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Hair loss in children is typically caused by one of five conditions: Alopecia Areata, Tinea Capitis,
Traction Alopecia, Trichotillomania, or Telogen Effluvium. We'd like to invite you to register and post your
story and your questions on our Children's Hair Loss Support Forums. Someone will be there to help you with
your questions.
Tinea Capitis is a disease caused by fungal infection of the skin of the scalp,
eyebrows and eyelashes, with a propensity for
attacking hair shafts and follicles. It is also
called "ringworm of the scalp". The condition is
caused by a fungus that invades the hair shaft
and causes the hairs to break...
Alopecia areata is another common form of patchy hair loss in children. The
typical story is the sudden appearance of one or
more totally bald areas in the scalp. The child
with this condition loses hair in circular
patches sometimes up to two inches in diameter...
Traction Alopecia, or physical damage to the
hair, is another common cause of hair loss,
particularly in girls. The human hair is quite
fragile and does not respond well to the many
physical and chemical assaults it has to endure
in the name of beauty...
Trichotillomania is the compulsion to pull out one's own hair. It results in
irregular patches of incomplete hair loss,
mainly on the scalp, but may involve the
eyebrows and eyelashes as well. The habit of
pulling out one's hair is usually practiced in
bed before falling asleep or when the child is
studying or watching television. Interestingly,
parents are usually not aware of the habit and
frequently find it hard to believe that their
child would do such a thing...
Following a high fever, flu or severe emotional stress, hairs that were in their growth phase can sometimes be suddenly converted into their
resting phase. Two to 4 months later, when the child is otherwise fine and the stress is forgotten, these hairs can begin to shed. The
shedding, which is actually a mass exodus of follicles from growth into dormancy, can last for up to 6 weeks...
Unfortunately, finding a qualified children's hair loss doctor is much like searching for a needle in a haystack. If the ailment at hand were
cancer, the chances of finding a good children's specialist would be high. Unfortunately for children's hair loss patients, it's much more
difficult to find someone who truly knows their stuff. When we began developing these pages, we contacted some of the leading researchers in
the industry. we were informed that there were no highly-educated specialists on children's hair loss in Southern California...
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