My newborn’s hair is falling out. Is this normal?
Yes. Babies often lose their hair during the first few months (Laguda 2008).
The reason for this is hormones – before birth, your baby had high levels of hormones in his body from you. After he was born, these levels started to drop, causing his hair to enter a resting state, which means it isn’t growing any more.
This resting hair will then fall out when your baby’s hair enters a new growth cycle, as new hair comes up underneath and pushes it out (Furdon 2004). Your baby’s hair may look patchy for a while, but new, stronger hair is gradually growing through.
Your baby may also have bald patches on his scalp from sleeping in the same position, or from rubbing his head against his mattress or car seat. Once he starts sitting up his hair will grow back (Schmitt 2008).
Sometimes when a baby's new hair comes through it's not only a different colour, but a different texture as well (Laguda 2008).
Julie Carlson's son Will was born with a full head of thick black hair. "He looked just like Elvis – he even had sideburns," says Julie. "Both my husband and I are blond, and we briefly wondered where the dark hair came from. Almost immediately after the birth though, it started falling out. The hair that replaced it is a beautiful wheat colour."
There's nothing you can do about your baby’s hair loss, except let time pass until it grows back.
When is hair loss the sign of a problem?
If your baby is still losing a lot of hair after he is six months old, talk to your GP, because it could be a sign of a nutritional or medical problem (Laguda 2008).
What if my baby is completely bald?
For the moment, relish the ease of hair washing. Many babies appear bald, sometimes until their first birthday. If you look closely at your baby's scalp, however, you will probably see extra fine, downy, light-coloured hair. If your baby’s hair is taking a while to come through, be patient – before you know it, your baby's locks will be healthy and shiny.
No comments:
Post a Comment