Alopecia In Children - Causes, Classification, How To Treat?

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Alopecia in children

Alopecia in children is thinning or absolute loss of hair on the child's head with impairment of further hair growth. Often their loss occurs in parallel with the loss of eyelashes and eyebrows. The area of alopecia varies; around its lesions, the hair shafts become significantly thinner and break. To determine the true cause of alopecia in childhood, a visit to a trichologist is necessary.

According to statistics, alopecia in children is not as common as baldness in adults. The disease affects no more than 3% of children. However, this is not a reason for the loss of the relevance of this pathology in pediatrics and dermatology. Most often, alopecia in a child is characterized by high intensity, and with timely and competent treatment, it can be successfully corrected.

Content:

• Causes of alopecia in children
• Classification of alopecia in children
• Symptoms of alopecia in children
• Diagnosis of alopecia in children
• Treatment of alopecia in children
• Prevention of alopecia in children

Causes of alopecia in children

Hair loss in childhood occurs under the influence of certain factors that affect the normal functioning of the hair follicles.

Possible causes of alopecia in children include:

• Hereditary predisposition. There is evidence that children suffering from alopecia from an early age are also susceptible to this pathology. Therefore, family forms of alopecia cannot be ruled out;
• Violation of the ratio of macroelements in the body. Most often, this problem occurs against the background of various diseases of the digestive system. Therefore, one of the following diseases can become a factor provocateur of alopecia in a child: malabsorption, parasitic infection, gastroduodenitis, reflux disease, dysbiosis, chronic constipation, etc. Hair loss becomes more intense if the child's body suffers from a lack of chromium, molybdenum, copper, etc. zinc, selenium, as well as folic acid and cyanocobalamin;
• Immune system disorders. So, pathology often develops against the background of existing autoimmune diseases, for example, vitiligo or atopic dermatitis;
• Neuroendocrine pathologies, including thyroid diseases, in particular, hypothyroidism. The transferred mental trauma, neuroses affect;
• Diseases of an infectious nature, for example, erysipelas, chickenpox, pneumonia, influenza and others;
• Injury to the scalp as a result of a burn (chemical or thermal). The tension of the hair shaft negatively affects the condition of the hair, which can be observed when braids are braided too tightly or tied tails;
• Trichotillomania or self-hair pulling out on the background of mental illness or due to stress. At the same time, the child constantly twists and pulls out his strands;
• Hematological syndrome with a decrease in the level of hemoglobin and erythrocytes in the blood (anemia);

• Exposure to X-rays;
• Often, parents pay attention to the fact that hair in the crown and back of the head falls out in newborns and infants. As a result, bald patches form on the head. Previously, the cause of such alopecia was believed to be that the child was simply washing the hair on the back of the head. However, studies have shown that hair falls out in babies who sleep on their stomachs. Therefore, doctors are inclined to believe that with normal health and physical development of the child, such a loss is a physiological feature;
• Surgical intervention using anesthesia;
• Both the lack of vitamins and their excess can negatively affect the condition of the hair. In particular, excessive content of vitamin A in the blood is dangerous. Hair also falls out when taking certain medications;
• Fungal lesions of the scalp. More often than others, baldness in children develops as a result of a disease such as ringworm;
• Chronic telogenous alopecia. Doctors name this reason for hair loss if all other options are excluded. In chronic telogenous alopecia, the hair is at rest and does not grow after the natural death of the previous hair shaft.

Classification of alopecia in children

There are the following types of alopecia, diagnosed in childhood:

• Congenital alopecia. This pathology is quite rare. As a rule, it does not arise as a single problem, but is accompanied by other diseases of the endocrine sphere, skin, congenital epidermolysis, etc. Alopecia develops due to the fact that a certain part of the follicles from which hair should grow is simply absent. As a result, some areas of the head remain hairless;
• Physiological baldness. This type of alopecia is observed in children of the first year of life. Hair falls out at the back of the head, in the forehead. This process does not require treatment, since the natural growth of hair shafts resumes on its own;
• Alopecia areata or alopecia areata. On the child's head, with this type of disease, affected areas are formed that have a rounded shape. The reasons for this hair loss are most often rooted in the autoimmune processes occurring in the child's body. The prevalence of pathology is 1 in 1000;
• Seborrheic alopecia. This type of baldness is formed against the background of an existing seborrhea, while the hair falls out during puberty;

• Atrophying alopecia. In this type of baldness, hair falls out in the crown and forehead. This condition is also called "Broca's pseudopelada", most often the pathology affects women over the age of 35, but cases of the disease in childhood are described in medicine.

Symptoms of alopecia in children

Symptoms of alopecia in children will vary depending on what type of hair loss the child has:

• With alopecia areata, which most often develops in children after 3 years, the baldness zones have a rounded shape. The lesion can be one or several, their boundaries are clear, the size varies (from small areas to bald patches the size of a palm). At the same time, eyebrows can fall out, but the back of the head and crown are mainly affected. The baby's skin does not itch, does not flake off. Often against the background of alopecia areata in children, vitiligo and dermatitis are often diagnosed. Nails may break, depressions form on them and their color changes;
• The atrophic type of alopecia is characterized by the appearance of areas of baldness in the form of tongues of flame. The skin in these areas is smooth and shiny, does not flake or inflame. The follicular orifices themselves are not dilated. Restoration of hair in those areas where it was lost in atrophying alopecia is impossible;
• Seborrheic alopecia is characterized by increased oily hair, crusts and scales appear in the root area. The skin is very itchy, the child begins to scratch his head, while injuring the skin. As the disease progresses, hair begins to fall out with the formation of balding zones in the future. Complete loss of cover is observed at the crown.

Diagnosis of alopecia in children

When a child experiences hair loss, this process cannot be ignored. In addition to the pediatrician, doctors of other specialties should be involved in the diagnosis: trichologist, dermatologist, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, neurologist. Each of the doctors, if necessary, will draw up a plan for an individual examination of the child.

The trichologist, in turn, must necessarily perform:

• Trichogram (examination of hair roots under a microscope);
• Phototrichogram (making trichographic images of the scalp area and processing the obtained data using a computer);
• Scalp diagnostics using an integrated system (micro camera and computer program);
• If you suspect lichen planus or lupus erythematosus resort to a biopsy of the scalp and further histological examination of the material obtained.

To exclude possible circulatory disorders, the child can be sent for rheoencephalography. Spectral hair diagnostics and blood sampling for microelements can provide information about the child's microelement status.

Treatment of alopecia in children

Therapy of the disease is determined only by the doctor based on the diagnosis. Drawing up an effective treatment regimen is possible only after finding out the true causes of hair loss. For successful hair restoration, regular monitoring by specialists is required.

However, regardless of the etiology of the disease, the child is shown restorative therapy:

• Immunomodulators, for example, Viferon, Kipferon, Cycloferon, Anaferon, Immunal;
• Vitamin therapy with a predominance of B vitamins (B1, B12, B6), vitamins A, E and C;
• Phytin and pantothenic acid, methionine;
• Hormonal drugs (prescribed when total baldness is detected). Among the drugs that are prescribed more often than others in childhood: Advantan, Lokoid, Elokom, and Afloderm;
• With Broca's pseudo-pelade, it is recommended to apply prednisolone ointment.

If other diseases were identified that led to the development of alopecia, their therapy is carried out. For example, anemia is eliminated by taking iron preparations, viral diseases are treated with antiviral agents, fungal skin lesions are eliminated by using antimycotic drugs.

In addition, the child may be prescribed treatment with the use of ultraviolet irradiation with preliminary coating of lesions with Ammifurin or Beroxan - creams that have photosensitizing properties.

To get rid of seborrheic alopecia, darsonvalization may be prescribed. This method is based on the effect of Darsonval currents on the scalp.

Hair transplantation can be prescribed when hair loss is caused by cicatricial alopecia, previous trauma, chemical or thermal burns. They resort to transplant only when conservative treatment is ineffective.

Treatment of alopecia with such a popular remedy as Minoxidil is unacceptable in children, as this threatens the development of side effects.

Sometimes children suffering from alopecia may need counseling and supervision from a psychologist. Often, baldness forms a feeling of self-doubt, the child's self-esteem decreases, and problems appear in communicating with peers.

As for the forecast, in some cases it is quite problematic to give it. The fact is that often children's baldness goes away without any therapy. The prognosis is worse if the alopecia is total in nature, affects the child at an early age. It is important to determine the cause of the problem, as if it is not corrected, the alopecia will recur.

Prevention of alopecia in children

Preventive measures include:

• It is necessary to treat all diseases in a timely manner. The transition of any disease to a chronic form threatens with hair loss;
• The organization of good nutrition is important;
• The child should adhere to the daily routine; one should not overload him with both physical and mental work. Adequate rest is the most important condition for the prevention of alopecia;
• If the child's hair is thin, then traumatic effects on them should be minimized. For this, boys should be cut often and shortly, and girls are forbidden to tighten their braids and tails tightly;
• Reducing the frequency of shampooing is also the prevention of alopecia. Children with weakened hair should not wash their hair more than twice a week.

Physiological baldness in early childhood does not require any specific preventive measures, as well as specialized treatment. In this case, the hair is restored on its own.

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The author of the article: German Olga Leonidovna, trichologist, specially for the website ayzdorov.ru