Many young people suddenly lose their hair.

(Dan Tri) - Dr. Vu Thai Ha, Central Institute of Dermatology, said that more and more young people are suffering from alopecia areata, hair pulling... due to irregular dieting and living habits, and psychological problems.

7 year old girl bald due to hair loss

On November 14, at the 2025 Annual National Dermatology Conference and the 3rd Vietnam Dermatology Research Conference held in Hoi An, Da Nang , Dr. Vu Thai Ha, Head of the Department of Research and Application of Stem Cell Technology, Central Dermatology Hospital reported on a special case of hair loss in children, thereby warning of the trend of many young people suffering from hair loss.

Dr. Ha said that the 7-year-old girl was taken to the Central Dermatology Hospital by her family for examination, with a condition of hair loss.

The patient's family said that 6 months before being admitted to the hospital, the baby had lost hair in oval patches, 4-6 cm in size. The family took the baby to many places for examination and treatment, but the damage did not improve and progressed to hair loss of the entire scalp, so they took the baby to the Central Dermatology Hospital.

The patient's condition before and after treatment for alopecia areata at the Central Dermatology Hospital (Photo: Provided by the doctor).

"During the examination, we initially diagnosed that the child had total scalp hair loss, smooth scalp skin, no redness, scaly skin, hair loss or other accompanying diseases. Taking into account the family history, no one had a similar disease. Based on clinical findings, the doctor determined that this was alopecia totalis - a severe form of alopecia areata," Dr. Ha informed.

Subsequent testing and imaging results were also consistent with the initial diagnosis of alopecia totalis, with no findings of thyroid autoimmune disease or other autoimmune diseases.

Dr. Vu Thai Ha said that alopecia areata occurs in young people due to many factors related to nutrition, lifestyle, and mental health (Photo: Hong Hai).

With severe hair loss, the patient was prescribed oral dexamethasone combined with methotrexate and then switched to oral cyclosporin, but both treatments failed.

"After consultation, we decided to give the patient oral Janus kinase inhibitors and the results were very positive, the hair has grown. The patient was prescribed to continue treatment with Janus kinase inhibitors and was closely monitored clinically and laboratoryly. After 1 year of treatment, hair has grown back on the entire scalp, the hair roots are strong, and the hair pull test is negative," said Dr. Ha.

This expert said, alopecia areata (AA) is a localized non-scarring hair loss, considered an organ-specific autoimmune disease, mediated by CD8 T-cells that react against hair follicles and sometimes nails. About 5% progress to total scalp hair loss and 1% to total body hair loss. The disease is common in young people, is the most common form of hair loss in children, and affects men and women equally.

Dr. Ha added that this treatment for children is only used when previous treatments are not effective. During the treatment, the patient is closely monitored for side effects of the drug and paraclinical indicators. After 1 year of treatment, hair grows back to the scalp, no significant side effects are recorded.

Every day 100 patients come to see us about hair loss problems

Dr. Ha said that every day, the hospital receives 100 patients coming for examination about general hair loss problems, including 5-10 cases of alopecia areata, many of whom are young people.

"In young people, hair loss is closely related to diet and irregular lifestyle. In addition, psychological factors and stress can also lead to hair loss in young people," said Dr. Ha.

According to this expert, regarding psychological factors, hair pulling is a phenomenon that needs to be paid attention to in young people. This condition is common in children aged 8-15. All issues from studying, living, and relationships can become pressure for sensitive children, thereby creating psychological factors, leading to hair pulling. Treatment must combine both psychological treatment and dermatologist.

Currently, the Department of Stem Cell Research and Application is managing nearly 1,000 patients with alopecia areata, many of whom are severe cases.

The department applies many treatment methods from topical medications, traditional systemic medications to new AAD and EADV regimens, especially JAK inhibitors. In addition, local procedures such as corticosteroid injections, needle pens, Intracel are combined to optimize effectiveness.

Dr. Ha also recommends that people who experience the above situation should go to a specialist facility for proper treatment to avoid wasting money and listening to unscientific hair growth treatment advertisements.

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Le Huu Doanh, Director of the Central Dermatology Hospital, at the conference, with a presentation session on hair, many hair loss issues were discussed by experts.

The Central Dermatology Hospital has also established a specialized group on hair loss.

Associate Professor, Dr. Le Huu Doanh, Director of the Central Dermatology Hospital (Photo: Hong Hai).

"There are many causes of hair loss, from the so-called very common causes to the difficult causes. Therefore, when a patient has hair loss, they should go to the hospital for a doctor to find the cause, see what type of hair loss, and then have a treatment method. There is no single treatment method that is the same for all cases of hair loss," Associate Professor Doanh recommended.

The Director of the Central Dermatology Hospital said that the conference is the largest scientific event in the Vietnamese Dermatology industry in 2025, gathering nearly 1,500 domestic and foreign experts with 26 scientific sessions, nearly 150 reports, including more than 30 international reports from experts from the US, France, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Australia, Japan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos...

The conference was held in a hybrid format, with plenary sessions and selected papers streamed digitally, ensuring that colleagues unable to attend could still follow the learnings in a timely manner.

On this occasion, responding to the call of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, doctors and staff of the Central Dermatology Hospital joined hands to support the Nam Tra My Regional Medical Center to overcome the consequences of storms and floods and called on delegates to contribute, demonstrating the spirit of mutual love.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/nhieu-nguoi-tre-bong-dung-rung-toc-tro-troi-20251114114034533.htm