Hair
loss in children
We have already looked at several conditions which
can
lead to hair loss in children. Often an area of
hair loss is
seen at the age of two or three months, and this
is quite normal. Sometimes the development of mosaic
patterns
of hair growth leads to apparent hair loss. Alopecia
areata and trichotillomania are both seen from time
to time in children.
In addition some children have
a condition called loose anagen syndrome,
in which the hair can be easily and painlessly pulled
out. It is most common in fair-haired
girls. It tends to improve as they grow older.
The
condition known as trichothiodystrophy, which is
a
sulphur deficiency
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Hair
shaft abnormalities
Sometimes hair is lost because the structure of
the hair shaft is not normal. There are four main
types of abnormality:
- fractures
- irregularities
- coiling and twisting
- extraneous matter.
Some of these characteristics are genetically determined
(inherited). Others are the result of something
that has happened during the person's life. Yet
others are the result of an underlying disease.
The photographs reproduced here show some examples
These cases are very rare, however: only about one
person in every 10,000 is affected.
The
pictures above illustrate a type of hair malformation
known as trichorrhexis invaginata |
