If you notice that your newborn baby has been losing his hair on the top of his head, the side and back or going bald, just stay calm! Do not freak out because hair loss in newborn is not something you should worry about (that much)!
Babies often lose their hair during the first six months. This kind of hair loss is called telogen effluvium (when some stress causes hair roots to be pushed prematurely into the resting state.) Wondering why it happens? Here: Hair has a growth stage and a resting stage. The growth stage lasts about three years, and the resting stage lasts about three months. During the resting stage, the hair remains in the follicle until the new hair starts coming in. During the resting phase, a drop-off in hormone levels after birth, stress, fever, can cause a large number of hairs to stop growing all at once. The shedding begins when the next growth stage starts up about three months later. Same thing happens with new moms for the same reason. Observe how your baby sits and sleeps as it can be a factor why your baby has bald patches. Alternate the way your baby sleeps if you notice that the bald spot is the result of your baby spending too much time in the same position. But overall speaking, if the hair loss is related to change in hormone levels, then you can’t do something about it. All you can do is to wait for the new hair locks to grow. If breakage caused your baby's hair loss, you'll just have to treat his hair and scalp tenderly for a while until it grows back. Here are the things you can do: - Do not wash your baby’s hair everyday. And whenever you shampoo her hair, make it quick as she don’t really need it often times. - Massage your baby’s scalp gently. Put in mind that the hair follicles might get stress when you do too-brisk scalp massage -- thus results to more hair loss and breakage. - Avoid tight hair comb as it might snag on tangles and pull baby hair. Comb her hair with soft-bristle brush instead. - Although, colorful hairband and pretty ponytails look really adorable on your baby girl’s head, better not to put them often as it may damage her locks.
If there’s a severe hair loss and your mommy instinct tells you that something’s wrong especially if it is beyond 6 months already, then go ahead and call the doctor real quick. Your baby might be experiencing alopecia areata. Alopecia areata is a type of hair loss that occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks hair follicles , which is where hair growth begins. You might be referred to a dermatologist for further evaluation. (Some children simply outgrow alopecia areata without treatment. Others — usually older children — receive medication to stimulate hair growth.
