My baby has alopecia.......

[nicki23]

My six year old daughter was recently diagnosed with alopecia areata. It first started about three months ago with a bald spot towards the front that was about the size of a nickel. I took her to the doctor then and was told it was ringworm. She took the prescribed medicine but the spot continued to grow. I had to wait to get her in to see a dermatologist and by the time we saw that doctor, the original spot had grown to half dollar size and she had several more bald spots in the back. The dermatologist took one look and said it was alopecia. She prescribed a steroid cream and told us to use it every day for three months and then return for evaluation. I've been doing that but the spots are getting larger and it's nearly impossible to cover them up with the rest of her hair. I'm not sure what to do anymore. I was thinking of doing a kind of puff with a headwrap. Maybe I could moisturize her hair and do loose twists at night. Then in the morning put the headwrap on around her edges and leave the middle loose in a twistout. I don't know if I explained that clearly but hopefully you can get the picture. Other than that I am at a loss. If anyone has any suggestions or knows somebody that has been through this I am all ears. I just want her to be able to go to school and feel good about herself.

 

[Synthia]

I don't have any expert advice. I just wanted to say how sorry I am to hear this.

You should get a few more opinions from other dermatologists or even natural health practitioners. I wouldn't manipulate her hair too much. Put a little bonnet on it.

 

[nicki23]

Thanks Synthia. I actually have an appointment scheduled with a naturopathic doctor next week so we'll see what they say.

 

[JewelleNY]

I'm sorry to hear this too . Maybe try some internet searches or maybe some of the other mothers can offer their advice.
Please keep us updated.

 

[1QTPie]

I just wanted to say I am so sorry to hear this. I hope they find something that can help her.

 

[leleepop]

Maybe wash her hair more often and stimulate those areas often.I noticed an increase in length when I daily cowash.hth

 

[Lucia]

I'm sorry to hear this*hugs*
Are you getting any advice on how to get rid of the ringworm?

 

[nicki23]

Thanks everybody for your replies.

I'm sorry to hear this*hugs*
Are you getting any advice on how to get rid of the ringworm?

See that's the thing. She never had ringworm in the first place. So she took the wrong medication for a month before we figured out that it was having no effect. The dermatologist said that it couldn't be ringworm because the spots are totally bald and perfectly smooth. She said with ringworm the scalp would look irritated and it would be really itchy.

 

[twin1]

Sorry to hear this. I know how it can be when something goes wrong with our babies that we can't cure immediately. Best of luck.

 

[RabiaElaine]

My understanding of Alopecia is that it is caused by an area of hair having too much tensionon it for a long period of time....I could be wrong but my mother has alopecia just above her ears and it was caused by going directly from braids to perming back to tight braids again. Her hair is also incredibly fragile and thin to begin with.

I'm really sorry to here this and pray that you find a solution for your little one.

 

[SwtnLow]

I am so sorry to hear this. I don't know if this is good advice but maybe you can take your daughter to a trichologist they may be able to help you grow her hair back in those areas.

 

[*Happily Me*]

Awwww (((hugs)))

I hope you find something that works for your baby.

 

[EMJazzy]

I remember a thread here a couple of months ago where the lady said she tried MTG for her daughter's alopecia and it worked like a charm....have you thought of trying that??

I'm gonna try and find the post.....

 

[so1913]

My understanding of Alopecia is that it is caused by an area of hair having too much tensionon it for a long period of time....I could be wrong but my mother has alopecia just above her ears and it was caused by going directly from braids to perming back to tight braids again. Her hair is also incredibly fragile and thin to begin with.

I'm really sorry to here this and pray that you find a solution for your little one.

There are different forms/types of Alopecia. You are speaking ofTension Alopecia where hair loss is caused by constant pulling of the hair or chemical damage to the hair follicules. Areata Alopecia is not "manually" but is something internal caused by the immune system or white blood cells attacking hair growing tissues in the hair follicule.


I am so sorry to hear about this. Hopefully, with proper treatment, she will be one of the fortunate one's who experiences regrowth.

 

[MonaRae]

I remember a thread here a couple of months ago where the lady said she tried MTG for her daughter's alopecia and it worked like a charm....have you thought of trying that??

I'm gonna try and find the post.....

I second this! MTG was orginally made for hair problems.

Also, if it is internal keep an eye on her eating habbits; find out if she has food sensitivities; is she moving her bowels at a normal rate; check if anything in her surrounding has changed around the time this all started.

Just a few suggestions. I will also search the web for you and let you know of my findings.

MonaRae

 

[MonaRae]

Here is what I found on this site:

Dermatologist Dr. Irwin Lubowe concurs with Kingsley's stress theory. He cites extreme wartime cases where hair turns white when stress cuts off the melanin produced by the hair's cortex. Dr. Lubowe has treated stress-induced whitened hair by prescribing pantothenate and PABA, while Kingsley prescribes B vitamins in the form of brewer's yeast and defatted liver extract.

In extreme cases, stress can lead to complete temporary hair loss known as alopecia areata. Alopecia causes the scalp to become inflamed at a microscopic level which leads to patchy hair loss. Italian researchers have found that stress lowers the alopecia patients' white blood cell levels which leaves them vulnerable to the condition.

One of the best ways to relax and stimulate blood flow to the scalp is through scalp massage. This promotes hair growth by increasing scalp circulation and nourishment to your hair follicles, which in turn improves the overall condition of your hair. Self massage while shampooing is perhaps the easiest way to increase circulation in your scalp. Simply move the scalp around as much as possible as you shampoo. You can also give yourself a scalp massage on dry hair with the following steps:

1. Use your fingers to make small circles all over your scalp. Start at your forehead and work back over your whole head.

2. Run your fingers through your hair and stroke your scalp.

3. Gently pull sections of your hair until you feel a tug on your scalp.

4. Release and repeat, concentrating on "pulling out" the stress.

Some high-priced spas perform a treatment called "shirodhara" where warm oil is poured over the forehead to soothe the mind by calming the central nervous system. The oil is then gently massaged into the hair. You can also look into Craniosacral Therapy, a head massage used to treat chronic pain, migraine headaches, TMJ and a range of other conditions.

This information was found @

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=20646&highlight=alopecia+areata

HTH
MonaRae

 

[mermaid]

I was diagnosed with this 2 weeks ago!
I was parting my hair to dye it and I found a smooth spot and about fainted! I thought it was ringworm also, I saturated it with tea tree oil and figured that's what I would do until I got to a doctor.
Luckily I was able to be seen the next day and the doctor said there was no fungus at all and explained about this condition; that although there are several theories on Areata, there is a very high percentage of people who have undergone a severe stress or trauma affected by Alopecia Areata.
I asked him if something, oh let's say LOSING A PARENT SUDDENLY could do it?? Being unemployed since October?? Going through a cervical cancer scare?? He said, "Umm, yes, any one of things could do it, all those together would be a positive!".
He said the hair is already growing back, so the hair falling out would have been about the timeline of my dad's death (March) and I most likely didn't notice it because I don't manipulate my hair enough to have noticed it.
Seriously examine her world and see if ther is anything that could be upsetting her, what might not be stressful to you could be stress enough for her to make the hair fall out, so really look at what's going on so her scalp can start to repair itself.
Good luck, you can tackle this and WIN!

 

[asummertyme]

I wish you the best on finding a solution for your daughter...maybe you could find a online support group ,specifically for allopecia..they always seem to help..((hugs))