Red dots on scalp and hair thinning

Hi, I'm only 15 and Ive noticed some red dots on my scalp and my hair appears to be thinning. This started a few months ago, and most if not all of my family has hair. What can I do to stop hair thinning? Please help.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Baldness during adolescent is not that common; although, there are already numerous patients like yours that are complaining of baldness in their teenage years. There are many causes of baldness, alopecia areata is one with circular bald spot that they attribute to stress but uncommon to teenagers, while fungal infection called Tinea Capitis “ scalp ringworm” is characterized by patches of hair loss, there is also baldness caused by extreme hair care treatment and this is called Traction Alopecia. Reports also points out to unhealthy eating habits as one of the cause of early baldness. To properly treat baldness, it is important to know its cause so that proper treatment be started.

I hope it helps. Take care and regards.