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QUESTION OF THE WEEK


"Baby Hairs": What are the Causes?

Baby Hairs (short hairs): What are the possible causes?



The concept of “Baby hairs” create a lot more confusion than most baby topics. The term “baby hair” is not a medical term per se but a term used by the public to convey a hair that is not quite as big as it could be.

Many people feel baby hairs are good.

“I see lots of baby hairs!!!” you’ll hear people exclaim.

The reality is sometimes baby hairs (short hairs) are a good thing and a sign of robust regrowth. Sometimes they are neither good not bad (and just a part of completely normal regrowth) and sometimes they are a sign of something very wrong with the hair growth mechanisms.

I'm frequently asked by patients and physicians how to determine the identify of a short 1 cm or so hair that is seen on the scalp. Looking at the scalp with dermoscopy, one often wanst to know "Is this a vellus hair I'm seeing or is it an upright regrowing hair as part of a telogen effluvium? ... or is it simply a normal regrowing hair or something else?

The answer does not necessarily come immediately but rather it comes by asking oneself 6 questions:

1) Is the hair reasonably thick (i.e. 40-50 um or more) or is it very thin (less than 30 um)?

2) Are the ends pointy or blunt?

3) Are these short hairs found all over the scalp or just one area?

4) Are there just a few of these short hairs or lots and lots of them?

5) Is the baby hair twisting, curving or growing straight up?

6) Is the baby hair surrounded by redness, scale or pus?



By working through these 6 questions, I can generally determine the cause of the short hair I'm seeing on the scalp.


This article was written by Dr. Jeff Donovan, a Canadian and US board certified dermatologist specializing exclusively in hair loss.



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