Why does hair fall out on newborns?

For any parent, the birth of a child is a great joy. But, unfortunately, often young mom and dad face unexplained phenomena that can cause a lot of trouble. In this article we will try to figure out why a child’s hair may fall out on its head, is it a pathology, and what can be done if you notice that hair has started to fall out of your child.

Infant hair: interesting facts

They appear in the baby long before he is born - from the 15th week of pregnancy, they are already beginning to grow. Of course, it is difficult to call this gentle down hair, experts call it lanugo. They covered the entire body of the child, with time the fluff replaces the intermediate version of hair.It is noteworthy that the lanugo perfect does not have pigment, but the latter is already pigmented, although it still remains very soft.

After birth at about 5 months, the child begins the so-called juvenile molt. After it, coarser hairs appear on the head, naturally, they are also pigmented.

However, these hairs are still very thin - about 5 times thinner than in an average adult person. Therefore, for such hairs requires special, delicate care, parents will need to use specialized shampoos, designed specifically for young children. If the necessary measures are not taken, then in this case, the baby may experience such a phenomenon as hair loss.

The reasons

It is also worth noting the fact that children often change their hair color over time. This is due to the fact that the hair shaft is finally formed only by 5 years, and by this age the hairs are already becoming coarser, thicker.

Interesting: many parents mistakenly believe that in order for a baby to grow healthy, thick hair, he needs to shave his head. In fact, this is a mistake - shaving can cause follicle injury.

So, consider a number of reasons why a child’s hair may start to fall out:

• weakening of the immune system;
• mental problems;
• experienced stress;
• thyroid problems;
• diabetes;
• ringworm;
• excessive consumption of vitamin complexes or drugs;
• infectious lesions;
• iron deficiency;
• head shaving resulting in follicle injury.

What are the types of alopecia in children?

1. Nesting alopecia. The hair falls out partially, with smooth areas on the head of the baby. This process takes place in an accelerated form, and in just a couple of days the head can become completely bald. This condition necessarily requires the supervision of a doctor, as well as the use of appropriate therapy.Basically, the cause of such conditions becomes a failure of the immune system, problems with hormones, thyroid disease.
2. Total baldness. It is the second stage of alopecia baldness, in which the hair falls out completely.
3. Injuries to the follicle. This type is associated with the cessation of the follicle due to injury - for example, if the parents shave off the baby’s hair, they can be damaged due to the fact that the follicles are close to the surface. Damaged follicles are never repaired! And do not believe the advice of grandmothers - that the more often a baby shave his head, the thicker and better hair will be. All the way around - the hair will be less likely due to the fact that the functioning of the follicle will stop.
4. Telogen hair loss. This is the state of the hair body, in which its growth completely stops, later it falls out. The follicle remains inactive. In this case, the cause of this condition may be excessive consumption of vitamins, follicle trauma, overdose by pharmaceuticals. This type of alopecia is not eternal - after eliminating the cause, the problem will go away.
5. Ringworm. This disease causes fungus.Externally, the disease appears quite large spots, they can peel off. Within these limits, hair may look short-cut or absent altogether. To eliminate a disease, you must first consult a specialist - this is a dermatologist. The doctor will prescribe antifungal therapy, after which the problem will be resolved.

What problems can parents face?

A very common, but very unpleasant disease - seborrheic dermatitis can occur in a child in the first months after birth. Externally, the baby on the fontanelle appear greasy scales, they can give him discomfort. The cause of this disease has not yet been determined, but some dermatologists claim that this is a consequence of the manifestation of allergic reactions. If the form of the disease is mild, then these scales may look like dandruff externally.

The main problem of seborrheic dermatitis - scales inhibit hair growth, sometimes even contribute to baldness. Parents need to be aware that you can’t wash your head too often - it will only aggravate the situation.To soften these scales, the child needs to rub olive or sunflower oil into the head an hour before bathing. After that, the baby needs to comb out these crusts, and wash the head with a special shampoo that does not contain alkali. If these manipulations do not help at all, in this case it is better to go to the doctor - perhaps the mother’s diet is wrong, and the food she eats is allergic to the child.

What else could be the reason?

In general, in dermatology there are two concepts of alopecia - full or partial.

The latter type of baldness can be associated with several factors:

• the child lies in one position for a long time;
• excessive nervous excitability - this pathology may be associated with the defeat of NA;
• pustular rash;
• partial baldness can be one of the manifestations of rickets.

The problem may begin due to the fact that the mother picked up the wrong shampoo for the child, wipes her head too thoroughly after bathing, or puts on too tight hats. All of these factors can trigger hair loss.

In any case, worry and panic ahead of time is not worth it. The best option is to talk about the problem to the pediatrician, he will conduct a visual inspection, talk to his parents and help correct the situation.

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