There are numerous causes of hair loss in children which differ from the adults. The fact of the time is that a number of children are suffering from hair loss problem. To cure the problem of hair loss completely, you need to know the real root cause of hair loss. All these causes of sudden hair loss in children may be checked with the consultation of your pediatrician or dermatologist. Some of these conditions are listed here as below:
One of the most common causes of hair loss in children is Tinea Capitis (ringworm of the scalp) which is caused due to a superficial fungal infection of the skin of the scalp, eyebrows, and eyelashes. The ailment is termed as a form of superficial mycosis or dermatophytosis. Children suffering from the disease generally have the patchy hair loss and the patches of hair loss are either round or oval. It has also been seen that at times the hair are broken and found on the scalp in the form of black dots. The disease is also known by a host of other names like ringworm of scalp and tinea tonsurans. In the US lately, more and more instances of the disease have come in the light.
The diagnosis of the disease is the first step in the direction of the right treatment of sudden hair loss in children. To diagnose the causes of hair loss in children, a Wood’s lamp test is carried out to determine the fungal scalp infection. This test is typically carried out in a dark room where ultraviolet light is arranged and focused on the affected area.
The disease of Tinea Capitis is basically treated with the antifungal like griseofulvin, which is administered in the mouth of the child for at least eight weeks. The disease may also be treated by the shampoo namely Nizoral. With this shampoo, the affected area of scalp of the child is washed at least 3-4 times a week. For best results, the use of oral medication and shampoo is recommended for at least eight weeks. However, if the treatment is not taken consistently for the entire period, there are chances that you won’t get any results.
Alopecia Areata is another disease that has struck children lately. It occurs with sudden appearance of various sizes of patches of hair loss. They come without any signs of inflammation or broken hair. The patches continue to appear over a period of time. The disease is believed to occur due to the child’s body’s immune system that attacks hair follicles. As per stats, one in every 1000 children is suffering from Alopecia Areata.
When it comes how to stop hair loss in children, there are a number of solutions and treatments are available and with proper treatment, children may have all of their hair back within a period of one year. However, for better results, children should be kept under the observation of a dermatologist. The bad news about it is that as much as 5 per cent of children may develop Alopecia Totalis which may cause falling of all the hair from scalp. Others may also suffer from Alopecia Universalis which may cause total loss of body hair.
With all these solutions and treatments available, you can very well attack the causes of hair loss in children and control them effectively.