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It is normal for the mother to be worried about her baby, especially when she notices some change happening, especially when she notices that her little one is losing hair . But baby hair loss is a natural biological process that takes place in the first six months.
Many doubts and questions arise at this point: Why does this happen? Can washing and brushing hair cause hair loss? When is hair loss not normal? At what time should I worry and see a doctor? The important thing in this case is to stay calm and learn why the baby’s hair loss occurs.
Baby Hair Loss
This process occurs due to the maternal hormone that was passed on to the baby before birth, shortly after birth the hormonal level tends to fall, for this reason it occurs to the baby’s hair loss.
This hair loss occurs between three to four months of the baby’s life, reaching up to six months. Some even lose almost all hair, but there is no cause for concern at this stage, as the hair grows back.
So all babies lose hair in the first months of life , the hair loss process reaches up to six months, this whole process can happen until the child’s two years, at this age where the hair is replaced.
This replacement happens in several parts of the baby’s head, some have hair loss on the nape of the neck, others on the side of the head, that is, where there is a failure of the scalp. At this stage, the replacement of the hair strands is presented with several different textures, the strand can be thicker, thinner, curled smooth, that is, it will depend on family genetics.
Causes of Baby Hair Loss
Hair loss can happen for several reasons , one of them is the phase where the child stops breastfeeding and starts to feed with other nutrients. This dietary transition ends up harming the baby with the lack of some important vitamins for his health.
Another very serious problem is the use of products that are not suitable for the child’s age group , in the first months of life some shampoos should not be used. The ideal is to use soap suitable for baby and it is always good to follow the guidance of your pediatrician for the correct choice of product.
Until the age of three, the most suitable products are the baby line, Baby line, after three years the kids line is recommended. It is important that all products have neutral PH and are hypoallergenic, that is, products that do not cause allergy.
Another cause is trichotillomania , a serious hair loss disease, which must be treated, the child has a tendency to pull the strands and may reach baldness. Treatment is based on medication together with consultations with the psychologist.
Baby Capillary Cycle
Hair is formed along with fetal development, being composed of five million hair follicles that are present throughout the child’s body, but only one hundred thousand make up the scalp and thus the hair appears.
The number of follicles is the same during life, but new hairs appear every day, according to the phases of the growth cycle. The capillary cycle has three phases: growth, rest and fall .
It is normal in the newborn for the hair follicles to rest at the same time, presenting a gradual baldness . Another problem that causes a fall and causes failures in the region behind or on the side of the baby’s head is to leave him in the same position to sleep, so it is recommended that the mother always change the position of the baby at bedtime.
Baby Hair Care
The newborn has a fluff on his head, at this point it is indicated not to wash with shampoo. It is important to take great care, the shampoo will only be indicated when the hair is more dense.
As for washing and brushing your baby’s hair, depending on the procedure, it can speed up the fall even more, especially in the resting phase where the fall is more pronounced. Make light movements when washing and drying the baby’s hair, which is very thin.
Another very important aspect to prevent the baby’s hair loss is to prevent him from sleeping with wet hair , this process can lead to the breakage of the hair and also its fall.
When Is Hair Loss Not Normal?
Hair loss happens very intensely until the age of six months, but any fall that continues to be excessive after this period is important for parents to be on the alert and see the pediatrician, the child may be nutritionally deficient or have an endocrine disorder .
The lack of some nutritional properties ends up causing the hair strands to fall, such as the lack of iron, zinc, copper and vitamin B12. Thyroid problems and alopecia areata, (hair loss), its cause is not yet known and the immune system ends up attacking and destroying the structure where the hair will form.
These two diseases have genetic factors and usually happen to anyone, in the case of alopecia areata it is a skin disease that is related to psychological aspects, where stress or trauma can trigger the disease and hair loss.
The treatment indicated for thyroid disorder is hormone replacement, and for nutritional aspects vitamins are indicated. And for the treatment of alopecia, in addition to medication and psychological counseling is advisable.
See also: How to know if the baby’s hair will be straight, curly or curly?
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.
