Hair loss in children is actually not very common. However, it is significant enough that nearly 2 million children suffer from at least one form of Alopecia or another in the United States alone. The good news is that at least 60% of children with alopecia will outgrow the condition without need for treatment.As with all forms of Alopecia, a reversal and complete restoration of hair takes time sometimes up to a year or more, but for the vast majority of children, it will spontaneously resolve. The bad news is that 40% won’t have such luck. This can be quite frustrating for the parents and child affected by this often cosmetically embarrassing condition.
Hair pulling or stroking can be a habit for infants and toddlers, just like thumb sucking, sucking on a pacifier, or rubbing a blanket. It usually stops when kids are around two or three years old, just like thumb sucking, although some continue pulling until they are three to five years old. Although you can ignore this habit, since it does sometimes cause some hair loss, you could keep your child’s hair cut short or try to move her to one of those other habits if it bothers you.
Several other names are used when referring to this infection, including ringworm of the scalp and tinea tonsurans. In the U.S. and other regions of the world, the incidence of tinea capitis is increasing.Children with tinea capitis usually have patchy hair loss with some broken off hairs visible just above the surface of the scalp. The patches of hair loss are usually round or oval, but sometimes irregular. Sometimes the hairs are broken right at the surface, and look like little black dots on the scalp. Sometimes you can see gray flakes or scales.
Constant teasing, fluffing, combing, washing, curling, blow drying, hot combing, straightening and bleaching can do a number on the fragile hairs, causing them to fall out, especially around the hairline and along the front and sides. In adults, this is not as frequent a problem, as the hair has grown in strength and quality over several years, but it can pose a problem for our little companions who typically have much thinner, fairer and less dense hair. Styles that apply tension to the hair, such as tight ponytails, braiding, barrettes and permanent waving can also damage the hair.
