8 year old has small bald patch on her head.

[PavlovtheCat]

I have just noticed it today, a patch abut the size of a 5p, maybe a bit bigger but not much. It is completely bald, relatively even. There is no clear irritation causing it. She says it hurts to touch but has not mentioned it before now. It is the opposite side to her parting and hair is usually down so not visible most of the time.

Is this alopecea? Should I be concerned? What could be causing it? Will it go away?

[PavlovtheCat]

And, She has not caught it, ripped it, had her hair pulled or any other reason for it be pulled out.

[nicename]

Sounds like alopecia. You'd need a doc to have a look to confirm it, but generally the patches aren't sore.

Could she be tugging it out, even sunconsciously?

[PavlovtheCat]

nice I guess it's possible. But, I have not noticed, she doesn't play wih her hair that I have noticed, and the location is at the top back/crown area so not easily got at I would have thought. If she were to pull I would have thought it wold be further forward or to the sides. I will look again for other patches but trying not to make a big deal. Will give her hair a brush in a mo, take a look.

[PavlovtheCat]

The patch doesn't look sore, it's normal scalp coloured, but she says it hurts when I touch.

[PavlovtheCat]

Can it be cured? Will it spread? She has such lovey thick hair

[nicename]

Not necessarily. Is she stressed? Some kids do pull away at their hair if they are worried.

If it is alopecia there's every chance it will just grow back.

Some people suggest a light massage to stimulate the blood vessels in the area - maybe try a nice indian head massage (and look for other patches).

I'd keep an eye for thinning overall and any patches developing. Also look on her pillow/hairbrush to see if there are more than usual hairs coming out.

Because its a patch, I would suggest it isn't a diet related thing.

[overmydeadbody]

Has she been trying to learn to do headstands?

When I was teaching gymnastics to my class, and they were all focusing on learning to do headstands, one boy did them all the time and ended up with a bald spot . The mum came in and asked if it would be ok if I didn't let him do any more headstands!


I had another boy who pulled his hair out when he was anxious.

[PavlovtheCat]

She doesn't seem worried about anything, nothing going in her life other than usual 7/8 year old stuff like arguing with her brother (but also loving him) and loving school with the odd minor disgreement with a friend. She loves head massages so good idea. (I say 7/8 yr ol as, I said 8 but she is not 8 til next week )

[nicename]

Maybe she's always had it and you've just not noticed? You know how when people get their head shaved and they notice patches and birthmarks they didn't realise they had?

DS had a mole which was teensy at birth but is, well the side or a real mole now that he's bigger!

Its not somewhere you'd easily see, and his dad saw it one day and went mad! 'Where did that come from!??'. He was convinved it had sprung up cancerously over night.

In reality, it stated out tiny and slowly grew with him so, we didn't really notice until he had fallen out of a tree and scraped all his back and we had to take a close look for bark, mould, dirt etc from the tree!

[PavlovtheCat]

I think I would have noticed. He has a raised red patch on the other side which she has always had, hair grows over that fine , and I check regularly to see if she has any more. And, I am often checking for pesky nits!

Just had a thorough check and there are no more, but has some slightly flakey skin.

[PJ67]

Could it be ringworm of the scalp, that can cause bald patches?

[MyFairyKing]

It could be hormonal. Is she showing signs of pre-puberty?

[littlejohnnydory]

I also wondered if she is pulling it out. My 5 year old dd pulls out her hair, as a kind of comfort measure (the technical name for it is trichotillomania) - she has been doing it since she was a baby but it has recently become noticeable. Everything I've read says it is not a reaction to stress but is a way of self-soothing (that's a bit of a simplification but you get the idea). It may not be that of course but I know that my dd isn't really aware of doing it. I'd just keep an eye and see if you notice her playing with her hair, pulling it, twisting it, etc - and when it occurs, if it does - my dd does it when she is going to sleep, tired, or feeling anxious. She has really lovely, long hair too and it's sad to see one side now looking all ragged with noticeable bald patches :-(

It wouldn't do any harm to take her to the GP if you're worried it could have an organic cause.

[duchesse]

Ringworm?

[nicename]

I thought that ringworm was in a few patches and had red marks...

Some kids do pull patches. It can be stress or habit. They twiddle a clump around their finger when concentrating and the tugging can pull the hair free without too much discomfort. Maybe she is a twiddler?

Or has she ever had an accident - a bump on the head?

I notice so many people with shaved heads with bald patches and bumps. My sister had a very trendy haircut in the 80s with a buzz cut around the sides. It was then that mum told her about the weird purple birthmark on the back of her head and the long funny scar from when she fell off the garden shewd when she was little. My sister was not amused.

[PavlovtheCat]

I don't think it's ringworm, no redness or scaly patches, it is a small bald patch. There are no broken bits of hair, no stubble, although she has v blonde hair so probably won't be easy to spot.

I am pretty certain she is not pulling at it, and the location, as I said, would be difficult to pull it out, I would expect there to be a patch somewhere else, but I have been watching just in case and she doesn't really touch her hair at all apart from to tuck it behind her ears if she is drinking or eating.

pre-hormal symptoms? ! what would they look like?! I mean, she can be a stroppy 7/8 going on 15 sometimes recently, but nothing I wouldn't expect from a girl developing a sense of self and understanding of independent decision making, pushing boudaries etc, nothing that would suggest hormones, although I guess as a girl there will be hormonal surges at different ages before the teens?

[whatawhoppa]

I noticed a similar patch on my six year old about 2months ago. Top of her head near the back. Its in the middle of her parting.its about the size of a 5p if not tiny bit smaller. Its smooth. It hasnt started growing back yet, although I can see the tiniest of hairs. Im really worried. First she said her baby sister pulled it out, then sbe said she'd done it. I asked her again today and she said it was the baby. It looks like it has fell out though. The skin is smooth.
Did your daughters hair grow back?

[TandemFlux]

I've always had one. It's always been the same size and never changed. It's about the size of a 10p coin.

[TandemFlux]

My mother has never clocked it but my hair dresser has for as long as I can remember.

[TandemFlux]

I think it's just a normal meaningless quirk. A bit like having a freckle or a birth mark.

[cedricsneer]

Hi whatawhoppa. My ds (7) has alopecia areata. If that is what your dd has then it can be very frustrating as nobody knows the trajectory of what will happen with their hair or how much will fall out and when. My ds has 3 spots - one about the size of a golf ball and 2 the size of 10p piece. These are starting to grow back but the other one isn't.

I think the stat is that about 20% of people with aa go on to develop totalis (ie losing all head hair) - so total baldness is less likely, but lots of people get recurrences - especially if it started in childhood. Alternatively she may have one episode and it will not happen again. My ds has had the biggest patch since January and that is the one which isn't growing back.

[LoveMyThree]

I just noticed the exact same type of bald spot on my 8 yo daughter. I could have written all your posts. What happened with the bald spot? I'm very nervous.

[LorenP]

Sorry I know this post is a few years old but wondered what happened with the bald spots u all found as my 5 year old has had a pea sized bald spot for the last year and is not filling in. I'm so worried I'm taking her to see dermatologist.