I am 18 and have a small patch of no hair growth

Question
Hello, I am 18 and i have an area in my head by the back to my head close to my ear. I have a patch which has no hair growth. When i was younger(10), I caught a hair fungus in school. I went to a doctor and prescribe me a medicated shampoo which work but affected how my hair growed. My hair was growing very slow after this hair fungus. Now, I have no symptoms of that, but I had this patch for about 8 months that will just not grow any hair in this area. my hair just is not growing vey good and im getting real insecure about this situation. Do you have any suggestions on this problems


Answer
You really need to be seen by a dermatologist to find out if this is a condition called Alopecia Areata which is an autoimmune disorder where you develop an allergic reaction to your own hair and reject them. You can read more about this condition at www.AlopeciaAreata.com or at http://www.aocd.org/skin/dermatologic_diseases/alopecia_areata.html

  The treatment for this is to use something to interfere with the allergic reaction.



The hair loss could also be the result of an infection of the hair follicles and would need for you to take an antibiotic to allow the hair to grow back. This can lead to scarring of the roots and the hairs may never grow back. A dermatologist is a doctor who specializes in skin and hair and you will be able to get the right diagnosis and treatment much more quickly by going there first.