my 5 yr old daughter has bold spots in her hair

[sartigs]

my daughter has between 4 and 5 small bald spot in her hair what could this be and how do i treat it

[sartigs]

i've now taken my daughter doctors and she has got an appointment with a dermatologist in may doc thinks it might be alopecia

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From the description of the symptoms,it looks like tinea capitis or ringworm scalp.It is a very common fungal infection among children and teenagers throughout the world. The disease is considered to be a form of superficial mycosis or dermatophytosis.

The typical signs of scalp ringworm infection are reddening, crusting, and scaling of the scalp. Intense itching usually occurs as well. The specific pattern depends on the infecting organisms.Diagnosed by wood lamp examination,microscopic examination of the skin scrapings and culture of the scalp scrapings.

Treatment includes washing ths scalp with shampoo with selenium sulfide (2.5%) or zinc pyrithione (1-2%) used 2-3 times weekly at home. Oral steroids can also be added for severe inflammatory types of scalp ringworm.

Also consult a dermatologist and get other conditions causing similar symptoms like alopecia aereata,hormonal imbalance(overproduction of dihydrotestosterone and thyroid hormones irregularities),malnutrition and sebum plugs on skin ruled out.

Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how your daughter is doing and if you have any additional queries.Kind regards.