Case Study: Teenagers and Hair Loss

We can sometimes assume that hair loss and scalp health conditions usually only affect more mature individuals. However, an increasing number of enquiries are coming from younger people, particularly teenagers.

“As a dad of two kids” says Wil, co-founder of Root Cause Clinical, “I completely understand the emotional connection with parental and child anxieties regarding health and wellbeing. When our kids get sick, we feel the impact almost as much as they do. That is why our Root Cause Clinical standard includes disclosure checks for trichologists offering under 18’s consultations. This gives an added reassurance for online consultations even with a parent or guardian present too. We want complete peace of mind.”

Wil Fleeson

Take, for example, Anne* and her daughter Rebecca, 17. Rebecca had been diagnosed with lyme disease and an adenoma. Then her hair began to break and become much thinner.

“Her hair has been her pride and joy.” said Anne when she first approached us, “but recently, it’s been breaking badly and now is much thinner. It is causing her significant stress and anxiety on top of everything else that is going on with her health.”

Anne (parent)

The amount of information provided during a hair loss consultation can be overwhelming for anyone, especially a teenager. Having a nominated adult (like Rebecca’s mum) supporting her during the online consultation allows another voice to ask questions and understand the information given by the trichologist. This can also reduce parental anxiety, hearing the diagnosis first-hand.

In this case, Rebecca’s hair loss was a side-effect of her physical health and medication side effects. Focusing on improving physical wellbeing and explaining the long-term impact caused by the medication, assured mother and daughter that the hair density would gradually improve. We decided on four-monthly follow-up consultations to see how things were progressing and whether further action was required.

Treating Teenage Hair Loss

At Root Cause Clinical, we see other conditions that can cause teenage hair loss, such as teenage alopecia areata, with common triggers such as emotional anxiety or reactions to infections such as Covid. For example, there has been research highlighting hair loss in younger people in a study on the impact of alopecia areata in children and adolescents. Psychologically, five areas were identified in the research as being likely to be affected by the condition: self-esteem, appearance, acceptance by others, socialisation, and communication. Females reported significantly greater difficulty adjusting life with the condition.¹

Consultations with our qualified trichologists can help teenagers’ confidence at such a sensitive age, giving them a greater understanding of what is happening and why and how the issues can be resolved.

If your children are being affected by hair loss or scalp health conditions, please contact us directly on info@rootcauseclinical.com. We can allocate a trichologist with disclosure checks and book a consultation right away.

References

¹ Wolf, Janice J; Baker, Pamela H “Alopecia areata: factors that impact children and adolescents” Journal of Adolescent Research Vol 34 Issue 3, 2018

_{* names changed for anonymity}