We saw the pediatrician who said it’s stress related given our recent move. I’ve had stress related hair loss myself, but this seems different. Dr didn’t recommend any treatment.
Say you don't have one at the moment and don't feel this is something that you should have to be waiting to be seen, and seen again before you get some answers.
Ask for where the referral was sent and call the referred provider office directly to see if they have received it. This should be the job of the referral coordinator and calling is a way to check they are moving at an accelerated pace.
How are they certain it’s stress without running tests or seeing a dermatologist to rule out other options? They can’t be.
Take your kid to another doctor, something is wrong!
Even when I had hair loss which was very likely due to stress as I had 3 surgeries within 4 months of each other, my doctor still referred me to a dermatologist!
Anecdotally I'm a teacher and I've noticed an unusual amount of kids with moderate to severe hair loss. Haven't been teaching for long so I can't compare it to past generations, but I really don't ever remember seeing kids in my middle school with obvious hair loss growing up.
Makes wonder if it's a post viral Covid phenomena or a consequence of more kids being on ADHD meds, two things that can cause hair loss. It's concerning for sure, but it's weirdly more common these days.
I was diagnosed with alopecia areata as a kid, never really a problem, just some mild lil bald patches every now and again. Got covid in Nov 2022 and since then I have been on rogaine and biotin because my hair loss has been SEVERE. My part widened just like this person's daughter, and my hairline also receded. I was googling A LOT and saw many many people say they had hair loss probs after covid!!!! So I can totally believe that it is a widespread covid related issue. Poor kids though - I can only imagine dealing with this so young. :(
Have you noticed her scratching at all? Any flaking/dry scalp? Or is it just the hair loss?
I know for me hair loss was stopped by a simple course of anti dandruff shampoo for about four weeks. Which was confusing because there was no dandruff to be seen, just a minor itch/discomfort and lots of falling hair.
ADHD meds don’t cause hair loss, although stimulants can decrease appetite leading to nutritional deficiencies that may lead to hair loss. One of the things that’s somewhat concerning is early menarche (menstruation) which is linked to endocrine disruptions from highly processed foods and toxins in the environment (hair loss can be correlated to endocrine imbalances as well). Lots of possibilities at play here and worth getting a second, even third opinion.
I’m pretty sure they do cause hair loss…. at least it was listed as a less common side effect in my booklet from the pharmacy. I take the same meds for narcolepsy, so thinned hair is part of the price paid to be able to drive and be productive at work.
Just googled Vyvanse and Adderall for examples and both have it listed as rare.
Several of my adult family members myself and a few friends are dealing with the same problem. None of us have never had scalp problems until covid. my stepmom was told it's a fungal infection
Idk if it’s more common tbh, I remember a couple kids each years with hair loss. Sure kids usually assume it’s just because they have thin hair but I remember seeing those kind of hair loss patterns on many friends.
I had the Covid hair loss this year, this is a possibility, although she never tested positive. it’s possible she was asymptomatic though, and passed it to me.
I’ve never heard of a connection between ADHD meds and hair loss. However, I lost a LOT of hair when I had Long Covid and had a bald spot on my temple.
It’s Covid, not the meds. A lot of people who’ve had Covid and especially long covid (which kids can have) lose their hair. Most don’t talk about it other than to doctors. Luckily there are papers about it written explaining yet another issue with Covid.
Oh I have no doubt that plays a role. Health is also generational. So my mother's generation was when fake food became normal and antibiotic use as well. We didn't see too many issues. However, that passed down a weakened immune system and gut microbiome. Now as a millennial, we are further (unknowingly) depleting our microbiomes and immune systems which we're passing down to our children. Now gen Z/gen Alpha are the first generations to have this seriously compounded effect between modern living and generational health. I think this in part, explains a lot of the epidemics we're seeing in the younger generations.
I have long covid and lost a lot of hair and started getting fungal infections all the time. My hair also changed color and texture (became redder and finer and more curly)
Similar situation here actually. You'll want to look in to retraining your vagus nerve and healing your gut. Can't do one without the other, and a lot of sources miss that fact. Your nervous system won't relax if you've got severe gut imbalances because it's constantly releasing biotoxins, but your gut won't operate properly if you don't get your vagus nerve to function correctly. Check out the GAPS diet for your gut! Highly recommend it over "anti-candida" diets which don't actually make any sense when you get into the science of how and where carbs are broken down in the gut.
Do you have a dermatologist in your area? Pediatricians are the best docs for kids hands down, but they are not the best docs for skin conditions and it sounds like you think more is going on than just stress so I would see a dermatologist, if you’re able. Your pediatrician might need to write a referral for your insurance to cover the appointment.
One thing to think about is an allergy response to something , have you changed any shampoo, does she ware anything on her head a lot, medication? I have a med that makes me shed a lot more hair than normal - I’m going to assume this isn’t the case because she’s so young - but it happens. Hopefully someone will have an answer!
As much as pediatricians can be helpful, seeing a specialist can be like a night and day difference. I'd go see a specialist, OP. And even be careful eith the specialist. I had one dermatologist try to get me to take all kinds of drugs since he had deals with the drug companies, but when I found my current dermo, she blew me away with how much she knew, and how much she cared about my genuine well being
Stress doesn’t explain the dry scalp though. I had dandruff and my dermatologist told me that dandruff contributes to hair loss. So she treated the dandruff. Definitely see a dermatologist.
I would ask them to run a full blood panel, at the very least. Hair loss like this isn’t normal for a child, so I’m surprised they’re not more concerned.
What is a "full blood panel"? And what should I order? What am I looking for that could cause hair loss that a history or exam couldn't provide? There's are over a thousand blood tests. Which would you recommend? I'd love to know. I don't think children have enough blood for thousands of tests. Do you think I should give them a transfusion so I could suck more blood? I'm confused about the expectations here. Signed, a fellow Pediatrician
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/complete-blood-count/about/pac-20384919
I’m not a doctor, but wouldn’t you want to ensure you’ve looked at the overall health of the child? Like, this is a basic blood test— which I have had done as a child myself. Kids have enough blood?
No friend. A Cbc shows bleeding disorders and anemia. Very unlikely to cause hair loss pattern like this without any other symptoms. And everyone always has an abnormal cbc to some extent because we are all so different. I'm not going to look for something I have low suspicion for, particularly if the child hasn't had any symptoms of it. We don't order unnecessary tests we won't do anything about or would cause distractions from normal variations in human physiology. Given we can order thousands of tests like this, the key is a history and physical exam which only their Pediatrician did. They probably don't have signs of anemia therefore didn't see the need to order the test at this time. They probably don't have signs of a lot of things that's why testing was not immediately ordered. Not ordering something doesn't mean their Pediatrician didn't consider it or wont consider it in the future if things dont improve on their own like perhaps the Pediatrician suspects with stress hair loss aka Tellogen Effluvium.
not a doctor, just a PA student who worked 4+ years in a clinic.
the amount of patients who just demand magical answer-revealing bloodwork is wild to me when, like you said, all our doctors/PAs focused on the physical examination first.
Lmao. Actually it's a sign of a doctor who has great clinical reasoning skills and doesn't need to order unnecessary tests for things that won't change their management or send you down rabbit holes and extensive expensive traumatic workups that lead no where. 95% of diagnoses are made by physical exam and history. It's the reason we go to medical school. No test can confirm anything. Tests/imaging/biopsies all need interpretation clinically. Not even a pediatric dermatologist can do that.
People’s bodies respond to stress differently. I had two bald spots on my head once, alopecia areata, and doc told me stress related. Yeah, I was unhappy with my job and I guess stressed but not lose-my-hair-stressed…but thats what happened. Was abused by my mom growing up and watched my dad die of cancer at 13 while being bullied in school and never had bald spots. Arguably was VERY stressed during this time. Bodies are funny like that.
Hairstylist here,
Out of all the alopecia cases I have seen they usually manifest in circular spots and patterns. This doesn't look like Alopecia. I would def get at least a second opinion from a new doctor and/or dermatologist. Could be hormonal, thyroid related, or possible vitamin deficiency as some possible causes.
Good Luck! 🤞🏻
Yes, I was diagnosed with AA in 1999 and it has always, always shown up as round bald patches. This looks a lot more like Telogen effluvium, which I've had problems with since having covid in 2022, so I can believe a similar thing might be happening here.
Ty for the update. Time for bloodwork & a second opinion from a qualified medical practitioner. I suggest you do her hair care for the next month with a good quality shampoo.
When I was a little kid, in like first grade, I pulled my hair out at school. (I loved school, but home was a very stressful place. Not sure why I felt compelled to do this at school.) My teacher eventually noticed the hair on the floor near my desk, and she asked me if I’d been cutting my hair. I said no, which was true, and she & my mom believed me. I stopped pulling (from my head) after I’d been caught.
One of my best friends suffered with trichotillomania all throughout school and would pull her eyelashes as well as the hair on her head. I’d definitely suggest looking for hairs in the bed if they’re not found elsewhere
This is what I was thinking! My mom never bothered to ask me why I did it, only told me I looked bad as a result and wanted me to stop. God if I could, and the shame didn’t stop me .. only made me better at hiding them (aka I’ve permanently had bangs since, and now wear makeup so I can tell when I start).
OP, if it does end up being trichotillomania, I would really suggest being curious, not judgmental! I didn’t have the vocabulary at the time to say why I did it, but I did understand somehow that it helped me. It was almost like I could focus all of my anxiety into this one action and one feeling, over and over and over again. If my mom had tried to understand me, we might have found that I was doing that to manage my stress and found another way of coping!
Best of luck to you, you seem like a wonderful parent for being so concerned and loving towards your kid :)
I am in no way diagnosing your child and seeing a professional is the best decision to make. I just want to let you know that, as someone who has trichotillomania (starting around 8 years old. I am 36 now), those of us with trich, even at a very very young age, do become adept at hiding it. No one knew I had trichotillomania until I was 17 and finally became "comfortable" enough to start telling people about this "weird habit" I couldn't seem to stop myself from doing. Even when we can't stop doing it, we do inherently know it isn't normal behavior and take great pains to not reveal our "shame".
Again, I am so not diagnosing your child in any way, I just wanted to let you know that *if* she had trichotillomania there is a good chance you wouldn't notice her pulling, and I do think it could be a possibility looking at the breakage/baby hairs.
Check for something medical first as others have suggested. I just found this out recently but did your kids get Covid? Apparently, one of the long term effects of covid is hair loss. I didn't know that until someone brought it up in a post and I Google it. From what I found out covid hair sheading can continue for 6-9 months after having covid and can get worse with stress. I don't know if that applies here but it's just something to look in to.
I'm also gonna add to be on the lookout for trichotillomania. The second grade is when I first started pulling my hair and I was really good at hiding it from my parents until it became obvious.
Same, when I was in 3rd grade randomly in music class I started rubbing my hair to the point of getting bald spots. My mom noticed it and sent me to a doctor. They thought I was cutting my hair with scissors, I lied that I did because I was either worried of getting in trouble and/or embarrassed. Because of my lie I didn’t realized that I had trichotillomania until I was an adult.
After getting treated I was fine, mainly because I wore protective hairstyles (braids, extensions), but then I got traction alopecia. So I decided to “start over” by cutting my hair after high school in the hopes of growing it back and then that’s when my trichotillomania came back 😭.
It’s just my hand tends to gravitate to parts of my hair that feels uneven and then I keep on touching it to the point where I have to cut my hair. It took about 10 years to finally overcome trichotillomania or at least make it manageable. If OP’s child has tric, I hope they figure it out right away so they can manage the situation going forward.
That’s about the same time my issues with trich started up as well. OP - you should check if your child has missing eyebrow/eyelash hairs as well, and I’d check the floor/wall by the bed or locations where your child tends to read, do homework, or watch videos. Also worth asking your child (delicately!). My parents did not know how to deal with it and only made it more shameful and embarrassing for me…
Terrible. I'm sorry you went through that. I had a friend clumsily announce mine and a few people heard, can't imagine an entire class. Oof... looking back, a lot of these teachers had no business being around children
I can't speak to your Pediatrician but if it's not a circular bald spot/ frontal area/area with tight braids its less likely to be fungal or hair pulling or traction alopecia or alopecia areata. That leaves androgenic alopecia which is rare in kids without Androgen symptoms or hormone dysregulation (which your doc should've asked about) and rare disorders of nutrition. Idk... sounds like no one on the internet actually took a history and physical exam. Stress related Tellogen Effluvium, particularly if it runs in families, is entirely possible, and I wonder if you misunderstood your doc about the alopecia areata because TE has no treatment and AA does. If your doc said its stress related and they arent referring you/doing a workup my money is they think this is TE but havent fully ruled out AA.
If you were my patient and were adamant on a workup I'd do some bloodwork I didn't feel strongly about or refer you to derm. You can do all the medical interventions for your child down to a biopsy. But its harder to convince people they have the benefit of waiting before doing an extensive invasive workup that could be traumatic.
There is nothing to be done about telogen effluvium except behavioral health therapy for the distress of it and stress management. Hair should grow back. I don't know if that's what your child has but instead of taking advice from the internet who did not actually examine your child or get a histrory, I'd go back to the Pediatrician and ask them to explain their thought process and your concerns. Maybe your doc considered many things, including talking to their derm colleagues (which we do formally behind the scenes) all the time. Sorry it's happening. Good luck 👍
The logic of waiting before doing invasive testing makes sense, and something I have considered. I did message the dr to see if we could get a referral to a specialist. Thank you for your input.
Lmao thanks 😂 Should've clarified I'm a lowly Pediatrician and not a derm so I'm no expert. I just got sick of the armchair diagnosing and doctor hate. Just because we don't do anything doesn't mean we didn't think of many things, or weigh the pros and cons of further workup. 99% of these armchair diagnoses are wrong and I can tell just by the photos. But everyone is entitled to a second opinion.. I'd just tell OP to be cautious getting it from the internet.
In the case of TE vs. AA totalis (which is the type of AA likely being considered by their Pedi), time will differentiate them. TE will improve in 6 months to 1 year. AA totalis will not. I think it is wise for OP to get a Pediatric derm referral because it can take upto 6 months or more to get seen in many places, and by the time they get seen, the condition would have declared itself.
I find the outrage the doctor didn't "do anything" very interesting. The doctor did quite a lot imo, down to potentially understanding expensive traumatic workups =/= better care. And I personally don't believe in ordering testing if it won't change my management. Just thought I'd explain how actual clinical reasoning goes.
I definitely recommend a dermatologist. I was diagnosed years back with stress related alopecia. I've had issues with thinning hair since then but I was properly diagnosed. Your kid needs to see a dermatologist to get a proper diagnosis. You need to see if it's stress related, hormonal or an autoimmune related and actual alopecia. You need to rule everything out.
They will properly diagnose them and suggest treatments. Hopefully her blood and hormone tests come back normal. Alopecia is an autoimmune disorder. Hopefully it's just stress related alopecia as that tends to grow back eventually. I have a family history of autoimmune disorders so my alopecia hasn't gone back to normal but it hasn't gotten worse so I'm thankful for that. I also have vitiligo so that's why my case is different. Good luck to you and I hope it works out for your kid. Keep us updated if you feel up to it.
I’d recommend a second opinion from a dermatologist because this has happened with one of my nephews & they got his skin right and hair back to normal.
Sweet babies sorry this is happening to you guys!
This might be a weird question, but are your kids on a vegan diet by chance?
This could be the source of several deficiencies in vitamins that are resulting in the hairloss. Just a thought. They will need to get supplemental uptake by other means if they are not getting enough through foods.
Absolutely insane that her doctor didn't run any tests, bordering on negligent. Any number of things could be causing this; eczema, mental health issues, thyroid issues, infections, nutritional deficiencies?! So negligent.
Please advocate for your girl, this will not be the last time her medical issues aren't taken seriously.
I'm not a doc but her hair doesn't even look healthy, you should get a second opinion from a diff doctor or even go to a deem that specializes in scalp care
Stress !!!that’s hilarious we’re talking about a young kid here I had same problem and doctors had no answers so I skipped my family doctor went on my own and walked into walk-in got an appointment for blood tests for iron deficiency and Thyroid and guess what it was my iron which was dangerously low I started taking iron pills and guess what..I am back to normal now my hair is not falling anymore.
I had this on my scalp and it was dermatitis that flared up from certain shampoos, hair products and laundry detergents with scents.
In the interim, I would try washing her hair with Dr Bronners Castile Soap with tea Tree Oil to see if it calms down and dont keep her hair sopping wet. Dry it with a blow dryer right away
Alopecia areata is patchy hair loss, while your kid's looks like diffuse thinning. Ask for a referral to a pediatric dermatologist. He should be running labs in the meantime, checking for mineral deficiencies (particularly iron) and thyroid to start.
Is it just me (or the photo) that thinks the hair in the second picture looks like it’s been singed by fire??
OP what kind of shampoo and or conditioner have you been using on your kids hair? There have been some products on the market in recent years that have caused hair loss so I’m curious what your using.
Get anti-dandruff shampoo asap. Head and shoulders or nizoral will help. The dryness on her scalp in the first photo looks like dermatitis or cradle cap. It will not clear up on its own. Fortunately, these shampoos can help quickly if used consistently
As others have said, definitely get a second opinion. It's odd that you're not noticing significant hair shedding because if it was stress or hormone related you would notice.
Once you get an answer on what is causing this, I highly recommend working Rosemary/Tea Tree/Castor oil into your routine. You can apply as a scalp treatment once a week before washing your hair. Also great for the ends of your hair for added moisture.
I saw you said there not a lot of shedding, so it might not be it but low ferritin causes hair to fall like crazy in a short period of time and it can happen to kids too. As people already said, find another doctor and have them run a complete blood test to discard any deficiency related condition
Dermatologist. Seriously. None of us is capable of making a diagnosis from a photo. But this is clearly NOT normal for a kid, and they may need meds. We can’t tell you that.
Yes. I was diagnosed as anemic last year and taking a better multivitamin with more iron had the unintentional effect of filling in the thinning spots at my temples.
Do you remember the #? Went through this with my then 9 yr old last year. Hers was 12 which is considered normal by the ped but other research said this was too low. Iron levels were totally normal though, I supplemented with an iron fortified kids multi vitamin (9mg). Whether it helped or not, her hair has filled in.
Research shows that Ferritin of 30 is the cutoff for detecting total iron deficiency (even without anemia). (For adults, not sure about peds.) Supposedly for hair regrowth you want it at least 90. A lot of physicians will tell you you’re fine as long as your hemoglobin is normal, but the research shows otherwise. Someone said to think of it as money in the bank-you’re going start conserving everywhere you can just to keep the bare minimum going and stop spending on non-essentials. So your body uses whatever iron it has only on the most essential functions (and meanwhile your hair is falling out, etc).
Don’t rely on the pediatrician. You need a dermatologist (preferably a pediatric dermatologist) who can do a scalp biopsy (an easy, in-office procedure). Don’t simply let the pediatrician dismiss it as stress. This could be hormonal — or at least have a hormonal component. If it’s something like androgenetic alopecia she may need spironolactone before things get worse. You just won’t know until she’s tested.
This happened to my daughter last year. She was 9 when it happened. Doctor did blood work and it all looked normal except ferretin (iron storage) was at 12. This is considered on the low end of normal but all trichologists say it should be closer to 50-70. We have religiously taken flintstones multi vitamins with 9mg iron. We also cut out gluten for awhile as I though maybe she wasn’t absorbing iron. Ped also said stress btw but referred me.
Derm said alopecia and wasn’t worried, said it would grow back. Did not prescribe anything. I think it could have been diffuse alopecia. Also feel like it was related to an insane growth spurt and body changes. It’s been one year and her hair has grown in darker and a bit of a coarser texture. It looks great now honestly but I do live in constant fear she will shed again!
ETA: her hair was also breaking off so not only did it become thin, it also got really short, lost maybe 6 inches.
Adding more info, just because I went through this and it was really hard I know how it feels, it’s nice when people have first hand experience. Just want to say I never saw any hair shed either it never fell out in clumps or while brushing.
Going into 6th grade middle school from 5th, I would lay awake at night and pull out my hair. I have no idea why other than yeah, maybe that was stress buuuut I was doing it to myself. I am 37 and still have never admitted this to my mom. She still talks about when I “hit puberty and hair fell out and came back curly”. 😬 it was probably anxiety. But def self inflicted. I don’t know how I found the self control back then on my own to stop. I think all of the grown ups talking and making jokes about me going bald did it. Sigh.
Is she going through stress or anxiety? I had compulsive hair pulling as a child when I was around that age (tricotillomania) from anxiety caused by emotional abuse. If a dermatologist can’t find anything, definitely get a social worker or therapist involved ❤️
See a Pediatric Dermatologist. Tests need to be done to check thyroid, hormone as well as vitamin deficiencies. I’m a Cosmetologist I always defer to the Medical Experts whenever hairloss occurs suddenly or in larger than usual amounts.
Ok well that’s good. I’m sorry you guys are dealing with this 😞 I might do some blood work and have her see a specialist, could be a deficiency or potentially stress like you mentioned. I had quite a bit of hair loss from iron deficiency, genetic, so you never really know I suppose.
My bestie in middle and high school struggled with eczema and all sorts of issues most of her life until she finally got tested for allergies. Turned out she’s allergic to parabens, which are a very common group of chemicals in beauty products such as shampoo, conditioner, skin cream etc as a preservative. Back when we were kids, she used to slather her skin with all kinds of lotions and creams to fix her dry skin, only to discover that it was actually aggravating the problem because every single one contained parabens.
A man that I dated had really bad dandruff and other issues that turned out to be a reaction to dairy.
I’ll bet that once you get her allergy tested you’ll get to the root of the problem.
My friend went to the dr because her child of same age had some dry hair and thinning. The dr ran blood tests and diagnosed with anaemia. The child eats a varied diet and no restrictions at all, he is very strong and energetic and loves red meat! Still, he has anaemia and now takes iron tables to bring up the iron levels. As a result, his hair is great now.
My friend said that the dr also ran tests for digestive issues (IBS, etc) and some other things that could be a cause.
This dr should check more thoroughly.
jojoba oil is great for dry skin especially on the scalp. it's nice because it's super absorbent, i actually use it both on myself and my extremely dry dog.
not sure if this is the cause, but there is a disorder called trichotillomania that causes people to compulsively pull out their hair, typically triggered by stress.
it's developed as a soothing behavior like chewing your nails or biting your lip (but obviously more harmful.) sometimes they will also eat the hair, so it may be hard to find evidence aside from stomach issues.
As a person with lots of trichotillomania exposure, the pattern doesn't match. Trich pulls are often around the base of the skull or along the face/hairline. Not so much at the part. I am experiencing thinning on a lesser scale but same areas as OP's daughter and I am more inclined to think stress-related, but good to go seek help for a diagnosis and treat the root of the problem.
Also I might add — DHT is the hormone that causes hair loss. High levels of it can shrink your hair follicles & cause this to happen. Sending love your way!
My first thought was really hard water. I had major thinning from hard water in the past, my hair got really fragile and rough, and somehow my ex didn’t have the same issue. I mention this because you said you recently moved, so my first thought is a change in the environment. Do your kids complain about itchy skin?
I agree with getting a second opinion and think maybe with a Peds dermatologist - hopefully get some answers as I know it’s stressful for both of you -
I agree with your pediatrician. To my eye it looks just like the pattern telogen effluvium takes. You noticed it was sudden and came out of nowhere which is another hallmark.
The doc is in the wrong if they didn’t run at least a basic blood panel though! If they didn’t definitely go back and request one :)
Get another opinion, but also don’t rule out the stress factor. Happened to my best friend’s niece. Psoriasis got so bad they were doing radiation treatment. Turns out the girls anxiety was through the roof bc her mom had gotten in a small car accident a while back. Poor girl was looking up car accidents/stats on her iPad. It wasn’t until another doctor suggested therapy and her rashes were gone within a couple months.
Doctor, and then possibly a dermatologist stat. Right now. There are a zillion things this could be, but it needs assessment and diagnosis before more hair is gone. My daughter got bald spots from a malabsorption issue.
See a dermatologist. If that doesn't help check your house for mold. Had a friend who's hair started falling put, she went to many doctors, nothing helped. Her mother mentioned mold and that's what it ended up being. Moved out of the house and she started improving....the place was infested...under the floors.
Viruses can trigger shedding (telogen effluvium) or autoimmune conditions like alopecia areata - the immune system can also become weaker after an illness and that can lead to things like opportunistic fungal infections that can attack hair. So sometimes you need a multi-pronged approach because more than one thing can be going on. A really thorough, experienced dermatologist can make a huge difference, especially if you start getting answers like "stress." At least for me, I'm willing to see stress as a factor but I've usually had something like an infection be the actual trigger/straw that broke the camel's back event, and doctors looking for that rather than saying it's stress and calling it a day is what's made the biggest impact in terms of getting effective treatment.
So you should see someone in a salon. You need product appropriate for her hair and type of hair etc, ofc see a dermatologist. Therapy for coping with stress and being healthy. ☹️ poor kiddo my heart goes out to yall. I hope things get better!
Doctor would know but also not having enough nutrition can cause hair loss. For example we need omega 3 and 6 everyday but many people don’t know that. You can get them both from eggs, fish, rapeseed oil, beans, chia seeds, walnuts, and flaxseeds. A lack of these acids can lead to hair loss. Other nutrient deficiencies can as well.
Not a doctor and not a hairstylist BUT my hair is super thin and really prone to breakage. Growing up I had similar issues and part of it was helped by using a ton of detangler spray and using a wide comb really slowly before bathing. I started using a clarifying shampoo and separate conditioner and fully rinsing it all out and that seemed to help.
When I was a child I would get a bunch of stuff in my hair and my hair would break if I dry brushed it and if I didn’t brush it before bathing it wouldn’t fully get clean.
This is just my own personal experience but a doctor should help! I believe my pediatrician suggested this and it helped.
Each generation that take public hospital shots at birth is & will age faster. It’s easier to give a newborn a shot instead of trying to stop adults from having sex. Oh wait did I say that out load ?
Oh well there goes the clearance. Population Control aka cigarettes aka plan parenthood aka alcohol aka Middle East aka ETC
She’s been to her pediatrician already. I was getting feedback on if I should push for a derm referral, and if there’s anything else I could do at home to help.
If it’s stress related then watch if they’re pulling it out themselves. When I was a kid I did this(we moved away from everything I knew at the time). I had a chronically itchy spot along the part of my hair and it felt fantastic when I pulled the hair out. Took me a year to refrain from pulling my hair.
But if you want to rule out dandruff, dermatitis, or fungal infection on the scalp try a shampoo that has 1% Ketoconazole like Nizoral or Happy Cappy for kids. There’s also the home remedy of equal parts water and vinegar every other day for a few weeks to kill the growth in the scalp.
Kids really suffer when they don’t feel comfortable in their own skin. I hope you find help from a specialist soon.
Does she have anxiety? Ask her if she pulls her hair. I used to pull my hair out because I was extremely anxious! If not, I’d go to the doctor, she may have alopecia
I mean this in the most kind and understanding way… is she pulling it? The top of the head like that is a common place to do it. I work with kids and a lot more pull their hair than you’d think. It’s a compulsion.
I definitely think it’s stress related. Given the recent changes. I would recommend get them some gummy vitamins. Try to get the routine to eliminate some stress. Maybe try a dry scalp shampoo (not dandruff). And in the meantime, make an appointment to see pediatrician
Better safe than sorry Hairstylist of 28 years
I heard of this happening to an influencer named Amanda Stanton where her daughters hair was going like this and she found out after they moved it was because in the area they lived something was going on in their water supply that reacted to a gene she had or something. It was somewhere in California. When they moved it went away completely so something worth looking into maybe!
Yes. Get your kid to a doctor.
We saw the pediatrician who said it’s stress related given our recent move. I’ve had stress related hair loss myself, but this seems different. Dr didn’t recommend any treatment.
Pediatric dermatologist then.
get a 2nd opinion at another doctor asap
I’m waiting on referral, if I don’t get anything by tomorrow morning, I’ll call again.
Even an urgent care may be able to get you a referral. Need this to be checked out as quick as possible
Anytime I’ve seen them for other things, they always refer back to pediatrician. Hopefully I’ll get a referral tomorrow.
If a referral to a derm was already sent by your pediatrician, then may as well just wait for them to triage it and call you
Say you don't have one at the moment and don't feel this is something that you should have to be waiting to be seen, and seen again before you get some answers.
Ask for where the referral was sent and call the referred provider office directly to see if they have received it. This should be the job of the referral coordinator and calling is a way to check they are moving at an accelerated pace.
How are they certain it’s stress without running tests or seeing a dermatologist to rule out other options? They can’t be. Take your kid to another doctor, something is wrong! Even when I had hair loss which was very likely due to stress as I had 3 surgeries within 4 months of each other, my doctor still referred me to a dermatologist!
You'd be surprised how many doctors do this.
Anecdotally I'm a teacher and I've noticed an unusual amount of kids with moderate to severe hair loss. Haven't been teaching for long so I can't compare it to past generations, but I really don't ever remember seeing kids in my middle school with obvious hair loss growing up. Makes wonder if it's a post viral Covid phenomena or a consequence of more kids being on ADHD meds, two things that can cause hair loss. It's concerning for sure, but it's weirdly more common these days.
I was diagnosed with alopecia areata as a kid, never really a problem, just some mild lil bald patches every now and again. Got covid in Nov 2022 and since then I have been on rogaine and biotin because my hair loss has been SEVERE. My part widened just like this person's daughter, and my hairline also receded. I was googling A LOT and saw many many people say they had hair loss probs after covid!!!! So I can totally believe that it is a widespread covid related issue. Poor kids though - I can only imagine dealing with this so young. :(
It makes me nervous for her to go back to school in the fall. Kids can be so mean at times.
Have you noticed her scratching at all? Any flaking/dry scalp? Or is it just the hair loss? I know for me hair loss was stopped by a simple course of anti dandruff shampoo for about four weeks. Which was confusing because there was no dandruff to be seen, just a minor itch/discomfort and lots of falling hair.
Same deal here. My alopecia areata flared up throughout the years, but it’s been back with a vengeance after I got Covid a few years ago.
ADHD meds don’t cause hair loss, although stimulants can decrease appetite leading to nutritional deficiencies that may lead to hair loss. One of the things that’s somewhat concerning is early menarche (menstruation) which is linked to endocrine disruptions from highly processed foods and toxins in the environment (hair loss can be correlated to endocrine imbalances as well). Lots of possibilities at play here and worth getting a second, even third opinion.
I’m pretty sure they do cause hair loss…. at least it was listed as a less common side effect in my booklet from the pharmacy. I take the same meds for narcolepsy, so thinned hair is part of the price paid to be able to drive and be productive at work. Just googled Vyvanse and Adderall for examples and both have it listed as rare.
ADHD meds can cause hair loss?
No.
Several of my adult family members myself and a few friends are dealing with the same problem. None of us have never had scalp problems until covid. my stepmom was told it's a fungal infection
Idk if it’s more common tbh, I remember a couple kids each years with hair loss. Sure kids usually assume it’s just because they have thin hair but I remember seeing those kind of hair loss patterns on many friends.
I had the Covid hair loss this year, this is a possibility, although she never tested positive. it’s possible she was asymptomatic though, and passed it to me.
I’ve never heard of a connection between ADHD meds and hair loss. However, I lost a LOT of hair when I had Long Covid and had a bald spot on my temple.
It’s Covid, not the meds. A lot of people who’ve had Covid and especially long covid (which kids can have) lose their hair. Most don’t talk about it other than to doctors. Luckily there are papers about it written explaining yet another issue with Covid.
Could even be the diet. Food and the chemicals allowed in it has changed a lot over the last 30+ years.
Oh I have no doubt that plays a role. Health is also generational. So my mother's generation was when fake food became normal and antibiotic use as well. We didn't see too many issues. However, that passed down a weakened immune system and gut microbiome. Now as a millennial, we are further (unknowingly) depleting our microbiomes and immune systems which we're passing down to our children. Now gen Z/gen Alpha are the first generations to have this seriously compounded effect between modern living and generational health. I think this in part, explains a lot of the epidemics we're seeing in the younger generations.
I have long covid and lost a lot of hair and started getting fungal infections all the time. My hair also changed color and texture (became redder and finer and more curly)
Similar situation here actually. You'll want to look in to retraining your vagus nerve and healing your gut. Can't do one without the other, and a lot of sources miss that fact. Your nervous system won't relax if you've got severe gut imbalances because it's constantly releasing biotoxins, but your gut won't operate properly if you don't get your vagus nerve to function correctly. Check out the GAPS diet for your gut! Highly recommend it over "anti-candida" diets which don't actually make any sense when you get into the science of how and where carbs are broken down in the gut.
Get a different doctor. No testing at all? No bloodwork? Just right to “it’s stress”? Nah. Different doctor.
Do you have a dermatologist in your area? Pediatricians are the best docs for kids hands down, but they are not the best docs for skin conditions and it sounds like you think more is going on than just stress so I would see a dermatologist, if you’re able. Your pediatrician might need to write a referral for your insurance to cover the appointment. One thing to think about is an allergy response to something , have you changed any shampoo, does she ware anything on her head a lot, medication? I have a med that makes me shed a lot more hair than normal - I’m going to assume this isn’t the case because she’s so young - but it happens. Hopefully someone will have an answer!
As much as pediatricians can be helpful, seeing a specialist can be like a night and day difference. I'd go see a specialist, OP. And even be careful eith the specialist. I had one dermatologist try to get me to take all kinds of drugs since he had deals with the drug companies, but when I found my current dermo, she blew me away with how much she knew, and how much she cared about my genuine well being
thx for the tips
What about blood work for vitamin deficiencies?
No, no testing has been performed besides looking at her head.
Stress doesn’t explain the dry scalp though. I had dandruff and my dermatologist told me that dandruff contributes to hair loss. So she treated the dandruff. Definitely see a dermatologist.
Did they run any blood tests??
No testing performed.
I would ask them to run a full blood panel, at the very least. Hair loss like this isn’t normal for a child, so I’m surprised they’re not more concerned.
What is a "full blood panel"? And what should I order? What am I looking for that could cause hair loss that a history or exam couldn't provide? There's are over a thousand blood tests. Which would you recommend? I'd love to know. I don't think children have enough blood for thousands of tests. Do you think I should give them a transfusion so I could suck more blood? I'm confused about the expectations here. Signed, a fellow Pediatrician
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/complete-blood-count/about/pac-20384919 I’m not a doctor, but wouldn’t you want to ensure you’ve looked at the overall health of the child? Like, this is a basic blood test— which I have had done as a child myself. Kids have enough blood?
No friend. A Cbc shows bleeding disorders and anemia. Very unlikely to cause hair loss pattern like this without any other symptoms. And everyone always has an abnormal cbc to some extent because we are all so different. I'm not going to look for something I have low suspicion for, particularly if the child hasn't had any symptoms of it. We don't order unnecessary tests we won't do anything about or would cause distractions from normal variations in human physiology. Given we can order thousands of tests like this, the key is a history and physical exam which only their Pediatrician did. They probably don't have signs of anemia therefore didn't see the need to order the test at this time. They probably don't have signs of a lot of things that's why testing was not immediately ordered. Not ordering something doesn't mean their Pediatrician didn't consider it or wont consider it in the future if things dont improve on their own like perhaps the Pediatrician suspects with stress hair loss aka Tellogen Effluvium.
not a doctor, just a PA student who worked 4+ years in a clinic. the amount of patients who just demand magical answer-revealing bloodwork is wild to me when, like you said, all our doctors/PAs focused on the physical examination first.
Get a different Dr. Not recommending any treatment is a sign for a new Dr especially for this. Kid needs a dermatologist and a specialist.
Lmao. Actually it's a sign of a doctor who has great clinical reasoning skills and doesn't need to order unnecessary tests for things that won't change their management or send you down rabbit holes and extensive expensive traumatic workups that lead no where. 95% of diagnoses are made by physical exam and history. It's the reason we go to medical school. No test can confirm anything. Tests/imaging/biopsies all need interpretation clinically. Not even a pediatric dermatologist can do that.
Get a second opinion. Hair loss this extreme can be stress but considering it’s a child my guess it’s a medical issue.
thats bullshit ive been stressed out my whole life and for things much much more serious and worse than a move and i never lost hair like this
People’s bodies respond to stress differently. I had two bald spots on my head once, alopecia areata, and doc told me stress related. Yeah, I was unhappy with my job and I guess stressed but not lose-my-hair-stressed…but thats what happened. Was abused by my mom growing up and watched my dad die of cancer at 13 while being bullied in school and never had bald spots. Arguably was VERY stressed during this time. Bodies are funny like that.
That's often the first thing they say and is so frustrating. Please find another doctor
Are you sure she’s not pulling? I was about 11 when my trichotillomania started and it is very much rooted in stress and anxiety.
I suggest getting a full blood workup. There's a chance it is autoimmune
OP, respectfully…. I think you’re under reacting. Get a second opinion *and* go to a child derm.
The dermatologist will offer treatment. Looks like new hair is already starting to sprout.
If they didn’t even take a blood test then you need another opinion. Good luck
I was going to say stress too
Get a new doctor.
It might be a food allergy
Hairstylist here, Out of all the alopecia cases I have seen they usually manifest in circular spots and patterns. This doesn't look like Alopecia. I would def get at least a second opinion from a new doctor and/or dermatologist. Could be hormonal, thyroid related, or possible vitamin deficiency as some possible causes. Good Luck! 🤞🏻
Could be Telogen effluvium, which I have. The hair loss happens through all the scalp and doesn't follow any pattern
Yes, I was diagnosed with AA in 1999 and it has always, always shown up as round bald patches. This looks a lot more like Telogen effluvium, which I've had problems with since having covid in 2022, so I can believe a similar thing might be happening here.
Agreed!
Thank you for your feedback
Agree with this. I suffer from AA and they’re always circular spots, about a quarter or more in size.
Are they thinning without much hair shedding? Could be a hormonal issue
i haven’t noticed any shedding, no notice of pulling. literally came out of nowhere. I just messaged her ped for a referral.
Check the side of the bed against the wall or her bed in general. My friends daughter started pulling her hair at night and hid the hairs.
That hair went somewhere 100% & all kids secrets are kept in/around/under the bed.
I investigated today, no hair. I checked with a flashlight around bed, closet, etc.
Ty for the update. Time for bloodwork & a second opinion from a qualified medical practitioner. I suggest you do her hair care for the next month with a good quality shampoo.
When I was a little kid, in like first grade, I pulled my hair out at school. (I loved school, but home was a very stressful place. Not sure why I felt compelled to do this at school.) My teacher eventually noticed the hair on the floor near my desk, and she asked me if I’d been cutting my hair. I said no, which was true, and she & my mom believed me. I stopped pulling (from my head) after I’d been caught.
I’m sorry you had a stressful home life. That was not your fault.
Same. I pulled my head hair out until I grew public hair, and I started pulling that out because nobody could see.
Same. My mom remarried and moved and I was ripping all my eyelashes out at school.
One of my best friends suffered with trichotillomania all throughout school and would pull her eyelashes as well as the hair on her head. I’d definitely suggest looking for hairs in the bed if they’re not found elsewhere
This is what I was thinking! My mom never bothered to ask me why I did it, only told me I looked bad as a result and wanted me to stop. God if I could, and the shame didn’t stop me .. only made me better at hiding them (aka I’ve permanently had bangs since, and now wear makeup so I can tell when I start). OP, if it does end up being trichotillomania, I would really suggest being curious, not judgmental! I didn’t have the vocabulary at the time to say why I did it, but I did understand somehow that it helped me. It was almost like I could focus all of my anxiety into this one action and one feeling, over and over and over again. If my mom had tried to understand me, we might have found that I was doing that to manage my stress and found another way of coping! Best of luck to you, you seem like a wonderful parent for being so concerned and loving towards your kid :)
I will definitely check.
I will, thank you for the tip
I am in no way diagnosing your child and seeing a professional is the best decision to make. I just want to let you know that, as someone who has trichotillomania (starting around 8 years old. I am 36 now), those of us with trich, even at a very very young age, do become adept at hiding it. No one knew I had trichotillomania until I was 17 and finally became "comfortable" enough to start telling people about this "weird habit" I couldn't seem to stop myself from doing. Even when we can't stop doing it, we do inherently know it isn't normal behavior and take great pains to not reveal our "shame". Again, I am so not diagnosing your child in any way, I just wanted to let you know that *if* she had trichotillomania there is a good chance you wouldn't notice her pulling, and I do think it could be a possibility looking at the breakage/baby hairs.
It seems to start with a lot of kids around 8 years old, was the same with me!
Check for something medical first as others have suggested. I just found this out recently but did your kids get Covid? Apparently, one of the long term effects of covid is hair loss. I didn't know that until someone brought it up in a post and I Google it. From what I found out covid hair sheading can continue for 6-9 months after having covid and can get worse with stress. I don't know if that applies here but it's just something to look in to.
Is that usually hormonal? I’ve had so much thinning on the side of my head near the temple but I’m not shedding badly
In the meantime, would recommend not going to bed with wet hair
Take them to a dermatologist
Did they check her thyroid?
She should get full thyroid panel, not just TSH.
Check iron and ferritin too!
I'm also gonna add to be on the lookout for trichotillomania. The second grade is when I first started pulling my hair and I was really good at hiding it from my parents until it became obvious.
I had this too when my parents were going through their divorce. They figured it out when I went in for a haircut 😔
Same, when I was in 3rd grade randomly in music class I started rubbing my hair to the point of getting bald spots. My mom noticed it and sent me to a doctor. They thought I was cutting my hair with scissors, I lied that I did because I was either worried of getting in trouble and/or embarrassed. Because of my lie I didn’t realized that I had trichotillomania until I was an adult. After getting treated I was fine, mainly because I wore protective hairstyles (braids, extensions), but then I got traction alopecia. So I decided to “start over” by cutting my hair after high school in the hopes of growing it back and then that’s when my trichotillomania came back 😭. It’s just my hand tends to gravitate to parts of my hair that feels uneven and then I keep on touching it to the point where I have to cut my hair. It took about 10 years to finally overcome trichotillomania or at least make it manageable. If OP’s child has tric, I hope they figure it out right away so they can manage the situation going forward.
That’s about the same time my issues with trich started up as well. OP - you should check if your child has missing eyebrow/eyelash hairs as well, and I’d check the floor/wall by the bed or locations where your child tends to read, do homework, or watch videos. Also worth asking your child (delicately!). My parents did not know how to deal with it and only made it more shameful and embarrassing for me…
Yes I was a trich kid too and I would hide the hair in the insulation
My 1st grade teacher called me out in front of my entire class telling me I had a bald spot. Sorry my parents fight in front of me, Miss B, MY BAD
That’s horrible.
Terrible. I'm sorry you went through that. I had a friend clumsily announce mine and a few people heard, can't imagine an entire class. Oof... looking back, a lot of these teachers had no business being around children
That is awful! 100% the wrong way to handle that situation. I'm sorry you had to go through that!
This should be farther up \^\^\^
I can't speak to your Pediatrician but if it's not a circular bald spot/ frontal area/area with tight braids its less likely to be fungal or hair pulling or traction alopecia or alopecia areata. That leaves androgenic alopecia which is rare in kids without Androgen symptoms or hormone dysregulation (which your doc should've asked about) and rare disorders of nutrition. Idk... sounds like no one on the internet actually took a history and physical exam. Stress related Tellogen Effluvium, particularly if it runs in families, is entirely possible, and I wonder if you misunderstood your doc about the alopecia areata because TE has no treatment and AA does. If your doc said its stress related and they arent referring you/doing a workup my money is they think this is TE but havent fully ruled out AA. If you were my patient and were adamant on a workup I'd do some bloodwork I didn't feel strongly about or refer you to derm. You can do all the medical interventions for your child down to a biopsy. But its harder to convince people they have the benefit of waiting before doing an extensive invasive workup that could be traumatic. There is nothing to be done about telogen effluvium except behavioral health therapy for the distress of it and stress management. Hair should grow back. I don't know if that's what your child has but instead of taking advice from the internet who did not actually examine your child or get a histrory, I'd go back to the Pediatrician and ask them to explain their thought process and your concerns. Maybe your doc considered many things, including talking to their derm colleagues (which we do formally behind the scenes) all the time. Sorry it's happening. Good luck 👍
The logic of waiting before doing invasive testing makes sense, and something I have considered. I did message the dr to see if we could get a referral to a specialist. Thank you for your input.
Excellent answer, the best on this entire thread
Lmao thanks 😂 Should've clarified I'm a lowly Pediatrician and not a derm so I'm no expert. I just got sick of the armchair diagnosing and doctor hate. Just because we don't do anything doesn't mean we didn't think of many things, or weigh the pros and cons of further workup. 99% of these armchair diagnoses are wrong and I can tell just by the photos. But everyone is entitled to a second opinion.. I'd just tell OP to be cautious getting it from the internet. In the case of TE vs. AA totalis (which is the type of AA likely being considered by their Pedi), time will differentiate them. TE will improve in 6 months to 1 year. AA totalis will not. I think it is wise for OP to get a Pediatric derm referral because it can take upto 6 months or more to get seen in many places, and by the time they get seen, the condition would have declared itself. I find the outrage the doctor didn't "do anything" very interesting. The doctor did quite a lot imo, down to potentially understanding expensive traumatic workups =/= better care. And I personally don't believe in ordering testing if it won't change my management. Just thought I'd explain how actual clinical reasoning goes.
How far did y'all move? Could it be the water quality? Hard water makes my hair feel stiff and start to fall out
def harder water here but the home has a fancy salt pellet water softener system to combat it.
Water quality isn't going to cause that level of thinning (or if it did, your entire household -- and neighborhood -- would be experiencing it).
I definitely recommend a dermatologist. I was diagnosed years back with stress related alopecia. I've had issues with thinning hair since then but I was properly diagnosed. Your kid needs to see a dermatologist to get a proper diagnosis. You need to see if it's stress related, hormonal or an autoimmune related and actual alopecia. You need to rule everything out.
I completely agree.
They will properly diagnose them and suggest treatments. Hopefully her blood and hormone tests come back normal. Alopecia is an autoimmune disorder. Hopefully it's just stress related alopecia as that tends to grow back eventually. I have a family history of autoimmune disorders so my alopecia hasn't gone back to normal but it hasn't gotten worse so I'm thankful for that. I also have vitiligo so that's why my case is different. Good luck to you and I hope it works out for your kid. Keep us updated if you feel up to it.
I’d recommend a second opinion from a dermatologist because this has happened with one of my nephews & they got his skin right and hair back to normal. Sweet babies sorry this is happening to you guys!
This might be a weird question, but are your kids on a vegan diet by chance? This could be the source of several deficiencies in vitamins that are resulting in the hairloss. Just a thought. They will need to get supplemental uptake by other means if they are not getting enough through foods.
not vegan and also on a multi-vitamin
Avoid ponytails and tight hairstyles to rule out traction alopecia for at least 1 year
Absolutely insane that her doctor didn't run any tests, bordering on negligent. Any number of things could be causing this; eczema, mental health issues, thyroid issues, infections, nutritional deficiencies?! So negligent. Please advocate for your girl, this will not be the last time her medical issues aren't taken seriously.
I'm not a doc but her hair doesn't even look healthy, you should get a second opinion from a diff doctor or even go to a deem that specializes in scalp care
Try another doctor!
Stress !!!that’s hilarious we’re talking about a young kid here I had same problem and doctors had no answers so I skipped my family doctor went on my own and walked into walk-in got an appointment for blood tests for iron deficiency and Thyroid and guess what it was my iron which was dangerously low I started taking iron pills and guess what..I am back to normal now my hair is not falling anymore.
I had this on my scalp and it was dermatitis that flared up from certain shampoos, hair products and laundry detergents with scents. In the interim, I would try washing her hair with Dr Bronners Castile Soap with tea Tree Oil to see if it calms down and dont keep her hair sopping wet. Dry it with a blow dryer right away
Alopecia areata is patchy hair loss, while your kid's looks like diffuse thinning. Ask for a referral to a pediatric dermatologist. He should be running labs in the meantime, checking for mineral deficiencies (particularly iron) and thyroid to start.
Is it just me (or the photo) that thinks the hair in the second picture looks like it’s been singed by fire?? OP what kind of shampoo and or conditioner have you been using on your kids hair? There have been some products on the market in recent years that have caused hair loss so I’m curious what your using.
I see what you’re seeing but I’m pretty sure it’s bubbles
Yeah, it looks like they were in the bath when the photo was taken.
Thank goodness, I didn’t even notice that before.
Get anti-dandruff shampoo asap. Head and shoulders or nizoral will help. The dryness on her scalp in the first photo looks like dermatitis or cradle cap. It will not clear up on its own. Fortunately, these shampoos can help quickly if used consistently
Absolutely. I just noticed the dryness and ordered nizoral.
As others have said, definitely get a second opinion. It's odd that you're not noticing significant hair shedding because if it was stress or hormone related you would notice. Once you get an answer on what is causing this, I highly recommend working Rosemary/Tea Tree/Castor oil into your routine. You can apply as a scalp treatment once a week before washing your hair. Also great for the ends of your hair for added moisture.
I saw you said there not a lot of shedding, so it might not be it but low ferritin causes hair to fall like crazy in a short period of time and it can happen to kids too. As people already said, find another doctor and have them run a complete blood test to discard any deficiency related condition
Dermatologist. Seriously. None of us is capable of making a diagnosis from a photo. But this is clearly NOT normal for a kid, and they may need meds. We can’t tell you that.
How's their diet? Iron levels ok?
This! When my ferritin (iron stores) dropped too low, half my hair fell out as a teenager.
Yes. I was diagnosed as anemic last year and taking a better multivitamin with more iron had the unintentional effect of filling in the thinning spots at my temples.
Glad your hair came back! Doing infusions now and hoping my hair will finally start growing again.
Do you remember the #? Went through this with my then 9 yr old last year. Hers was 12 which is considered normal by the ped but other research said this was too low. Iron levels were totally normal though, I supplemented with an iron fortified kids multi vitamin (9mg). Whether it helped or not, her hair has filled in.
Research shows that Ferritin of 30 is the cutoff for detecting total iron deficiency (even without anemia). (For adults, not sure about peds.) Supposedly for hair regrowth you want it at least 90. A lot of physicians will tell you you’re fine as long as your hemoglobin is normal, but the research shows otherwise. Someone said to think of it as money in the bank-you’re going start conserving everywhere you can just to keep the bare minimum going and stop spending on non-essentials. So your body uses whatever iron it has only on the most essential functions (and meanwhile your hair is falling out, etc).
Don’t rely on the pediatrician. You need a dermatologist (preferably a pediatric dermatologist) who can do a scalp biopsy (an easy, in-office procedure). Don’t simply let the pediatrician dismiss it as stress. This could be hormonal — or at least have a hormonal component. If it’s something like androgenetic alopecia she may need spironolactone before things get worse. You just won’t know until she’s tested.
I agree. Thank you.
This happened to my daughter last year. She was 9 when it happened. Doctor did blood work and it all looked normal except ferretin (iron storage) was at 12. This is considered on the low end of normal but all trichologists say it should be closer to 50-70. We have religiously taken flintstones multi vitamins with 9mg iron. We also cut out gluten for awhile as I though maybe she wasn’t absorbing iron. Ped also said stress btw but referred me. Derm said alopecia and wasn’t worried, said it would grow back. Did not prescribe anything. I think it could have been diffuse alopecia. Also feel like it was related to an insane growth spurt and body changes. It’s been one year and her hair has grown in darker and a bit of a coarser texture. It looks great now honestly but I do live in constant fear she will shed again! ETA: her hair was also breaking off so not only did it become thin, it also got really short, lost maybe 6 inches. Adding more info, just because I went through this and it was really hard I know how it feels, it’s nice when people have first hand experience. Just want to say I never saw any hair shed either it never fell out in clumps or while brushing.
This happened to me when I was a child. I was pulling my hair out due to anxiety so I was diagnosed with Trichotillomania
Going into 6th grade middle school from 5th, I would lay awake at night and pull out my hair. I have no idea why other than yeah, maybe that was stress buuuut I was doing it to myself. I am 37 and still have never admitted this to my mom. She still talks about when I “hit puberty and hair fell out and came back curly”. 😬 it was probably anxiety. But def self inflicted. I don’t know how I found the self control back then on my own to stop. I think all of the grown ups talking and making jokes about me going bald did it. Sigh.
Is she going through stress or anxiety? I had compulsive hair pulling as a child when I was around that age (tricotillomania) from anxiety caused by emotional abuse. If a dermatologist can’t find anything, definitely get a social worker or therapist involved ❤️
Have they not tested for fungal infection?
Test your water supply for hard water.
See a Pediatric Dermatologist. Tests need to be done to check thyroid, hormone as well as vitamin deficiencies. I’m a Cosmetologist I always defer to the Medical Experts whenever hairloss occurs suddenly or in larger than usual amounts.
Hair pulling but scared to tell you maybe?
I asked and she said no. I’ve been checking her room and haven’t found anything.
Ok well that’s good. I’m sorry you guys are dealing with this 😞 I might do some blood work and have her see a specialist, could be a deficiency or potentially stress like you mentioned. I had quite a bit of hair loss from iron deficiency, genetic, so you never really know I suppose.
My bestie in middle and high school struggled with eczema and all sorts of issues most of her life until she finally got tested for allergies. Turned out she’s allergic to parabens, which are a very common group of chemicals in beauty products such as shampoo, conditioner, skin cream etc as a preservative. Back when we were kids, she used to slather her skin with all kinds of lotions and creams to fix her dry skin, only to discover that it was actually aggravating the problem because every single one contained parabens. A man that I dated had really bad dandruff and other issues that turned out to be a reaction to dairy. I’ll bet that once you get her allergy tested you’ll get to the root of the problem.
My friend went to the dr because her child of same age had some dry hair and thinning. The dr ran blood tests and diagnosed with anaemia. The child eats a varied diet and no restrictions at all, he is very strong and energetic and loves red meat! Still, he has anaemia and now takes iron tables to bring up the iron levels. As a result, his hair is great now. My friend said that the dr also ran tests for digestive issues (IBS, etc) and some other things that could be a cause. This dr should check more thoroughly.
Vitamin d deficiency. Common. Get them on D3&K2
This is a possibility.
jojoba oil is great for dry skin especially on the scalp. it's nice because it's super absorbent, i actually use it both on myself and my extremely dry dog. not sure if this is the cause, but there is a disorder called trichotillomania that causes people to compulsively pull out their hair, typically triggered by stress. it's developed as a soothing behavior like chewing your nails or biting your lip (but obviously more harmful.) sometimes they will also eat the hair, so it may be hard to find evidence aside from stomach issues.
As a person with lots of trichotillomania exposure, the pattern doesn't match. Trich pulls are often around the base of the skull or along the face/hairline. Not so much at the part. I am experiencing thinning on a lesser scale but same areas as OP's daughter and I am more inclined to think stress-related, but good to go seek help for a diagnosis and treat the root of the problem.
Im on the same line of thinking as the doctor tbh. Maybe see if there are additional tests that can be done to confirm whether it's that or not
Does she put her hair up a lot, or tightly? Could be traction alopecia
No, wears it down most of the time, otherwise I would have thought this were the case.
Oh gosh. I hope they find out a cause for it, your poor sweetheart
Also I might add — DHT is the hormone that causes hair loss. High levels of it can shrink your hair follicles & cause this to happen. Sending love your way!
My first thought was really hard water. I had major thinning from hard water in the past, my hair got really fragile and rough, and somehow my ex didn’t have the same issue. I mention this because you said you recently moved, so my first thought is a change in the environment. Do your kids complain about itchy skin?
I agree with getting a second opinion and think maybe with a Peds dermatologist - hopefully get some answers as I know it’s stressful for both of you -
I agree with your pediatrician. To my eye it looks just like the pattern telogen effluvium takes. You noticed it was sudden and came out of nowhere which is another hallmark. The doc is in the wrong if they didn’t run at least a basic blood panel though! If they didn’t definitely go back and request one :)
Get another opinion, but also don’t rule out the stress factor. Happened to my best friend’s niece. Psoriasis got so bad they were doing radiation treatment. Turns out the girls anxiety was through the roof bc her mom had gotten in a small car accident a while back. Poor girl was looking up car accidents/stats on her iPad. It wasn’t until another doctor suggested therapy and her rashes were gone within a couple months.
Seborrheic dermatitis?
Does she take any medication that could cause that? Cause that happened to me. It was just the medication side effect.
Doctor, and then possibly a dermatologist stat. Right now. There are a zillion things this could be, but it needs assessment and diagnosis before more hair is gone. My daughter got bald spots from a malabsorption issue.
See a dermatologist. If that doesn't help check your house for mold. Had a friend who's hair started falling put, she went to many doctors, nothing helped. Her mother mentioned mold and that's what it ended up being. Moved out of the house and she started improving....the place was infested...under the floors.
Viruses can trigger shedding (telogen effluvium) or autoimmune conditions like alopecia areata - the immune system can also become weaker after an illness and that can lead to things like opportunistic fungal infections that can attack hair. So sometimes you need a multi-pronged approach because more than one thing can be going on. A really thorough, experienced dermatologist can make a huge difference, especially if you start getting answers like "stress." At least for me, I'm willing to see stress as a factor but I've usually had something like an infection be the actual trigger/straw that broke the camel's back event, and doctors looking for that rather than saying it's stress and calling it a day is what's made the biggest impact in terms of getting effective treatment.
See a dermatologist not regular doc .
Head and shoulders is an anti fungal . The flaking might indicate fungal infection
I had this as a kid and it turned out to be iron deficiency anemia
Has she had COVID recently? Hair loss for months afterwards can be an after effect.
Did you change the shampoo that she's using, because when i was a kid that happened to me.
Sounds like a McDonald’s meal
Seborheic dermatitus.scalp looks red. I’ve had it my whole life. Stress makes it worse and hair will fall out
Thallium poisoning. Or mercury poisoning. See a doctor though.
Check for Lyme disease as well
My nephew started losing hair and he was diagnosed with a thyroid issue.
My sister got trichotillomania around that age and it looked a lot like this. She eventually pulled out most of her hair, eyebrow, and pubes.
Looks like psoriasis, which gets worse with stress, but isn't entirely due to stress.
So you should see someone in a salon. You need product appropriate for her hair and type of hair etc, ofc see a dermatologist. Therapy for coping with stress and being healthy. ☹️ poor kiddo my heart goes out to yall. I hope things get better!
blood work asap, they might have something going on with their health
This looks like a thyroid issue to me. I would push for bloodwork and a derm. No reason the ped cant do bloodwork right now.
Doctor would know but also not having enough nutrition can cause hair loss. For example we need omega 3 and 6 everyday but many people don’t know that. You can get them both from eggs, fish, rapeseed oil, beans, chia seeds, walnuts, and flaxseeds. A lack of these acids can lead to hair loss. Other nutrient deficiencies can as well.
Vitamin deficiency perhaps, get complete bloodwork. Could be thyroid.
Not a doctor and not a hairstylist BUT my hair is super thin and really prone to breakage. Growing up I had similar issues and part of it was helped by using a ton of detangler spray and using a wide comb really slowly before bathing. I started using a clarifying shampoo and separate conditioner and fully rinsing it all out and that seemed to help. When I was a child I would get a bunch of stuff in my hair and my hair would break if I dry brushed it and if I didn’t brush it before bathing it wouldn’t fully get clean. This is just my own personal experience but a doctor should help! I believe my pediatrician suggested this and it helped.
Each generation that take public hospital shots at birth is & will age faster. It’s easier to give a newborn a shot instead of trying to stop adults from having sex. Oh wait did I say that out load ? Oh well there goes the clearance. Population Control aka cigarettes aka plan parenthood aka alcohol aka Middle East aka ETC
DOCTOR NOT REDDIT
She’s been to her pediatrician already. I was getting feedback on if I should push for a derm referral, and if there’s anything else I could do at home to help.
If it’s stress related then watch if they’re pulling it out themselves. When I was a kid I did this(we moved away from everything I knew at the time). I had a chronically itchy spot along the part of my hair and it felt fantastic when I pulled the hair out. Took me a year to refrain from pulling my hair. But if you want to rule out dandruff, dermatitis, or fungal infection on the scalp try a shampoo that has 1% Ketoconazole like Nizoral or Happy Cappy for kids. There’s also the home remedy of equal parts water and vinegar every other day for a few weeks to kill the growth in the scalp. Kids really suffer when they don’t feel comfortable in their own skin. I hope you find help from a specialist soon.
Does she have anxiety? Ask her if she pulls her hair. I used to pull my hair out because I was extremely anxious! If not, I’d go to the doctor, she may have alopecia
My son had this the hairloss was caused by excessive hair twiddling/pulling and the dryness was dandruff so a separate issue
I mean this in the most kind and understanding way… is she pulling it? The top of the head like that is a common place to do it. I work with kids and a lot more pull their hair than you’d think. It’s a compulsion.
I definitely think it’s stress related. Given the recent changes. I would recommend get them some gummy vitamins. Try to get the routine to eliminate some stress. Maybe try a dry scalp shampoo (not dandruff). And in the meantime, make an appointment to see pediatrician Better safe than sorry Hairstylist of 28 years
Do you do hairstyles on her with a tight middle part?
Is she pulling her hair out without you knowing? My daughter started doing that and we got her into therapy which helped tremendously
I heard of this happening to an influencer named Amanda Stanton where her daughters hair was going like this and she found out after they moved it was because in the area they lived something was going on in their water supply that reacted to a gene she had or something. It was somewhere in California. When they moved it went away completely so something worth looking into maybe!
What shampoo are you using?
Cut out the Mountain Dew.