Of course, a sudden hair loss in a child is an alarming symptom for his parents, primarily because usually at this age it is nonsense. However, it should be emphasized that alopecia in children is not such a rare occurrence. The only thing that can soothe a little in this situation is the fact that at a young age, hair grows again over time. So why does such an ailment as alopecia in children still have a place to be? The fact is that there are many reasons for baldness. At the slightest sign of baldness, you need to contact a pediatrician, who, together with other specialists (trichologist, neurologist), will prescribe the correct treatment.
So, let's move on to a practical consideration of the question of why alopecia occurs in children.
Causes
One of the most common explanations for why a child has hair loss is the presence of an oncological disease.
It must be emphasized that although a cancerous tumor is the root of the problem, it is often the drugs that are aimed at the treatment of oncology that become the cause of childhood baldness.
Alopecia in children, the causes of which can only be diagnosed by an experienced specialist, often has a telogen nature. As a rule, this type of baldness most often occurs in a child who has undergone surgery the day before and has experienced emotional stress against it. As a result, he began to lose weight and his temperature often began to rise.
In babies suffering from telogen alopecia, as a rule, hair loss occurs continuously for several months. However, six months after the peak stage of the disease, hair in the bald areas begins to grow again.
Trichologists attribute this to the fact that for the stress factor, the dormancy stage sets in: it is replaced by the active growth factor.
Signs
Alopecia in children is a consequence of such a common ailment as ringworm of the scalp. Its signs are easy to identify: scaly borders, itching and hair loss. However, this does not mean that ringworm is accompanied only by these signs. It also happens that peeling and itching are absent, and the hair does not fall out, but it becomes brittle. All this also indicates that the person is infected with ringworm.
Various kinds of infections, the sources of which are pathogenic bacteria, can also provoke baldness, while in scientific terms this is called "dermatomycosis of the scalp, accompanied by desquamation." The cause of the above ailment is staphylococcus aureaus.
Characteristics of some types of alopecia
Trichologists distinguish another type of baldness - the so-called "traction alopecia", when the hair on the back of the head is thinning.
As a rule, this happens to babies when they constantly rub their head on the crib. Tractional alopecia is often found in children who regularly tuck their hair into tight braids and ponytails. This disease is more characteristic of girls.
Also, experts consider focal (nest) alopecia, which is an autoimmune pathology, characterized by complete hair loss both on round and oval parts of the head, as a type of baldness. A sign of this variation of the disease is absolutely smooth skin without any redness and dandruff. However, in patients suffering from alopecia areata, depressions on the nails unusual for a healthy person are observed. As a rule, this disease is diagnosed in patients no older than 25 years.
It must be emphasized that focal alopecia in children is not the most dangerous type of baldness: over time, hair begins to grow on its own.
Much more serious damage to health is caused by complete baldness of the skin. Total alopecia in children is characterized by absolute hair loss not only on the head, but also on the eyelashes and eyebrows. It should be noted that the period of remission lasts a very long time, while the hair cells are destroyed by the action of a special substance - perforin, secreted by blood lymphocytes. As a treatment for this pathology, immunosuppressive drugs (cyclosporin, corticosteroid hormones) are used.
Other factors contributing to hair loss
In addition to the above reasons, there is still a huge arsenal of others: prolonged depression, poor heredity, poor ecology, and more. Some types of pathologies can also lead to the fact that doctors report baldness in a small child. They primarily include: thyroid ailments, lupus erythematosus, iron deficiency anemia, an excess of vitamin A, diabetes mellitus.
Treatment: general recommendations
Today, medicine still has not revealed all the secrets of why a person goes bald. At the same time, science can offer a fairly solid set of drugs and tools that eliminate the problem under consideration.
The treatment of alopecia in children should in no case be carried out without qualified medical assistance. Today, trichologists have concentrated tremendous efforts in order to create new, modern and at the same time highly effective drugs that eliminate hair loss.
In the fight against childhood baldness, the waiting method is very often used. In other words, the doctor suggests that the parents wait a little longer with the treatment, because the exact diagnosis has not yet been made: it happens that after a year the hairline is restored on its own. However, such cases do not occur so often. In particular, this is focal alopecia in children, the treatment of which may well include a waiting method, since the hair in problem areas subsequently grows on their own.
The specific treatment depends on the diagnosis.
One way or another, but the doctor must make an accurate diagnosis of the pathology of his patient. Often, he does this together with his colleagues. An individual approach should be used in the treatment of each patient. What medications most often appear in a prescription for hair loss?
First of all, these are psychotropic drugs and nootropic drugs. To strengthen immunity, trichologists advise eating as many vitamins of groups A, B and E. as possible. Treatment of alopecia in children with complicated forms involves the use of special injections of medications that contribute to high-quality blood flow in problem areas. Since the hair follicles in them are “at rest”, the task of the trichologist is to activate his work.
Specialists resort to the use of corticosteroid drugs only for complicated forms of hair loss.
A very common way to combat baldness is the use of the Darsonval apparatus and ultraviolet radiation on the affected skin. In some cases, to achieve an even greater effect, the above alopecia control agents are combined with chemotherapy.
Do not self-medicate
Specialists very often prescribe a substance such as artalin in the fight against hair loss.
It is impossible to use it without the doctor’s recommendations, otherwise its improper use can provoke a severe form of dermatitis. This method of treatment is considered one of the complex and time-consuming. It is optimal to use it at home, but under regular medical supervision.
Doctors in certain cases advise using immunomodulators as a method of treating alopecia in children. However, it is also important to emphasize here that they cannot be used independently, without consulting a specialist.
Conclusion
It must be remembered that the problem of hair loss should be addressed immediately, since hair is one of the main indicators of a state of health and to keep them is your "holy" duty.
Of course, a sudden hair loss in a child is an alarming symptom for his parents, primarily because usually at this age it is nonsense. However, it should be emphasized that alopecia in children is not such a rare occurrence.