Hair loss/Alopecia

Does she lay her head on that side? Almost all babies lose hair in the beginning. My almost 9 month old seemed to lose a ton on one side until a couple of months ago when he started rolling more. Now he has quite a bit of hair all around.

J.,

My daughter was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata when she was six years old. It took me by complete surprise. She was the hairiest baby ever. She is half latino and half european jewish, and she was born with thick dark hair longer than most babies. She had hair on her shoulders! She had hair on her back! I was making her pony tails before she was six months old. Then, suddenly at 6 she had a few bald patches, the way you describe, completely smooth. We went for blood tests to be sure something in her health wasn't causing it. Everything came up fine. We went to a dermatologist. There are prescription creams we used and she also got some localized injections to stimulate hair growth. I think the creams didn't help. The injections, which are pricks really, are traumatic, but they worked. We went back for the injections a few times, but then my daughter chose not to continue. She continued to get new bald spots, but old ones started to fill in on their own. Hair she had often covered spots, but sometimes the spots were in more prominent places, like her hairline. In the summer we carefully covered those with sunblock, since she loves to swim. It is difficult when girls are older, because they become more aware of their appearance. Your baby doesn't know what is happening. She is beautiful with or without hair anyway, but for now, it shouldn't cause you or her any worry. I wouldn't use the creams or injections on a baby. I would be concerned, since I think they contain steroids. Why expose a baby to that? When my daughter was 6, the dermatologist only let her use the creams for a few months, so even at her age, it wasn't something to use casually. We did it mostly to get some hair growth started, so she wouldn't get made fun of at school. My daughter is 10 years old this month, and most of her hair has returned. She knows she has alopecia, but she is a confident, beautiful, intelligent girl, and I hope she will be strong to handle it if it shows up again. We have an amazing collection of hats and head bands, so as a fashion accessory, consider that as a solution, if your daughter does actually get diagnosed with alopecia. Beyond that, know that she is healthy. Alopecia, thankfully, isn't about not being healthy.

Hi J.-
My daughter, who is now 4 1/2, was diagnosed when she was three with what the dermatologist called Loose Anagen Syndrome. This syndrome, I was told, is not related to anything medical. It has something to do with the hair follicle.

When she as 2 or so, she had thin, dull hair. As she was getting a little older, I noticed that it was thinning. When I ran my hands thorough it or took off her pony tail elastics, it would come out in clumps. The odd thing is the fact that when it was coming out, it did not hurt her at all. It got to the point that one side of her head had long hair and the other side was really short. We decided to cut her hair very short which made such a big difference. Her hair grew in more evenly and thicker. The texture still is not all that soft and there is very little shine to her hair, but she doesn't have bald spots. The dermatologist said this is common in 3-6 year old girls who are blonde and sometimes they can grow out of it. My daughter wants to have long hair and pony tails but I don't think that will happen. Her hair grows very slow and keeping it short, for now, seems like the best thing. I hope this helps you!
C.

I know a man who has this condition. It is harmless, physically, although he doesn't have any eyelashes, so perhaps he gets more particles in his eyes than people with eyelashes. He wears sunglasses a lot. It looks good on him.
If this is what your daughter has don't despair. She will still be beautiful if she looses her hair. Our culture is becoming much more open to differences in personal appearance. By the time she is older it probably won't be as big a deal as it seems right now. Show her and tell her you think she's beautiful, hair or no and teach her that it's her inside that is important, not the outside. It is hard to be different but try to imagine how this could be a gift instead of a curse.

all of mine had a bald spot at about 3 and a half to 4 months because they were not sitting up yet and favored laying on their back and looking around. Hence the hair wearing off. When starting to crawl and sitting up the hair grew back in.

J.-

I think that the first concern would be getting five immunizations in one visit. I have two young children (2 1/2 and 8 months old) and neither has ever gotten that many shots in one visit. If this were me, I would have a consultation with another pediatrician on that issue. In the interim, I think it could not hurt to meet with a pediatric dermatologist. I am a big believer in NOT waiting when it has to do with my children's health. Best of luck and I hope that your daugher is okay!

My daughter had a bald spot similar to what you describe-- first looked like cradle cap, etc. and the doctor watched it for a while. We went to the dermatologist who did check for alopecia. They can tell if there are any hair follicles or not. In our case, she didn't have hair follicles and it was a condition called sebaceous nevus. Because the cells were irregular, they did a biopsy (cells were fine) and we had two surgeries to remove the bald spot (outpatient facility) because of the shape of the spot. We were lucky because the bald spot eventually was hidden under other hair (as it grew), so we waited to do the surgery until she was 5 years old.

First let me tell you that you're not alone. There are many different forms of Alopecia. My husband has the most awful form of it. He lost all of his hair (including nose hair), at the age of 17. I do know that when he was almost 4 he lost his hair then and the doctor said it was because he was jelous of his younger brother. It grew back that time but like I said he lost it again when he was 17. He won't go anywhere with out his wig but when we and our kids are alone he will go with out it. His mother has another form of it. Hers is the form where her hair is defuse or very thin. She uses Rogane. Her father had a third form of it where he had patches about the size of a quarter missing. If you need to talk leave me a message and I'll give you my email.
F.

J.,

I hate to say it but it probably is alopecia areata

http://ezinearticles.com/?Childrens-Hair-Loss---Types-of-...

here is a link of Alternate possible causes.

pleses review them and schedule the appointment with a pediatric dermatologist asap,

I can't see how waiting will make things improve.

Call yourself don't wait,

M

Hi J.,
I am a Mom of five. You shouldn't worry about your doughter loosing her hair at this age, babies hair is so soft that is easily rubs off while they are sleeping. Just keep an eye on the wash and lotions you put on your daughter as most of what you buy at the store has chemicals and mineral oil and so may other bad ingredients. My Son did have Alopecia at one point but he was a little older, I don't use any of the store products now and he is doing fine. Who knows if that was the reason but I am just happy that we are not using the products with junk in them. I don't think there is any problems with your doughter, it is very normal for a baby to get patches in their hair at this age, but check with your doctor if you have concerns just to be sure. Having a baby is the most amazing feeling, it is almost scary how much you love them. I share your feelings. I have five kids and they are my life line. It's the best. There is no greater love! Lots of luck
You can keep in touch if you would like to let me know how everything goes.
S.
____@____.com
Mom of five! Works from home.

Could she just be laying on that side of her head and rubbed the hair off. My 9 mo old has a bald spot on the back of her head where she rubbed it off from playing on the floor. This is very common in kids that play on their backs or sleep on their sides. The hair will grow back.

Hi J.,
Locks of Love is an organization that makes wigs for children with alopecia (I have donated my hair 3 times already). Perhaps you can find some information on their website: www.locksoflove.org
Or maybe you can find the support that you need through the organization. Best of luck to you!