My 7 year old daughter was diagnosed with alopecia areata today.  She has 3 patches of hair loss.  Is there any way of knowing how this will progress?  She's quite obvious to the whole thing at the moment because her patches are well hidden.  Do I start preparing her now with what could happen?  I'm a total mess but am putting on a strong front for her.  Any information would be appreciated.

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Tell her the truth.  It's going to go. Nothing one can do about it.  It may come back for awhile, but in my experience it will just go again after a time.

As a parent you must remain strong. There are times when patches do fill in and their are times when it does progress to full hair loss. Please contact NAAF and get information on how to work with children that develop AA and how to work with the school and the student population. As a mother I know to well what you are feeling. I cried for an entire year but kept that strong face for my daughter and followed her lead as to what she wanted from us. There are phone support people that help others through this through the National Alopecia Areata Foundation. I am a phone support person with the organization and if you need to talk, I am here.

When I was a kid, probably around 6, I was taken to the doctor for a sizable bald spot. It didn't bother me, the doctor had no clue, the hair grew back, and that was pretty much that. It took being physically depleted and under a great deal of stress in my 40s for my hair to seriously fall out. I suspect that under calmer life circumstances, alopecia would never have caused me significant trouble. I only have the perspective of an adult with alopecia and a parent, but if it were my daughter, I would be upfront with her about the bald spots and the diagnosis and make it clear that no one knows whether her hair will grow back or if more will fall out but that she is a beautiful, wonderful girl and nothing will change that. I would do my best not to make it seem like a big deal, and that includes not trying too hard to hide the hair loss or seek treatment. It's not that I wouldn't want her to maintain a normal appearance or to see if a simple intervention could work, but I don't know how she could see me trying to fix her without feeling there was something wrong with her, or how I could teach her to hide without sending a message that she has something to be ashamed of.

I hope your daughter's hair simply grows back.

Hi

Sorry to hear.  Yes Yes Yes start preparing NOW.  I would get to a dermatologist right away. I get injections and use Fluocinonide.  And from the past it helps and my hair grows back in about 3-4 months But I lose my hair again every year.  I am currently trying to really clean up my diet as my AA is back and worse than ever.  My dermatologist told me that this year there is a game changer for us a drug called tofacitinib is coming.  Google it and check with your dermatologist.  

I feel your pain.  As hard as it is I do think the less you stress the better.  Let us know how your dr appt goes.  Keep the faith.  

You have to stay cool and inspire your daughter all the time. And as soon as possible you should meet a doctor. Because you don't know exactly what you have to do. So, I think an specialist can guide you well. Good luck!

how is she doing

Yes, start prepping her mentally, at the same time book your appointment with a paediatric dermatologist as it could take a while to get seen. HOWEVER, my experience having seen many of those, they often can't offer much beyond treatments along the lines of steroid cream.

If she only has a few patches, I would immediately start with essential oils treatment. Dilute them in good quality carrier oils such as castor/kukui/coconut, and use ginger juice too (for its JAK inhibitors). When my daughter starts having a small patch or I notice an area of the hair is thinning, I get diligent with these oils and it helps stop the loss and speeds up the regrowth. It'll take time for a bald spot to grow to noticeable length so start as soon as you can.

I think it's very important for the child to be comfortable within their own skin and important for them to get emotional help also.  My 11 year old started a website and blogging as a 10 year old and writing really helps her.

Her website is peytonpecia.com if anyone is interested.

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