Posts Tagged ‘Hair Loss In Children’
Hair loss treatment and hair transplants are normally associated with those of us that are more advanced in years. As we grow older, we keep an eye out for overt shedding and uneven hairlines in the same way we inspect ourselves for suspicious moles or stubborn wrinkles. When it comes to our children, however, we are often too preoccupied with scraped knees, lost teeth and fevers to notice if their locks are looking less than lush.
If you do notice that your child is experiencing a degree of hair loss there is no need to panic. Reasons for hair loss range from dietary deficiencies to radiation exposure and once you’ve found the cause it can easily be remedied. Here are some of the more serious causes of hair loss in children:
1. Tinea capitis: Commonly known as ‘ringworm’, this fungal infection is caused by fungi called dermatophytes. It commonly affects children and results in an itchy scalp and hair breakage. Tinea infections are highly contagious and children can catch it by coming in contact with an infected individual or by exchanging contaminated items such as brushes, caps or clothing. Take your child to your physician as soon as you notice the symptoms. Your doctor will perform a skin lesion biopsy to determine the nature of the fungal infection and prescribe anti-fungal medication to be taken orally. This treatment, if used in conjunction with a medicated shampoo should quickly sort out the hair loss problem.
2. Trichotillomania: Trichotillomania is an anxiety disorder that characterized by the persistent and excessive pulling of one’s own hair, resulting in noticeable hair loss. This includes the pulling of eyelashes, eyebrows and pubic hair, but is generally confined to scalp hair. In children the condition is normally described as an impulse-control disorder (as opposed to an obsessive compulsive disorder) and can be treated by non-medical means such as diet and hypnotherapy. Cognitive behaviour therapy can also be helpful if it is found that the pulling is the result of stress.
3. Traction alopecia: Also known as ‘ballerina baldness’, Traction alopecia is localised hair loss caused by damage to the hairs’ roots from constantly pulling hair too tight in the same direction. First noticed in the early 1900’s among women and girls in Greenland, the condition has also been noted among men of the Sikh clan who wear their hair in tight knots and African American individuals who wear their hair in tight braids called ‘cornrows’. If detected early enough, a simple change of hairstyle and shampoo should do the trick to stop the impending hair loss.
Other causes of hair loss in children include Telogen effluvium, congenital alopecia and scarring alopecia. If you should notice significant shedding or baldness in your child it would be wise to consult a physician before attempting any home remedies. Many of the conditions listed here can be treated easily if spotted early enough, without having to resort to expensive hair loss treatments or, eventually, hair transplants.
Hugh Turner works as a male nurse in an oncology unit and frequently advises his patients about hair loss. In order to be better informed, he keeps up to date with hair transplant techniques by attending regular industry workshops.
Article Source: http://www.thecontentcorner.com
Going bald is a fact of life for millions of men. Adults lose about 10,000 scalp hairs each and every day. Hair normally lives for around five years. With male pattern baldness these hairs do not always get replaced and gradually bald areas appear. This process can however take a long time and the age at which you start to lose hair does not necessarily provide any clues as to how long it will be until you define yourself as bald. There are a number of reasons why men start to go bald, but if you are a man between the ages of about 20 to 45 and you start to lose scalp hair, then the chances are 95 per cent certain that you are experiencing male pattern baldness. As the term suggests, male pattern baldness follows a typical sequence or pattern.
The normal cycle of hair growth and loss
The normal cycle of hair growth lasts for 2 to 6 years. Each hair grows approximately 1 centimeter (less than half an inch) per month during this phase. About 90 percent of the hair on your scalp is growing at any one time. About 10 percent of the hair on your scalp, at any one time, is in a resting phase. After 2 to 3 months, the resting hair falls out and new hair starts to grow in its place.
It is normal to shed some hair each day as part of this cycle. However, some people may experience excessive (more than normal) hair loss. Hair loss of this type can affect men, women and children.
Excessive Hair Loss Reasons
A number of things can cause excessive hair loss. For example, about 3 or 4 months after an illness or a major surgery, you may suddenly lose a large amount of hair. This hair loss is related to the stress of the illness and is temporary.
Hormonal problems may cause hair loss. If your thyroid gland is overactive or underactive, your hair may fall out.
Certain infections can cause hair loss. Fungal infections of the scalp can cause hair loss in children.
Finally, hair loss may occur as part of an underlying disease, such as lupus or diabetes.
The common baldness
The term “common baldness” usually means male-pattern baldness, or permanent-pattern baldness. Male-pattern baldness is the most common cause of hair loss in men. Men who have this type of hair loss usually have inherited the trait. Men who start losing their hair at an early age tend to develop more extensive baldness. In male-pattern baldness, hair loss typically results in a receding hair line and baldness on the top of the head.
Male Pattern Baldness
The male pattern baldness form of androgenetic alopecia accounts for more than 95% of hair loss in men. By age 35, two-thirds of UK and EU men will have some degree of appreciable hair loss and by age 50 approximately 85% of men have significantly thinning hair. About 25% of men who suffer from male pattern baldness begin the painful process before they reach 21.
Most men who suffer from male pattern baldness are extremely unhappy with their situation and would do anything to change it. Hair loss affects every aspect of their life. It affects interpersonal relationships as well as their professional life. It is not uncommon for men to change their career paths because of hair loss.
The Causes of Male Pattern Baldness
Most men are genetically predisposed to male pattern baldness. It is the effect of hormones on the hair follicle that produces male pattern baldness. Testosterone, a hormone that is present in high levels in males after puberty, is converted to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. DHT has an adverse affect on the hair follicles. Acting on a hormone receptor on the hair follicle it slows down hair production and produces weak, shorter hair, sometimes it stops hair growth from the follicle completely. This process gradually depletes your stock of hair and is normal hair loss.
Know about DHT
Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is a derivative or by-product of testosterone. Testosterone converts to DHT with the aid of the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase. While the entire genetic process of male pattern baldness is not completely understood, scientists do know that DHT shrinks hair follicles, and that when DHT is suppressed, hair follicles continue to thrive. Today, with proper treatment, this process can be slowed or even stopped if caught early enough.
Treatments for hair loss Online
Depending on your type of hair loss, treatments are available. If a medicine is causing your hair loss, your doctor may be able to prescribe a different medicine. Recognizing and treating an infection may help stop the hair loss. Correcting a hormone imbalance may prevent further hair loss.
Medicines may also help slow or prevent the development of common baldness. One medicine, finasteride (brand name: Propecia) is available with a prescription, it is a FDA-approved products have been clinically proven to stop or prevent hair loss. It comes in pills and is only for men. You can buy it online from the site propeciafinasteride.co.uk .
Propecia Hair Loss Treatment Pills
Finasteride is the generic name for the brand name drugs Propecia. Finasteride was originally developed by the pharmaceutical company Merck as a drug to treat enlarged prostate glands.
During the trials on men with prostate problems, researchers noted an intriguing side effect: hair growth. Since finasteride had already been approved by the FDA to treat enlarged prostates in men, Merck decided to pursue the possibility of developing finasteride as the first pill to treat male pattern baldness.
In December 1997, the FDA approved a 1mg dose of finasteride for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia (male pattern baldness) in men. Propecia is the first drug in history to effectively treat male pattern baldness in the majority of men who use it.
Hair loss in men is caused by heredity, hormones, and age. One of the main reason is the over production of the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which causes them to shrink. This “shrinkage” results in overall thinning with time. This causes thinning and baldness in men.
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