Alopecia does not only affect the adult population, it is also a cause for concern in pediatric consultations. Whether it is due to a loss without proportional renewal or in the form of areas lacking hair, this affects adults and children alike. Although the causes are different. Normally, with only a few exceptions, it is not a major health problem, but it does have psychological consequences. “Children’s alopecia is an infrequent reason for consultation, but that does not mean it is less important, especially considering that it can cause emotional disturbances in patients,” explains dermatologist María Luisa Sáenz de Santa María.
The specialist reveals that childhood alopecia is usually classified into two types: non-scarring and scarring, something that will depend on whether the damage suffered by the hair follicle is reversible or not. The difference between them is that the former are treatable, but the latter are not due to follicular destruction. However, most often they are related to the second type, within which the three most common types of childhood alopecia stand out: alopecia areata, tinea capitis and trichotillomania.
Childhood alopecia can be congenital, when it is present from birth, or acquired, if its onset occurred later. The causes are as varied as their types. For example, in the case of occipital alopecia, very common in babies during their first months of life, it is simply due to the evolution of the follicular cycle.
On the contrary, in alopecia areata in children, one of the most common, the cause is found in the immune system and consists of an inflammatory process. “In 60% of cases there are spontaneous remissions in one year,” says a study in this regard.
Tinea capitis has to do with a fungal infection produced on the scalp, distinguishable due to the flaking process that begins, accompanied by itching. Fortunately, the specialist Sáenz de Santa María assures that it can be reversed without sequelae “with adequate treatment”.
Another totally different case is trichotillomania, which is related to a mental disorder characterized by pulling one’s own hair. The expert warns that it is more than just an unconscious habit, since “it may correspond to an anxious and/or compulsive disorder.” The cognitive psychologist José Antonio García reports on the need for treatment once the diagnosis is made by a specialist and recommends behavioral therapy.
