I’m pretty sure my DD(9) has alopecia- help

[alopeciahelp]

DD lost her bottom eyelashes on one of her eyes about 3 months ago. There are currently no eyelashes growing back. I was concerned but she was rubbing that eye a lot in the days before it happened so I thought maybe she’d accidentally lost them. But now she has at least two bald spots that used to have hair, one is close to the front and noticeable. I’ve booked a gp appointment but can they do anything if it is alopecia? I haven’t said anything to her yet about the bald spots but I’m really panicking that she’s going to lose all of her hair/eyelashes.

God, don’t dick around waiting for supplements or shampoos. Don’t take advice from the internet. Get her to the doctor. This is likely the result of a medical condition and she needs to be seen asap.

What has the GP said?

Oh OP, what a worry. Are you sure she isn't pulling at her hair or eyelashes? This is something my niece does in private as a stress response. It could also be fungal?

If it is alopecia, or a symptom of some deficiency or illness, you will deal with it and support her.

If you had read the thread you will see OP has booked an appointment but hasn't seen the doctor yet.

The OP has already made a GP appointment!

Try not to worry, @alopeciahelp. There are some things that can be done, including steroids, which can be really helpful especially if it is just a one-off episode. There are also immunotherapy-type drugs just coming in to use, which can help.

The GP will be able to refer your daughter to a dermatologist who can consider these treatments.

Any particular reason for being rude? I assume you’ve never missed anything when reading before?

@Francesteini noticed to spots yesterday and have booked her a gp appointment but it’s non emergency so is two weeks away.

@FeelingSadToday1I don’t think she is, I’ve certainly not seen eyelashes or clumps of hair anywhere. I’ve read that children that pull their hair out, you usually find the hair somewhere but I’ve not found any- unless that is false.

Thank you @MyThreeWordsthats good to know that there’s possibly stuff that can be done if it is that.

There is good info about treatment options here (you need to scroll down a bit):

https://www.alopecia.org.uk/Pages/FAQs/Category/treatments-for-alopecia

When they say 'there is no cure', that sounds a bit scary at first, but what they mean is that no treatment will erase the underlying auto-immune disposition to episodes of hair loss. There are effective treatments that can bring episodes to an end and allow the hair to regrow.

Not every treatment works for every person, but you and the dermatologist will find a way forward.

Another thing to mention is that, for some people, episodes of loss are very infrequent. I think I am right in saying that some patients just have a single episode of hair loss.

Even without treatment, many forms of alopecia are 'self-resolving', in the sense that the hair will grow back by itself, and remain unless and until there is another episode. The patches may stay very small, or unfortunately they may get larger.

xx

Thank you @MyThreeWordsthats very helpful.

unfortunately when I brushed DD’s hair after school, I saw one I didn’t see last night that was quite big- bigger than a £2 coin

This must be so stressful for you OP. I know it doesn’t help right now but if it turns out to be alopecia then show your daughter the inspirational Jasmine Mitchell who won bake off. She is a doctor, bake off winner and now celebrity who rocks her alopecia. A fabulous role model for any girl or woman experiencing alopecia.

Agree, @FeelingSadToday1 .

There are many more role models than there were years ago. I held back from posting along the lines of You can live happily with this problem, even if it persists and is severe because, as FeelingSad says, it is difficult to hear these things when you are at a stage where your daughter may well turn out just to have a passing and minor bout of alopecia.

But in case it does turn out to be a persisting problem, I'll just mention that I have had alopecia now since I was 12. In my early to mid teens it was severe patchy alopecia, coming and going rapidly. Then, in late teens until about 50 it was relatively mild and maneagable. I took a dive into alopecia universalis from about age 50.

I survived!
The worst time was the first couple of years. But this was at a time when schools didn't think it was their job to prevent bullying! It was also a time when no women at all were out and proud with hairloss.

I think there are more options now. Many girls have a much more 'curated' appearance, so if you do happen to be a family that is into beauty management you may find much more potential for wig-wearing and other cosmetic interventions to be a positive experience (if it comes to that).

But, crucially, if your daughter isn't one of these girls who are into all that, please do consider the possibility of a short haircut that does not attempt to cover the patches. During my teen years, I was obsessed with covering them up as far as possible, letting the hair grow longer so that I could use hair grips to pull it over the patches. But all that bother just reinforced the idea that they had to be hidden, which they don't.

With alopecia, short hair feels stronger, cleaner, more manageable, less demanding. Kids at school will be interested for a while and then get used to it. If any child is unkind, teachers will take that seriously. All will be well!!

There are some really vile people on these forums who really get a kick out of making others feel rubbish when they are going through a rough time.
These forums should be about us parents helping each with reassuring and advice not to put others down.

OP so sorry you are going through this what a worry. You have had some great advice from some lovely posters and really hope you can get some answers at the GP appointment.

So DD does have alopecia. Doctor was 0 help, said there’s nothing she can do re dermatologist etc, said there’s no proof that the steroids work, that we just have to wait and see if it gets better or worse.

Hi. Terribly sorry to hear this. Going through something similar with my little girl. Loss of eyelashes on one side. Plus eyebrow thinning but no patches. Doctors can’t confirm either way. However have done masses of research and joined some Facebook groups. Have found some of the information invaluable. Please do message me if you would like to talk

Also would not accept there is nothing you can do. There is plenty. Maybe have a look into a private dermatologist?

So sorry to hear this OP. My 7yo developed a small bald spot on the top of his head in February, and it got bigger and bigger over the next few weeks. At first I thought he'd cut it or pulled it out, but he promised that he hadn't.

I took him to the GP who immediately diagnosed him with alopecia areata (he said it was quite common and he'd suffered from it himself). He felt DS' head and said he could feel hair follicles, which is positive. He referred us to dermatology who asked (via an app) for pictures and then prescribed a steroid cream, which we've been using for a couple of weeks now. The hair does seem to be slowly growing back but there's not really any way of knowing if it's natural growth or the cream.

I hope you get to the bottom of it soon. I would not be happy with the GP's response at all! Is there any way of getting a second opinion? I appreciate appointments aren't easy to come by, of course. Good luck to you and your DD

My DD lost her eyelashes. It turned out to be due to Coeliac disease.
Coeliac disease is a whole body autoimmune disorder and you don’t necessarily have any bowel symptoms (DD didn’t).
With my daughter, she had joint pains, breathlessness and lost her eyelashes. She was being investigated for arthritis when an astute GP noticed her very low iron levels - often a sign of malabsorption due to Coeliac disease. It was the low iron that had caused the hair loss.

https://www.coeliac.org.uk/about-coeliac-disease/symptoms/

Thanks for the replies. Should I contact the drs again and push for a referral and different gp to examine her?

My DS has alopecia brought on by the sudden death of his dad. It was during lockdown so no doctor would see him. His GP says early intervention would have helped. Please get a second opinion.

If op had already had a response from a medical professional she wouldn’t be asking on here.
As I imagine you well know.

If you can afford it go private, or at least get a second opinion from another Dr. I’m sick of GPs brushing things to the side and not helping. You need to push for more answers.