# Meet My Daughter, Baldy **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 3, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-my-daughter-baldy/414318 "2007-08-03T18:15:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-my-daughter-baldy/414318/1 "2007-08-03T18:15:53Z")
No idea what’s happening here, but my little girl is going bald. She had the standard [newborn hair](http://www.sirblah.com/photo/view.php?album=Shayla%20-%20Welcome%20To%20The%20World&mode=&pic=Shayla%20-%20Welcome25.JPG&picindex=24) when she first arrived, which promptly vanished and was replaced by [peach fuzz](http://www.sirblah.com/photo/view.php?album=Shayla&mode=&start=60&pic=Shayla062.JPG&picindex=61) within two months. It stayed like that for awhile, but by earlier this year, she was [growing it just fine](http://www.sirblah.com/photo/view.php?album=Shayla&mode=&start=240&pic=Shayla255.JPG&picindex=254). And now, it’s simply vanishing. Almost completly gone from the front and top of her head. If you run your hand through what’s left, it just comes right out. We took her to the doc the other day, and he was baffled. She’s not pulling it out, and there doesn’t seem to be any environmental reason. It’s not coming out patchy like you see with some childhood afflictions. She’s growing normally otherwise, so there’s no indication that this is a side effect of something _truly_ bad. She’s simply balding. Fricking odd. Fortunately, the doc noted that there _are_ indications of new growth appearing, so hopefully this’ll be a temporary thing. She had blood work done yesterday, so we should be hearing the results of that any time now. Fingers crossed. Incidentally, [she look familiar](http://www.sirblah.com/misc/baldygirl.htm)? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-my-daughter-baldy/414318/2 "2007-08-03T18:18:25Z")
Oh, poor Shayla! Actually, more like poor you, since I’m sure it doesn’t bug her one bit. I think taking her to the doctor and blood tests are a good idea. Probably it’s nothing, and her final hair is just really going to start growing in now. Lots of babies lose one head of hair - maybe she’s just like those people that have three sets of teeth, only with hair instead. ---
**Author:** ![Flea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d78d45/32.png) [@Flea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flea)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-my-daughter-baldy/414318/3 "2007-08-03T18:18:34Z")
She’s adorable, and I’d advise you not to worry. I was bald until I was almost two. People thought I had cancer. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-my-daughter-baldy/414318/4 "2007-08-03T18:19:40Z")
If nothing shows up in the bloodwork, I strongly suggest taking her to a dermatologist. While pediatricians and other general medicine doctors are worthy of high respect in many areas, skin diseases, which this falls under, need a dermatologist’s care. Some types of alopecia are very treatable. Signs of regrowth are very positive. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-my-daughter-baldy/414318/5 "2007-08-03T18:20:06Z")
[QUOTE=Hal Briston] Meet My Daughter, Baldy [/QUOTE] Who wants to start passing the hat for Shayla’s therapy bills? 😉 Seconding the adorable. It looks to me like she’ll (eventually) have a full head of tawny blonde hair. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-my-daughter-baldy/414318/6 "2007-08-03T18:32:51Z")
[QUOTE=Kythereia] It looks to me like she’ll (eventually) have a full head of tawny blonde hair. [/QUOTE] Either that, or be able to throw a long spiral. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-my-daughter-baldy/414318/7 "2007-08-03T18:44:30Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] Either that, or be able to throw a long spiral. [/QUOTE] Wow, thanks for the link. I already laughed harder at that than I did all last season at Frank Caliendo’s impressions. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-my-daughter-baldy/414318/8 "2007-08-03T18:50:07Z")
[QUOTE=Alice The Goon] If nothing shows up in the bloodwork, I strongly suggest taking her to a dermatologist. [/QUOTE] We have an appointment on Monday. Our doctor referred us to a dermatologist who, and I quote, “…we don’t send referrals to anymore. We were tired of people coming back to us with complaints about how rude he is, and they’re right. He’s getting way up there in years, and he looks and sounds like an old Gestapo agent. He has no beside manner, and he’s one of the most rotten, hateful people you’ll ever meet. However, he’s also the most knowledgeable dermatologist you’ll ever meet. If there’s really a problem here, he’ll know about it”. Well, I’m sold. I’m almost looking forward to seeing just how much of an ass this guy is. As for alopecia, our doctor wasn’t convinced that’s the case here, since alopecia usually affects patches, not the entire head. I’m really hoping we hear something back on the blood work soon, because when we first looked at a list of possible causes for toddler hair loss, “thyroid condition” jumped out at me. It was mentioned as being rare, but she’s got the family history for it – I have Graves, which would go a long way toward explaining things. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-my-daughter-baldy/414318/9 "2007-08-03T18:51:14Z")
[QUOTE=asterion] Wow, thanks for the link. I already laughed harder at that than I did all last season at Frank Caliendo’s impressions. [/QUOTE] Quoth my wife, when I sent her that link: “Not funny! Not funny!” ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-my-daughter-baldy/414318/10 "2007-08-03T18:55:17Z")
There are different kinds of alopecia, though, and it can be generalized and not just in patches (telogen effluvium). Good luck with the asshole doctor, I bet he _will_ help! ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-my-daughter-baldy/414318/11 "2007-08-03T19:16:26Z")
Alice the Goon: > [@](#): > > Good luck with the asshole doctor, I bet he will help! He’s a dermatologist, not a proctologist! ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-my-daughter-baldy/414318/12 "2007-08-03T21:29:13Z")
[QUOTE=cmkeller] Alice the Goon: He’s a dermatologist, not a proctologist! [/QUOTE] Oh, yeah, ha! Speaking of which, the other day I was wondering… how the hell does someone pick proctology as their specialty? Are they sitting around one day, thinking, “Hmmm… what kind of doctor do I want to be… oh, I know!” 😕 ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-my-daughter-baldy/414318/13 "2007-08-03T21:44:49Z")
[QUOTE=Alice The Goon] Speaking of which, the other day I was wondering… how the hell does someone pick proctology as their specialty? Are they sitting around one day, thinking, “Hmmm… what kind of doctor do I want to be… oh, I know!” 😕 [/QUOTE] My father, a surgeon, once asked a proctologist just that. He told him that proctologists have deeply grateful patients. Those are often people who often suffer horribly for years and go out of their way to hide their ailments. There is actually a very good chance that a proctologist can help them and turn their whole life around. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-my-daughter-baldy/414318/14 "2007-08-03T21:58:22Z")
Newborn hair, you say? Perhaps the photographer described in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=430813) can help you out! Cute kid, Hal. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-my-daughter-baldy/414318/15 "2007-08-03T22:04:03Z")
[QUOTE=kellner] My father, a surgeon, once asked a proctologist just that. He told him that proctologists have deeply grateful patients. Those are often people who often suffer horribly for years and go out of their way to hide their ailments. There is actually a very good chance that a proctologist can help them and turn their whole life around. [/QUOTE] I have a terrible suspicion that, like a couple friends of mine, they chose a specialty for which themselves or a close relative are grateful. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-my-daughter-baldy/414318/16 "2007-08-03T22:46:59Z")
Well, a proctologist is a guys who always makes sure everything comes out all right in the end. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-my-daughter-baldy/414318/17 "2007-08-03T23:50:24Z")
Blood work results are in: thyroid workup, chem profile, and CBC – all clear. This is one of those odd times where you’re glad not to get bad news, but still, some answers would be nice. Guess we’ll see on Monday! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2007, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-my-daughter-baldy/414318/18 "2007-08-04T02:17:33Z")
> [@](#): > > …we don’t send referrals to anymore. We were tired of people coming back to us with complaints about how rude he is, and they’re right. He’s getting way up there in years, and he looks and sounds like an old Gestapo agent. He has no beside manner, and he’s one of the most rotten, hateful people you’ll ever meet. However, he’s also the most knowledgeable dermatologist you’ll ever meet. If there’s really a problem here, he’ll know about it. House is a dermatologist? ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2007, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-my-daughter-baldy/414318/19 "2007-08-04T04:48:15Z")
**Hal** , it could be [alopecia areata](http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/alopecia-areata). Here’s another [site](http://www.niams.nih.gov/hi/topics/alopecia/alopecia.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Dottygumdrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Dottygumdrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dottygumdrop)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2007, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-my-daughter-baldy/414318/20 "2007-08-04T04:55:12Z")
Fingers crossed for you and Shayla. I remember my Dad telling me a similar thing happened to him when he was a kid. All his blonde hair fell out when he was about 3 years old, and a fresh crop of jet-black hair grew in its place! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meet-my-daughter-baldy/414318.md?page=2)