Hair loss in 3 year old

[Anonymous]

Hi all

My 3 year old has been losing hair gradually. Started noticing in April and it is still happening. The pediatrician has no idea why that could be.. maybe alopecia but they are not sure. Given a steroid to apply for 7 days. The most ridiculous part is can’t get an appointment with a dermatologist until September! Has anyone dealt with gradual thinning of your child’s hair? I am really stressed out especially since pediatrician can’t figure out the reason

[Anonymous]

Any chance she's hair pulling?

[Anonymous]

Could it be a vitamin or mineral deficiency? I am not a medical
professional but my first response to any kid related illness is to look at what might be going (or not going) into their bodies. Note for example that a vegetarian diet might cause lack of calcium and iron, use of sunscreen might cause Vitamin D deficiency etc. Also note that formal studies might not necessarily show connections between hair growth and certain nutrients but the connections still exist.

[Anonymous]

It shouldn’t be that hard to get a dermatologist appointment—there are lots of derms out there.

[Anonymous]

Are you seeing bald spots? That's definitely a medical problem not dermatological.

[Anonymous]

No bald spots just general thinking of hair.. he is not the best eater but diet is mostly meat heavy as he hates vegetables. I am trying pediatrics dermatologists apparently they are in high demand! The doctor didn’t point to any non dermatology issue that’s why it’s so confusing!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you seeing bald spots? That's definitely a medical problem not dermatological.

It’s a dermatologist’s area. I have alopecia areata. My regular physician was no help: it’s annoying and psychologically upsetting but it doesn’t indicate an underlying health problem. It’s an autoimmune disorder that causes circular bald spots on the head. Unfortunately, although it’s not uncommon, there aren’t many great treatments; I get steroid shots, but I’m not sure I’d recommend them for a three year old.

There are also fungal infections that cause hair loss. Tight braids and twisting hair can also cause bald spots but in those cases you’d notice breakage of the hair. Alopecia leaves smooth hairless patches so it’s usually pretty easy to diagnose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No bald spots just general thinking of hair.. he is not the best eater but diet is mostly meat heavy as he hates vegetables. I am trying pediatrics dermatologists apparently they are in high demand! The doctor didn’t point to any non dermatology issue that’s why it’s so confusing!

Thinning hair can be related to thyroid—I’m the AA poster. I don’t know if that’s a thing in kids, but you could look into it.

[Anonymous]

Look up Loose Anagen Syndrome.

[Anonymous]

How long has this been happening? If you aren't seeing bald spots, it could be that your child is just transitioning from his baby hair to his child hair? I've got a number of children and each one has gone through a phase where I can pull out handfuls of hair. At first I also thought it was a problem but it turns out it was a natural process. In some kids more noticeable than others I think.

[Anonymous]

I second looking into his thyroid, and potentially also zinc deficiency. At least in adults that is a common reason for hair thinning. Should be a quick blood test at his pediatrician.

[Anonymous]

Where are you located? Maybe we can suggest a dermatologist.
Are there any other symptoms like falling off the growth curve or being more lethargic? A blood panel might be worth it if the dermatologist can’t figure it out.

[Anonymous]

Thank you all! I finally managed to get an apt at children’s national. I live in Adam’s Morgan. I might ask the pediatrician to run a blood panel for my own peace of mind since thyroid might be an issue as suggested. He has been losing hair since March and now it’s pretty noticeable. No bald spots as yet and otherwise he is his usual rowdy 3 year old self. He has gone through a lot of changes in the past 12 months ( a move, daycare, new sibling and Covid..) and I was reading up that it might be stress related...as strange as it may sound.. anyhow I just hope it’s nothing serious

[Anonymous]

Glad to hear you got an appointment. Please note that a thyroid check is not part of a routine blood panel so you’ll want to ask for that specifically. You might also want to check for anemia, which isn’t uncommon for kids who are picky eaters.

[Anonymous]

my then 2 year old had a thinning/bald spot that grew pretty big before I noticed - he was twisting his hair in his crib and pulling it out at a slow rate so I didn't notice. You should rule out anything serious but once that's done, I recommend shaving his head until he breaks the habit.