Pediatric and Adolescent Alopecia

@collierga, that is good news that you have an appointment with a pediatric dermatologist at the Milwaukee Children's Hospital. Hopefully they will be able to diagnose the cause and provide a treatment. Will you share an update with us after her appointment?

@collierga- it is very upsetting to see a child with hair loss. The Pediatric dermatologist will explain and treat. It’s an autoimmune disease- dermatologists often inject steroids into the patch.
It is hard to pinpoint the cause- thyroid disease could be a factor, but many times it is not known.

You bet, thanks for your help

Good morning
Update on my 2 yr old grandson . Pediatric Dermatologist agreed with diagnosis of alopecia. Very helpful and reassuring to my daughter and son in law.
Even though may have hair loss can live a normal life. Also said there is a lot of research being done.

@collierga, That must be comforting and reassuring to you also, as well as your daughter and son in law. Thank you for sharing the update. Have you ever used Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.com/)? I did a search using "alopecia + children + hair loss + home remedies" and found a free book - Hair and Scalp Treatments - Treatments in Children that you can download as a PDF or an EPUB format file: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-21555-2_16

I haven't looked at it too closely but the introduction sounds like it might offer some suggestions and it was first made available online September 13th, 2019.
"Introduction
Hair loss in children is a distressful situation for patients and, particularly, parents. Treatment of these patients is commonly a source of concern for physicians as well. It is important to correctly identify the cause of hair loss in children and to determine if there are any potential underlying medical conditions that will require further investigation and care. Additionally, lack of clinical trials and clinical research results in a paucity of data regarding treatment efficacy and safety in this specific population. Weighing the risks versus benefits of therapy for hair loss is a point that has to be readdressed in every consultation. In this chapter, we discuss treatment of common types of hair loss in children based on current literature and experience."

Thanks again for sharing the update which is helpful for other members of the discussion.

My 14 year old experienced a relatively small patch of alopecia for a period of time. Her pediatrician said it would grow back and thankfully it did (yes, they are very appearance conscious at this age). My non-medical opinion is that it is related to stress. And often times our children keep their stress to themselves and we don’t really know it is happening to our sweet young ones. If there is a way to find out if she is suffering from undiagnosed stress, I would suggest looking into it.

@whattodo - Stress could trigger the hair loss- an autoimmune disease.
I think the best way to find out if your daughter has stress is starting a conversation. Most 14 year olds have some form of stress, maybe not major enough to cause hair loss.
Areas that are stressful include school, friends/social life, home life and health. It’s not always easy to get personal information from a teenager. I remember I would be able to get bits and pieces through conversations!

Hi!
My 15 year old son has alopecia, started i April, with almost 50% hair loss.
Blood tests look OK.
May I please have suggestions and information for therapies?
Thank you in advance!

Hello, @pothitos . You must be so worried for your son! Is the hair loss just on his head or all over? I know you’ve seen a doctor because of the blood work that you mentioned. Did the doctor discuss any possible medical conditions that might cause hair loss? And, were you referred to a specialist like a rheumatologist (they specialize in autoimmune diseases). You can self-refer in some cases.
I hope for the very best for you and your son. Please let me know what you may learn. Can you do that?

Hello @Becky. Thank you very much for your reply! The hair loss is only on his head at the moment (since the beginning, almost 6 months ago). We' ve seen his paediatrician, dermatologists and a homeopathic biologist. The treatment includes "Regain" type lotion and pills suggested from the homeopathic. We may consider your thought about seeing a rheumatologist as well. We haven't actually tried cortisone pills or injections yet or other methods such as procedure with stem cells. The issue is in progress with possible litlle signs of new white soft hair in some small parts of the head. We are planning to reassess the issue in December. In the meantime he has almost shaved his head and tries to handle it. Again, thank you very much!