i have a 21/2 yr old daughter and her hair is coming out in handfulls.?

Question

i took her to the doc and he said i should cut her hair. she has long blond hair with ringlet curls. I am not sure what is going on. Half of the back of her head is bald in 3 days.. what do i do?

they told me that it could be alopieca but he thinks if i cut her hair off then she can't play with it anymore. I can see her scalp in the back of her head today. I am not sure what to do, thought about taking her to the er and see what they had to say..

Answer 1

Hair loss in children understandably causes great distress in both the child and parents. Three diseases account for most hair loss in children: alopecia areata, tinea capitis, and trichotillomania.

Alopecia areata -- This is the most common cause of hair loss in children. This is felt to be caused by the body's immune system reacting at the site of hair growth. Often no treatment is needed because 60 percent of these children will have total hair regrowth within 12 months.
There has been some success with use of medications that suppress the immune system, but the side-effects may outweigh the benefits for a disease that will probably resolve on its own. Rarely, an entity known as alopecia universalis may cause total hair loss including eyelashes and eyebrows.
Tinea capitis (ringworm) -- This fungal infection is common in children, particularly toddlers and early schoolaged children. This disease is not the result of a dirty environment. This infection gets into the hair roots, therefore, treatment consists of oral medications as well as a shampoo, both of which should be continued for at least three weeks.
Trichotillomania -- This is a fancy word for "pulling out the hair." This is generally considered to be a nervous habit and may include the pulling of eyebrows and eyelashes. Oiling the hair may make it more difficult to pull it out, but addressing the underlying cause of nervousness is the key.
I suggest you have your child seen by her physician who will examine the hair and follicles for evidence of infection, pulling of the hair, or discreet islands of hair loss suggestive of alopecia areata

Answer 2

While the docter may have told you to just cut her hair off it was probabl because this type of thing is actually normal for a toddler to go through....however at the same time there are three types of diseases that you should look at and possibly consider talking to your docter about...

1. Alopecia areata -- This is the most common cause of hair loss in children. This is felt to be caused by the body's immune system reacting at the site of hair growth. Often no treatment is needed because 60 percent of these children will have total hair regrowth within 12 months.
There has been some success with use of medications that suppress the immune system, but the side-effects may outweigh the benefits for a disease that will probably resolve on its own. Rarely, an entity known as alopecia universalis may cause total hair loss including eyelashes and eyebrows.

2. Tinea capitis (ringworm) -- This fungal infection is common in children, particularly toddlers and early schoolaged children. This disease is not the result of a dirty environment. This infection gets into the hair roots, therefore, treatment consists of oral medications as well as a shampoo, both of which should be continued for at least three weeks.

3. Trichotillomania -- This is a fancy word for "pulling out the hair." This is generally considered to be a nervous habit and may include the pulling of eyebrows and eyelashes. Oiling the hair may make it more difficult to pull it out, but addressing the underlying cause of nervousness is the key.

Answer 3

Wait a minute, let me see if i got this straight. Your baby's hair is coming out in handfuls, and your doctor's solution is to cut it off? I mean, did he try to get to the bottom of why it is coming out of her head like this? Cutting her hair off is a mute point, i mean, it's not solving the problem.

I think sometimes children lose baby hair in toddlerhood and develope more mature hair. Did he say this is what was going on?

I think you should find a new doctor.

Answer 4

You should take your daughter to a different doctor. I can't believe he didn't even try to find out the cause of her hair loss. Maybe you can contact a dematogolist that specializes in hair loss. Good Luck

Answer 5

My husband work with a guy whose daughter looses her hair every winter. I don't know the name of the disease but it is due to a lack of natural sunlight. I don't think that there is anything dangerous about the disease but I would defiantly take her to another doctor. Good luck.

Answer 6

Its a medical condition called Telogen Effluvium. Resting phase hair loss; grows again. Diagnose by history. Loss begins 3 month after a major physiological or psychological stress. Other less likely conditions may be Alopecia Areata/Totalis. Cause may be autoimmune disease. Oval patches of hair loss may expand to involve large areas or entire scalp. Constant pulling of hair leads to destruction of the hair roots called Traction Alopecia. Please evaluate your child's possible stressors.

Answer 7

There has to be a reason her hair is coming out. Yeah, if you cut it it wont fall out as much but have you solved anything? I would take her to another Dr and a dermotoligist.
and find a new Dr.
Best of luck to you and I hope everything is ok

Answer 8

Take her to a different doctor, maybe a dermatologist? There's something going on and your regular doc is too dumb to figure it out.

Answer 9

I would definitely take her to get a 2nd opinion from a good pediatrician ASAP!