My son is 3.5 years old and has always had a full head of hair. When he was born everyone laughed that he needed a haircut already (it was going down the back of his neck, ha)! Since he was 8 months old I have taken him to get his haircut every 2 months. I have always taken him to the same hair place. Just before Christmas I took him to get his haircut and the lady who always cut his hair brought to my attention a bald spot on the back left side of his head. She didn't slip with the scissors because I was watching the whole time. There is absolutely NO hair there and over the last few weeks the bald spot has grown (it's a little bigger that a half dollar) and now recently I have noticed about a quarter-sized bald spot on the right side of the back of his head.
Has anyone experienced this? I took him to his doctor and she mentioned "Alopecia Areata" and said the hair should grow back in about 6-12 months. I am just concerned because the bald spots have gotten bigger and are multiplying. Could it be something else? I am thinking of taking him to a dermatologist. My son has become aware of the spots and gets upset if we talk about them. :(
Is it possible that your son has pulled out his hair? There is a disorder called trichotillomania where people pull out their own hair and can develop bald spots. If you have observed him fiddling with his hair or found hair around the house, maybe that's a possibility.
My little one had the same thing happen. We took her to the dermatologist and the report was ringworm. She gave us a shampoo and antibiotics to treat it. She picked it up from daycare. We didn't take her back there because of it.
I'd also recommend speaking with either their pediatrician or a dermatologist about Alopecia. Some medications can cause it, or it can be an unrelated medical condition.
You may find that he also has a nervous disorder in which he's been pulling it, but I think your best bet is to speak with the physicians to see if there is some underlying medical condition first.
I have no experience with this, but I thought I'd mention that there are some doctors that believe nutrition plays a role in conditions like this, which may be autoimmune. It may be worth checking out and trying (look into Dr. Fuhrman, author of "Eat for Health"). Increasing fruit and veggies and reducing animal products does no harm (unlike the medications that dermatologists tend to prescribe). Hopefully this will resolve itself. All the best to you and your family.
I would research the "Alopecia Areata" AND take him to the dermatologist. I would also keep his hair cut short like a buzz, it will help the spots not be as noticable.
Question: When he was an infant, did he lose any of his birth hair? Could this be like that?
M.
