What are the signs and causes of hair loss in children

Excessive hair fall, thinning of hair and bald spots are not only concerns of adults, children too suffer from hair woes. Look for signs and identify causes that are leading to your child's hair loss. With proper treatment hair loss can be reversed and your child's hair can be restored.

Symptoms

Look for these signs to determine whether your child is suffering from hair loss.

• Bald patches on the head.
• Loss of hair from the entire body
• Excessive hair loss but not complete fallout
• Spots of broken hair and scattered hair loss

Causes

• Alopecia areata - This condition results in oval patches of hair fallout from certain portions of the head. It is a noncontiguous condition that appears when the body's immunization attacks the hair follicles. About 25% of affected kids also suffer from ridging nails.
• Tinea capitis - Also known as ringworms of the scalp, this is a type of fungal infections that are often seen in children. It causes oval shaped scaly spots on the head due to breakage of hair and the remaining roots seem like black spots.
• Telogen effluvium - If your child has undergone some kind of trauma, be it physical or psychological, it can cause the hair follicles to enter into the resting phase and within 6 to 16 weeks excessive hair loss occurs leaving your child partially bald.
• Trichotillomania - Stress or anxiety can cause your child to pull out his/her own hair. This results in scattered hair loss and broken hair which is prominent on the sides of the head.
• Lack of nutrients - Nutritional deficiency can cause hair loss if your child lacks vitamin A, B complex and biotin it can trigger hair fall.

Hair fall in children is common and treatable if they are of medical causes. Sometimes rubbing and playing with hair can also cause hair loss so parents are advised to look into all the probable causes that might lead to shedding.

'Consult'.

Related Tip: What is the Most Effective Hair Regrowth Treatment??