7Yo Stressed?

Could be stress, but please take her to a dermatologist ASAP. This will hopefully rule out Alopecia. My daughter had some hair loss last year and it was Alopecia Areata (spots of hair loss). I would do this just in case she has it and they need to start some meds.

She may be stressed or it might be her iron levels. Low iron does that as well. I would pay attention to her behavior and mood to see if something is different and that could alert you to some potential stresses; but if the hair issue continues on for more than a week then I would take her to see the doctor.

She could be stressed, there are emotional components to every ailment, but I'm also wondering if she's severly deficient in some vitamins or minerals? I would have her checked with a naturpath.

It could be any number of things, vitamin deficiency, stress, natural hair loss, or a thyroid imbalance. I would take her to the doctor and have a complete physical and blood work up. I know kids are under a great deal of pressure these days, but loosing hair because of stress for a 7 year old sounds like a stretch to me.

You should definitely take her to the doctor. This could be any number of things but you really should have it checked out.

Hi i am a cosmetologist, yes you should probably contact a doctor, but also twisting her hair may be breaking it off also. That is like sleeping in a poneytail it will break your hair off too!! Loosing hair is normail, but not in big clumps, even if she is stressed! I myself would check with a doctor, it wouldn't hurt anything, hope I was of help.

Hi R.,
I think the advice you have received so far is great. I just want to give you my thoughts.
I, too, only wash my DD's hair about twice or so a week. I also pull and twist her hair, but I use hair knockers (I dont know if they has anything to do with my point) anyway, Is your DD's hair brushed at all during the seven days between washings? If not, that is most likely your problem. The average human being loses 60-80 hairs a day. If you are not brusing these hairs out, they add up. The last braid job I did on my DD, I left in for 3-4 days. When I combed it out, it looked like my palms grew hair!!! She's 2 BTW, so I KNOW stress is not her problem. The only thing she could stress about is whether to watch Elmo's World or Burt ans Ernie's Great Adventures!!!!

Good Luck and I hope you find a solution to your problem,

Margaret :)

I would check with doctor to make sure there isn't anything physical going on. Women in my family have lost hair due to hypo- and hyper- thyroidism. Anemia and some other medical conditions can cause hair loss also.

I would for sure look into it! IF it is stress already in 1st or 2nd grade, each year will only get a little harder. Did something happen to her at school? I would ask the dr. Especially since your daughter is not giving you too much info.

Could be alopetia, although the spelling is a wild guess. Alopetia is a condition that leads to hair loss and has no other symptoms. A friend of mine has had it since she was a girl. Everyone who suggests a pediatrician is absolutely right, but this may also give you something you can google to see if the symptoms fit with what you are seeing.

I agree with others who asked you to let us know what happens -- if it were me, I'd be pretty freaked out. Hair is somehow a very intimate part of our identity. My friend with alopetia has been bald for awhile now (in her mid 40s, the hair loss was mostly undetectable throughout her youth and through her early 40s), and it has been quite a journey for her -- strangers often assume she has cancer.We were on vacation together a couple of weeks ago and a young man charged up to her, took her hands, looked deeply into her eyes and said "it's okay -- stay strong -- it's going to be alright!" and dashed off. I was amazed -- how had he known my friend was having a rough day? I felt like I'd seen a modern-day miracle. Then I realized that this is something that happens to her regularly -- of course -- he was a cancer survivor and thought she was one too. I said "well, it's kind of nice, isn't it? He certainly gave you a lot of affirmation!" Anyway, let us know. If it is alopetia, it is possible my friend might be willing to be in touch with you directly to perhaps give some suggestions for coping - her whole family had strong reactions to her hair loss and it might feel good to her to help another family.

i would contact her doctor. it could be a lack of mineral, vitiman or even the little amounts of junk foood you are allowing might be too much for her. if it is stress he could recomend some relaxing things, or how to make school exciting. sorry she is stressing. i dissagree with anothers post about not being stressed at 7. my mom went back to work and i started breaking out with hives. i developed food allergys, it was extreamly stressful for me not to have mom home. i was in third grade

R.,

My sister experienced the same thing earlier this year when her son-in-law was diagnosed was cancer. She noticed she was losing hair, so went she went to the salon she asked the beautician to check things out. She had a complete bald spot on the back of her head. The beautician told her to go to doctor and he gave her something to help it grow back. I would start with the doctor, since your daughter is just 7. If it's just a hair thing, there is a product called Nioxin that the hairdresser can sell you that will thicken her hair.

Good luck,
C.

Hi R.,
I would get her to a Dr. right away and insist upon a full complete blood work up for her. Stress over school does not really seem like a reason for the hair to fall out that way.
It sounds like something else could be going on within her little body to start this event. It could simply be a lack of a certain vitamin or mineral or an enzyme that could be the issue- but I would not delay in getting her to the dr..........
good luck and blessings

I don't believe this can be caused by stress in a 7 year old. I would most definitely take her to the pediatrician.

R.,
I think that school is extremely stressful especially for a 7yo. This can be so overwhelming for them. i have two girls also, 9 & 7 and my 7 yo gets really nervous around crowds. She has started to do much better since she has been in school past couple of years, but the nervous is really still there. I would suggest, if you can take a few days off of work and stay at school with her, or stay "unnoticed" at school with her. It could very easly be something she doesn't even know is stressing her out, pressure, kid clicks etc. and her body naturally gets overwhelmed. God Bless, Poor baby.

I do think you she see the doctor.

Get in touch with her teacher ASAP. See if she has noticed anything. Some children can really upset themselves and internalize so many things.

If your child is a pleaser or a perfectionist, this could be one of the by products.

Our daughter was always an over achiever. She would always want to go way beyond what was expected. She was worried she would "mess up" or "fail" We used to tell her, "just do your best." "Do not stress or worry about any school work or tests." "We know you are working very hard."

We started making a bigger deal about how we were not always the "best". Or that we were not "perfect", but that it was ok. We would not be embarrassed or ashamed, we would just say, "I tried my best." This seemed to take some of that pressure off of her, even though we had never put pressure on her. She was just such an overachiever, she would freak herself out.

Hi R.,

Please have her thryoid checked. Thinning and hair falling is out is a sign that the
T3 and T4 hormones are not where they should be, that would be associated with the thryoid.
Also I would add some childrens Calcium, Childrens Proboitics for the immune system, and Children mineral supplements. I would also look at the diet.
www.creeksideherbhouse.com On the theory page is a diet to look at for nutrition.

Hope this helps

Blessings
J. M

Just a thought. A book I have, called "Your Child's Health" has this to say:

Hair loss can occur in patches or throughout the scalp. The causes are many, including ringworm, which requires medical diagnosis and treatment.

Call your child's physician during office hours.
All children who have hair loss should be seen by a physician with the following exceptions:

- newborns ....

- babies from 3 to 6 months of age ...

- Hair can be lost because of vigorous hairbrushing, hot combs, tight pony tails or braids, or exercising while wearing headphones.

- Stress-related hair loss. Hair follicles are very sensitive to stress. The hair begins to fall out about 3 months (100 days) after a severe stress (such as a high fever, severe illnesses, psychological crisis, crash diets, or surgery) ... after about 12 months, the hair has stopped shedding and has returned to normal. Complete hair regrowth is the "rule".

I hope this helps.

PEDIATRICIAN! TODAY, please. Not normal.

And if your doctor doesn't have an answer, go see another doctor.

Please update us as to what has happened.

Hi R.,

It sounds like a it is time to call your pediatrician. There could be several easy-to-handle reasons for the hair loss. Your pedi has the medical training to figure it out.

If your daughter is stressed about something, see if you can find someone she trusts to talk briefly about it in a gentle manner. Maybe this person and your DD can do something fun while visiting - like baking cookies or doing some art work.

Paying too much attention and letting your daughter see too much concern from you and your DH can add to her worries, so try to stay curious and positive that this can be fixed.

Good luck,

Parent Coach J. B