfunction of the sebaceous glands on the scalp. Overproduction of viscous sebaceous secretion leads to the formation of a plug and the occurrence of an inflammatory reaction. Damage to the follicle is accompanied by a violation of hair trophism. As a result, it becomes thin and brittle.

• Atrophying. Occurs exclusively in women over 35 years of age. Occurrence in children is casuistry.
• Telogen effluvium. After excluding all possible options, this diagnosis is made. Its peculiarity is that the hair, after its natural aging, dies, but a new one does not form in this place. The reasons for this phenomenon are unknown.

Clinically, seborrheic alopecia is manifested by the formation of flaky crusts at the base of the hair. Characterized by severe itching. After hair breaks off, an area of ​​baldness remains, expanding as the disease progresses.

Causes

For children in the first year of life, baldness is a physiological process. It is provoked by constant lying (especially on one side). As a result, the baby’s not yet strong hairs roll out, forming bald patches.

As a child grows older, the following causes of alopecia areata in a child can be identified:

• infectious damage to the body (chickenpox, pneumonia);
• mechanical thermal damage to the skin;
• weakened immune system;
• helminth infection;
• fungal skin infections;
• state of stress, nervous overexcitation;
• diabetes;
• lack of vitamins in the body (vitaminosis);
• genetic predisposition;
• trichotillomania (a pathology in which, due to stress, he pulls out his own hair).

Acquired alopecia

In infants, baldness can be due to acquired diseases, or due to trauma to the hair.

Diseases that can cause hair loss:

1. Infectious diseases (syphilis, malaria, typhoid). Depending on the disease, treatment is prescribed by an infectious disease specialist or a dermatologist-venereologist.
2. Hypovitaminosis. Lack of vitamins A, C, D.
3. Dystrophy. The child is not eating properly. If he is on breastfeeding, it means that the nursing mother needs to reconsider her diet, increase the amount of protein foods, and additionally take special vitamin and mineral complexes.
4. Fungal skin lesions. At the site of hair loss there is redness and peeling of the skin. For treatment, special antifungal drugs are used.

To find out the exact reason why your baby’s hair began to fall out, you need to consult a pediatrician. In the future, he can redirect the child for examination to an infectious disease specialist, gastroenterologist or dermatologist-venereologist.

Kinds

Depending on the nature of the manifestations of alopecia, several types are distinguished:

1. Local baldness , in which isolated bald patches appear, without changes to the skin.
2. Band-shaped alopecia is a pathology in which hair begins to fall out from the back of the head, gradually moving towards the temples and ear area, forming bald patches in the form of a band.
3. Subtotal baldness is a process of hair loss in which individual areas of bald patches merge together.
4. Total alopecia is the complete absence of hair on the head.
5. Alopecia universalis affects not only the hair on the head, but also on the body.
6. Seborrheic alopecia most often develops against the background of a dermatological disease.

What is alopecia

Alopecia in children is excessive hair loss that can lead to the formation of receding hairlines and even complete baldness.

If a child under 2 years of age has slight hair loss, then you should not be alarmed, because the usual baby fluff must be combed out during movements and replaced with stronger and stronger hair. In case of serious baldness or excessive hair loss in adulthood, we recommend that you consult a pediatrician, because you need to establish the true cause of such phenomena.

Types of alopecia:

1. Complete or total. When there is no hair at all on the dermis. Indicates serious disorders in your baby’s body.
2. Congenital, when newborns are born without hair on their hair. Children have no hair follicles. This alopecia is associated with changes in the mother's body.
3. Telogen effluvium. The loss does not occur immediately. First, the hair stops growing, and then gradually disappears from the top of the head (while the follicles themselves remain). As a rule, this condition is associated with injuries or surgeries, overdose of vitamins and medications. Over time, when the body recovers, hair growth will resume.
4. Standard alopecia. Hair loss occurs in a certain area of ​​the head - the back of the head, forehead, temples, and the hair follicle is destroyed. Such phenomena are associated with malfunctions of the immune system, previous diseases and severe nervous disorders.
5. Alopecia areata. Refers to autoimmune diseases. It appears as bald patches in the shape of an oval or circle in different parts of the hair. It is not dangerous, because after a certain time the hair resumes its growth.

Important point! To identify alopecia areata, look at your child's nails. If they have non-standard grooves, then most likely the child has this type of baldness.

Diagnostics

At the slightest sign of baldness in a child, it is important to show the child to the pediatrician as soon as possible. Since active hair loss can be provoked by various factors, the doctor, after an initial examination and based on the results of the research, issues a referral for consultation with specialists in narrower fields - to an immunologist, gastroenterologist, allergist, child psychologist, neurologist.

Diagnosis of alopecia areata in a child involves examination using the following methods:

• general blood test, as well as studying biomaterial for the presence of helminths, streptococci, lamblia;
• ultrasound examination of the thyroid gland, the results of which determine the level of deviations in the balance of hormones in the body;
• stool analysis for dysbacteriosis, helminthiasis;
• enzyme immunoassay helps determine the presence of microorganisms and bacteria;
• trichogramma;
• scalp biopsy;
• computed tomography (used for particularly severe lesions).

Prevalence of the problem

Hair loss on the scalp in children in the first decade of their life is quite common. Although such a pathology has one characteristic symptom, it can be caused by a variety of provoking factors.

And before you start restoring the thickness of your baby’s hair, you need to determine what caused the problem. If this is not done, then the drugs and methods for strengthening the strands may be selected incorrectly and therefore will not help.

It is also necessary to pay attention to the conditions under which an increase in the number of lost hairs is observed. In some children this happens mainly when scratching, while in other children they lose hair while bathing. If hair falls out during sleep, you can see a lot of it on the pillow.

In children 6-7 years old, the problem of baldness often arises in stressful situations. At this age, the child’s psyche is improving, and any external change can provoke various pathologies.

A trichologist is closely involved in the condition of the hair; through tests and other procedures, he determines the cause of weakening or disruption of the functioning of the hair follicles.

And based on all the diagnostic data, examination and history taking, he selects a treatment regimen that is effective and safe for the child’s body.

If the examination reveals a somatic disease, then consultation with doctors of relevant specialties - pediatrician, neurologist, endocrinologist - will be required.

Treatment options

The success of treatment for alopecia areata in a child is determined by several factors:

• timely consultation with a doctor;
• A complex approach;
• individual treatment program for each child.

The process of treating baldness is very long and complex. Only by following all the doctor’s recommendations in full can you achieve positive results.

The treatment process involves the use of the following techniques:

1. Exposure to irritants.
2. Vitamin therapy.
3. Taking steroid drugs.
4. Physiotherapeutic methods.

Irritants

At the initial stage of development of the disease, irritants are used: alcohol tinctures of pepper, onion, garlic. The purpose of this technique is to activate the process of blood circulation in the tissues and strengthen the hair follicles.

Taking vitamins

Vitamin therapy is very important in the treatment of baldness in a child. By saturating the body with the necessary elements, you can activate the process of new hair growth.

Particular attention should be paid to preparations with a high content of biotin (source of sulfur), retinol, ascorbic acid, tocopherol, panthenolic acid.

Steroid drugs

When alopecia areata is in an active stage, injections of steroid drugs (for example, Prednisolone) are indicated for young patients.

Important! Steroid drugs are approved for use in children over fourteen years of age.

When the process of baldness enters the regression stage, treatment therapy is supplemented with another drug - Minoxidil. This is an ointment, the application of which helps restore damaged hair structure and strengthen hair follicles.

Physiotherapy

The purpose of this technique is to strengthen hair follicles and normalize blood flow to certain areas of the scalp.

The most effective and popular procedures:

• Darsonvalization involves a targeted effect on the skin of a high-frequency current that activates the growth of new hair follicles.
• Laser therapy activates the process of regeneration of damaged cells and the formation of new hair follicles.
• Cryomassage - provokes a sharp narrowing and expansion of blood capillaries, as a result of which blood circulation in the tissues is normalized and hair growth is activated.
• Electrophoresis helps to better penetrate the necessary nutrients into the scalp, activating the process of new hair growth.

Traditional methods

Parents often ask how to treat children with hair loss at home and whether it is possible to get rid of the problem only with folk remedies. It all depends on the diagnosis.

In any case, we categorically do not recommend self-medication. But with the permission of a doctor, some folk methods can be used as an aid to speed up the healing process.

What can harm

It should be noted that not all popular folk remedies for baldness can be used to treat children. Very often, recipes include quite aggressive components:

• vodka or alcohol;
• mustard powder;
• ground red pepper;
• garlic or onion juice.

These components are excellent for improving blood circulation and helping to awaken dormant hair follicles, but they will greatly irritate delicate baby skin and can only worsen the situation.

Herbal infusions

The components used to treat baldness in children must act gently and also be hypoallergenic. Therefore, it is best to use herbal infusions as masks or rinses. To prepare them, you need to pour two full tablespoons of the crushed selected plant with half a liter of boiling water, simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes and let it brew for up to 2 hours.

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The best results can be obtained from using:

• calendula;
• coltsfoot;
• burdock root;
• nettle leaves;
• chamomile flowers;
• hop cones;
• Calamus rhizomes.

Instead of the irritating effect of aggressive components, a manual head massage is an excellent way to improve blood circulation and at the same time calm the baby’s nervous system.
If you do it after the oil has been applied to the skin, it will be able to penetrate deeper and the effectiveness will increase. The procedure is harmless, so it can be done every day. The best time is before bed. This will allow your baby to completely relax and relieve stress. And the oil applied to the skin will work all night, restoring damaged hair.

Important! Under no circumstances should head massage be done for skin diseases: seborrhea, lichen, etc. This way you can quickly spread the infection throughout the head

If the integrity of the skin is not compromised, then you can make hair masks 1-2 times a week. In warm base oil (apricot, almond, flaxseed, jojoba) dissolve a few drops of essential oil: rosemary, lavender, cypress, verbena, coriander, mint. Apply the mask to the scalp, rub it into the roots with your fingertips for a few minutes, wrap your head in cellophane and insulate it with a terry towel. After 20-30 minutes, rinse with warm water and baby shampoo.

Preventive measures

You can prevent the development of baldness in a child by following simple rules of prevention:

• monitoring the baby’s health status and timely treatment of diseases;
• organization of nutritious and varied nutrition;
• monitoring compliance with the daily routine;
• Tight braiding for girls is prohibited.

Alopecia areata in a child is a signal that a malfunction has occurred in the child’s body. Only timely diagnosis of the pathology that caused baldness, a competent approach to treatment and strict adherence to the recommendations of specialists will help restore the thickness and health of hair.

Alopecia symptoms

The symptoms of alopecia in children are somewhat different from the signs of baldness in adults. They depend on the type of illness. Here are the most common of them:

• with focal alopecia, circles without hair appear on the hair;
• with total alopecia, there is no hair at all, and there is no hair at all on the body, in particular in the eyebrow area and on the eyelid;
• the root of the hairs thickens, and along the length they become thin, so they often break;
• in the bald area, itching and keratinized scales of the epidermis appear;
• change in the overall structure of curls.

Children over 7 years old

There can be quite a few reasons for loss, the main ones we have already listed earlier. Sudden loss may be associated with adaptation to school, hormonal age-related changes, severe fatigue and workload at school, and lack of vitamins.

So, we have figured out the reasons for the hair loss, but we still have to find out an equally important answer to the question - the child’s hair is falling out, what should I do?

INFLUENCE OF STRESS ON HAIR LOSS

Stressful situations and psychological problems can also trigger excessive hair loss on the scalp. This is most often noted when the child turns 6 or 7 years old.

At this age, most children go to first grade, which means they are faced with an unfamiliar team, new rules of behavior and daily routine.

For many children, this is a very difficult time; adaptation is often very difficult, causing disturbances in the functioning of the nervous and other systems.

Constant psychological stress leads to the fact that the child’s body is constantly in good shape; accordingly, the hair follicles shrink and, as a result, receive a minimum of nutrients, which negatively affects the strength of the hair.

Adaptation gradually ends during the first year of training and by the end of this period the hair again becomes strong and completely healthy.

On the other hand, parents should pay attention to in what situations the child loses his curls.

Medicine knows a disease called trichotillomania.

This is a pathological mental disorder in which a child involuntarily not only tugs at his hair, but also twirls it around his fingers and pulls it out.

If this is observed in children of kindergarten age and children 6-7 years old, then you need to know that the main cause of the disease is a trauma that is severe for the child’s psyche. And here you cannot do without the help of a child psychologist.

PATHOLOGICAL CAUSES OF HAIR LOSS

In the event that a child’s previously strong hair loss has been observed for several weeks and the condition of the hairstyle only worsens, it is necessary to exclude the negative impact of internal and external irritants on the scalp.

Among the most common causes of baldness in a child, there are several:

1. RINGWORM. The disease develops when two types of fungi penetrate the skin - Trichophyton and Microsporum, which cause all changes in the skin. In places where fungal spores develop, almost perfect round spots, devoid of hair, form.

   
   A characteristic feature of lichen is that the hair does not fall out completely, but only breaks off, leaving “stumps” of several millimeters on the head. The area of ​​baldness can be single or multiple. In addition to the scalp, bald spots are also noticeable on the eyebrows. When examining the skin in areas of fungal development, it looks rough, and there are many white scales on its surface, and an inflamed corolla is often located along the edge. Ringworm is one of the most contagious diseases and children from 3 to 13 years of age are most susceptible to it.

2. ALOPECIA AREA – the appearance of large areas completely devoid of hair. With alopecia, there are no remnants of curls left, and the condition of the skin does not change.

   
   Externally, such a spot looks completely smooth and matches the color of the rest of the skin. Foci of alopecia can appear literally overnight; there are many reasons for such a pathology, and in order to quickly cope with the problem, you should undergo an examination as quickly as possible.

3. TELOGEN EVA TYPE OF BALDING. When the hair follicles are in normal condition, hair begins to grow, develops and falls out in several cycles. The last cycle of a hair's life is called the telogen phase; during this time, the hair is at absolute rest and after some time must be replaced by a new hair. If the old hair falls out and a new one does not begin to grow in its place, then this condition is called telogen effluvium.

   
   Most often, the cause of this pathology is a lack of essential vitamins, especially vitamin A, psychological stress, surgery under general anesthesia, severe intoxication of the body, and prolonged febrile syndrome.

4. DISRUPTION OF INTERNAL ORGANS. Impaired functioning of the kidneys, liver, intestines, and stomach. These diseases can affect the fact that incoming nutrients are not completely processed and absorbed by the body and therefore there is not enough nutrition for the hair follicles.
5. LACK OF VITAMINS. Acute and long-term lack of the most basic microelements and vitamins. Most often, hair begins to thin intensively due to a lack of calcium, zinc, magnesium and B vitamins.
6. HORMONAL IMBALANCE. A malfunction of the endocrine system organs leads to various pathological changes in the body, including a pronounced deterioration in the condition of the child’s hairstyle.
7. ALLERGIC REACTIONS. Hair loss is not a typical sign of allergies, but if the child is allergic, then this reason for the appearance of a cosmetic defect in the hairstyle cannot be completely excluded. In some cases, the problem may appear after a course of drug therapy and most often it goes away after the components of all medications are completely removed from the body.

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If your child is experiencing increased hair loss, you need to determine how to care for your hair.

Severe trauma to the strands and hair follicles themselves occurs when combing improperly and roughly, when using too hard and tight elastic bands, and all kinds of hairpins.

The condition of the hair follicles is also negatively affected by the high-intensity electromagnetic field, into the zone of influence of which the child falls when playing at the computer, often using a mobile phone and tablets.

Treatment with folk remedies

When using traditional medicine to improve the condition of hair, it is important not only to choose the right product, but not to cause harm.

You can't do:

• Use any substance without making sure that it is allergically safe for the child (carry out a simple allergy test - apply it to the crook of your elbow for 15 minutes);
• Use essential oils;
• Treat the baby’s head with aggressive substances (onions, garlic, hot peppers, etc.);
• Keep the mask, application, oil on your hair for a long time.

It will be useful to wash your hair with egg yolk, yogurt, natural kvass, and birch sap from time to time.

Let your child’s health be blooming and his hair beautiful and well-groomed!

If there is a lot of hair left on your brush after brushing, you may be experiencing hair loss or hair breakage. What to do if your hair falls out and breaks? Read about methods for restoring curls.

Why hair condition worsens after childbirth and why hair loss occurs, you will learn further.

Treatment

What should you do first if the problem of hair loss in your family has become urgent?

First of all, you need to consult with a pediatrician; the doctor will prescribe the most necessary tests and send you for a consultation with specialized specialists - a trichologist, a dermatologist, an endocrinologist.

But if you see that the signs of baldness are more reminiscent of ringworm, then you should immediately contact a dermatologist. This way you will prevent the fungus from being transmitted to healthy people.

After identifying the main problem of baldness in the baby, proceed as follows:

• Take medications if the doctor sees a need for it. Complete restoration of the functioning of internal organs, getting rid of parasites, fungus and improving the condition of the immune system help the hair become stronger and acquire natural beauty.
• Correct nutrition. A child of any age should eat a varied and healthy diet. Dishes should mainly be prepared from natural products; it is recommended to use less various flavor enhancers. Plant products, greens, lactic acid products, nuts - these types of foods should be on the baby’s menu at all times. It is also necessary to monitor what the baby drinks. The best solution to relieve thirst is regular water, naturally it should be filtered.

• Minimize the negative impact of stress on the child’s psyche. Ideally, a child should never experience expressed negative emotions. If a child is faced with the death of a loved one or has experienced violent acts, then he needs the support of loved ones and a psychologist, and a course of taking a number of medications. The sooner you seek help in this situation, the fewer pathological changes in the nervous system the child will have. During the period of 6-7 years, it is necessary to create such conditions for learning in which the child will be happy to attend school. And here emotional contact with mom is important.
• Organize the daily routine so that every day the child spends at least an hour outside. Outdoor games and exercises in the fresh air, cycling, skiing and sledding not only improve appetite, but also have a positive effect on the psyche and the functioning of the most important internal organs. In this case, you need to ensure that your child spends no more than 30 minutes watching cartoons or on the computer.
• Perform a scalp massage. Use your fingertips to apply light pressure, as if rubbing the body. It is better to do a massage before bed; it soothes and increases blood flow to the head, which naturally has a positive effect on the functioning of the hair follicles.

• Provide proper hair care. You only need to wash your child’s hair with special baby shampoos, and you can rinse with filtered water with the addition of lemon juice or a small amount of table vinegar. When combing, you do not need to pull the strands; it is advisable to always use a wooden comb.
• They make masks that have strengthening properties. The mask recipe needs to be selected so that it does not contain components that strongly irritate the scalp. Honey, egg yolk, kefir or curdled milk, aloe juice, some vegetables and fruits have strengthening properties. Masks are made in a course consisting of 7-10 procedures.

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An integrated approach to eliminating hair problems most often allows you to achieve a positive result in a few weeks.

The fact that the prescribed treatment is helping will be indicated by the appearance of new hairs in the areas of alopecia, an improvement in the condition of the skin itself, and fewer curls remaining on brushes and combs when combing.