Daughter Losing Hair

Updated on October 08, 2017
L.B. asks from Ransomville, NY
14 answers

Our 7 1/2 year old daughter is losing her hair. As I comb her hair after a bath/shower so much of it comes out. She has blonde curly hair, and it now looks thin and terrible. We took her to the doctor, he said it might be Alepecia (spelling) and he also took blood, which came back negative. So I have a dermatologist appt on June 22nd. I can't beleive they can't get her in sooner. I asked to be put on a cancellation list to hopefully get her in before June.
She did get lice about two months ago, that we treated with the NIX shampoo. could that be the cause of her hair coming out??
I'm thankful it's not a life threatening disease, but we are very concerned. I dread combing her hair.
Does anyone have any advice? she has not been on any medications or gone through anything tramadic.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I just don't know what to do.

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F.S.

answers from Buffalo on

My husband has last all his hair at the age of 17. His mother has a form of it as well. Even if it is that I want you to know that it's not the end of the world there are many different forms of it and they have new treatments available. If you want you can email me and ask my husband questions about what he's gone through.

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I.C.

answers from New York on

You might want to contact Orentreich Medical Group on 5th Avenue in New York City. Although that is a dermatology office, they also have their own laboratory and pharmacy with their own medicines. They can detect certain very slight hormonal differences that cannot be detected by other labs----any of which could be why your daughter is losing her hair. I know several people who have been to that medical group with great success. Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.C.

answers from New York on

I'm afraid I don't have much insight into the cause of your daughter's hair loss. However, I will advise that you find another dermatologist. There are plenty out there and you shouldn't have to wait two months to see one. Ask your pediatrician to refer another one or contact your insurance company and find one under your network. Your child's health should not be a victim to this dermatologist's busy schedule. Good luck!

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A.T.

answers from Syracuse on

I am so sorry for what you and your daughter are going through. I can only imagine how scared you must be.
I know my advice sounds really silly but I just wanted to run it past you because you never know, especially if tests are coming back negative. I'm wondering how much your daughter weighs or doesn't for that matter. In an adult(not so sure about kids) hair falling out is a sign of thyroid problems. It could be an underactive one or an overactive one. Has she gained weight for no reason or lost a lot for no reason?
For the sake of covering all possibilities, could she be starting her period soon? I know this sounds crazy and it may be but when I go through my cycle and about a week before my period my hair sheds like crazy and I think I'm going bald every time. I don't think she'll start in a week but could her body be revving up for the big day? I know that's a little drastic for a child and I have never heard of it so probably not. But it may be wise to get her hormones tested.
I wish you both the best of luck and hope it's something treatable.

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L.S.

answers from New York on

Wow - I certainly understand your concern.

My question would about her nutrition. Is she getting adequate vitamins & minerals? What is her diet like - children like simple carbs? How about protein?

There is a presentation on Children's Health on my web site that may be helpful to you. www.nosickvisits.com

Congratulations on you Mary Kay business. The best thing you can do for your children is being there for them. Shaklee has allowed me to raise my children as well.

Please let me know if I can get you any additional health info.

L.

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R.E.

answers from New York on

yes, nix could do that, i believe. if this ever happens again, i suggest you go to whole foods and get something natural. also, using tea tree oil shampoo helps keep lice and nits away.
regarding her hair. i would check to see if there is a bulb (hair follicle/root) at the end of her hair strand it would be on the side that comes out of her head. check a few of them. if there's a bulb, it's not alopecia (sp?. If there is not a bulb, then it may be. good luck!

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L.C.

answers from Washington DC on

I sure would love to know the response of the dermatologist. I'm 37 years old. Have never had a problem with my hair. I used the Nix shampoo as a preventative tx along w/ my 3 kids for being exposed to my nieces that had lice at the time. I'm a nurse so I know how to follow directions. Two days after I used the shampoo, my head started itching like crazy and my scalp became red and irritated. Then I started noticing that my hair was noticeably thinner esp in the front.

I'm devastated and trying to figure out what the hell is going on. I"m taking Biotin to help w/ regrowth. On friday, I'm getting my blood drawn to check my thyroid, vit D, iron, Vit B12 and anything else that would let me know what is going on. My dermatologist thinks its probably alopecia arriata but I don't agree. I just think its incredibly coincidental that I use this shampoo and all of a sudden I have thinning hair. My uncle who is a dermatologist in Greensboro, NC says he thinks the shampoo affected the ratio of hair loss to new growth and that its just going to take time for it to fill back in. I"m certainly praying for it. When my scalp itches though, its a painful itch. I never had itching before this shampoo. Tell me if any of this is familiar.

I look forward to your response.

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L.B.

answers from Washington DC on

L.... whatever happened with your daughters hair ? I am in the same exact situation right now after treating her for lice a month ago. my daughter is 8 .. her gorgeous long thick hair is now thinning tremendously I am so nervous .

D.D.

answers from New York on

I would have the doctor test her for vitamin deficiencies. Also, see if you could find a different dermatologist in your area that could get her in sooner. When it comes to our kids, we just gotta keep going. Ask God to open the door!

God bless,
D.

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D.S.

answers from New York on

Hey L.,

I wouldn't wait I would find another dermatologist. I don't think the nix would do it. I know a girl that this happened to and her doctor told her it was alopecia. He said that her immune system is working overtime and is killing off the hair follicles. When she would become ill her hair would begin to grow back. I am not sure how accurate this diagnosis is I am just stating what this little girls doctor said. I started loosing my hair after having kids and had to be given injections to stop it and steroids which made it stop coming out. I wouldn't wait because you are not sure is she will regrow what she has lost so you want to make sure you stop it quickly. Good luck and keep us posted.

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J.O.

answers from New York on

I am so sorry about your daughter. I have a friend whose daughter was 9. After a lice shampoo treatment she lost her hair. It may be the shampoo. You will probably have trouble having anyone admit that.

Good luck.

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J.C.

answers from New York on

When my sister was in 2nd grade, she too started losing her hair. My parents went thru all the things you are describing- medical tests etc. After all was said and done, it turned out to be stress. Hard to believe, but even some kids that young can really internalize school/social pressures etc. That same sister now has a 7 year old daughter who has recently started showing signs of anxiety as well.. for her it's more headaches, stomach aches, and detachment issues. She too went thru the battery of tests to rule out anything "serious" and so now they are looking to the school psychologist who suggested that it is school stuff, plus she is making her first Communion soon etc.
Anxiety does run in the women in our family..
It might pay off to talk to her school councelor/ psychologist.. she might be internalizing something and stressing out. Hopefully it will be something simple (to adults) that can be worked out and her beautiful curls will bounce right back! After my parents worked things out with my sister-- lots of talks about "just doing your best" and "school should be fun, not scary" etc, she settled right into her school work, and her hair came back full and healthy as ever... i might add, she still has the best hair out of the 3 of us girls in the family :)

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S.B.

answers from New York on

I am NOT a doctor...but just a thought, has the pediatrician thought to check her thyroid?
I was diagnosed with a thyroid imbalance (hyper thyroidism) - and this is one of my symptoms- I found out that this runs in families, and my nephews, on my husband's side also have this, it was on their mother's side. Ask you doctor if it is relevant to check your daughter's T3, T4 and TSH levels. If off, it is correctable....with medication. - S.

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S.C.

answers from Bangor on

I don’t have an answer but my daughter and I are loosing our hair after using nix and I am reaching out to people to find out what there experiance was and if it got resolved. I have seen four doctors and a dermatologist and they said I have hair follicles but my hair is completely ruined and falling out. My three year old had to have 3 inches of hair choppped off and you can see a couple bold spots on her head. Where any of you moms able to figure out what happened and what was the long term result? Please help! I am eager to know if these is perminat or not.

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