Baby born with a bald spot on the head
The hair loss that causes bald spots on the head of newborn babies is of two types one is called Telogen Effluvium and the other is called Hypotrichosis. We will write in this article on both types, but the focus will be on Hypotrichosis.
Bald Spot-on Baby Head due to Telogen Effluvium
This kind of hair loss occurs within the first six months of a newborn baby. This type of hair loss is called Telogen Effluvium. This is a normal condition one should not worried about this it recovers by itself with time. As the hairs grow in phases among these phases one is Telogen Effluvium, which is a resting phase. In which hairs remain in the follicles and did not grow. The length of this phase is three months. After three months the hairs start growing again.
In newborn babies, the hairs went into Telogen Phase due to hormone level disturbance after birth. That causes the appearance of a sudden bald spot on the baby’s head. The parents should not worry about this condition it recovers within three months by itself.
Bald Spot-on Baby Head due to Hypotrichosis
The other condition that causes bald spots on a newborn baby’s heads is called Hypotrichosis. Hypotrichosis is different from other hair loss conditions. In other hair loss conditions, grown hairs are lost while in hypotrichosis there are no hairs from the start. The bald spots caused by other hair loss conditions have hair follicles but have no hairs. While in hypotrichosis the bald spots have no hair follicles by birth.
The main causes of hypotrichosis are genetic or embryo development defects. However, studies show that most cases of hypotrichosis are due to genetic defects. In most cases along with hair loss, the patient of hypotrichosis also has other mental or physical defects.
Understanding the actual cause of this type of bald spot on newborn babies is beyond the scope of this discussion. As it requires genetic background. In the field of medical science, hypotrichosis is considered untreatable.
It is difficult to write about all types of hypotrichosis in a single article. However, we are going to discuss a few of them here in this article.
Congenital Aplasia
This is the most common type of hypotrichosis, related to the hair follicles, that appear as a bald spot on the newborn baby’s scalp. Its exact cause is unknown, however, the known information about congenital Aplasia is that this is the result of a developmental defect. In this condition, during embryo development, the skin does not develop properly.
The child either born with a bald spot on the back of the head with no hair follicles or have a wound patch on the head that later heal as a bald spot. A baby born with an open wound on the scalp can be treated with immediate surgery that requires quick healing to avoid further infection.
Triangular Alopecia
Triangular Alopecia is just like Congenital Aplasia with a bald spot-on head with no hair follicle and having an unknown reason. But unlike Congenital Aplasia the newborn baby having Triangular Alopecia did not have an open wound on the scalp. In Triangular Alopecia the baby born with normal scalp skin.
But later the skin could not grow follicles at the affected spot that appear as a bald spot-on head. The bald spot due to Triangular Alopecia appears on the temple, unlike Congenital Aplasia. It can be treated by surgically implanting hair follicles, taken from some other place, on the bald spots.
Congenital Atrichia
This is another type of hypotrichosis, also known as popular atrichia. Most experts did not classify it as a type of hypotrichosis, but however, it is a common hair loss condition that occurs in children.
The root cause of Congenital Atrichia is also genetic, it is believed that it is the result of a single gene defect. Unlike other types of hypotrichosis, mentioned above, the baby born having Congenital Atrichia does not have a bald spot or wound on the head. That is why many people did not consider it a type of hypotrichosis. The baby born with normal hairs on the scalp with no bald spots, but he or she loses all his hairs in early childhood. Until doctors and researchers have not discovered the proper treatment for this type of hair loss.
Alopecia Areata
Alopecia Areata is another type of hair loss in children that causes sudden bald spots on the child’s head or complete baldness. The hair loss due to Alopecia Areata is not only limited to the scalp but also causes hair loss from the other parts of the body like eyebrows and eyelashes.
The doctors consider such hair loss because of autoimmune disorder. And is curable when treated under the supervision of an experienced dermatologist.
Trichotillomania
Trichotillomania is an emotional disorder in child pull his hairs from the scalp, eyebrows, and eyelash. This disorder is not by a berth in children but developed as a nervous habit due to some mental disorder. It can be treated under the supervision of an experienced Psychiatrist. Such a child requires proper mental health care.
Other Types of Hair loss
There are also other non-serious types of hair loss in children. If you notice hair thinning before hair loss in babies, then it might be due to thyroids gland problems.
Sometimes we also notice hair loss in babies due to tight brushing and combing. It is because hair follicles are poorly attached to the scalp and are immature. Such hair loss reversed with time.