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While poliosis can occur at any age, gray or white hair is uncommon in children. It can be a sign of thyroid disorders, vitamin B-12 deficiency, and other serious conditions. A blood test can help check for the conditions that may be causing your child’s poliosis. Vitiligo can change your appearance but rarely causes serious disease or complications. Lack of color in the skin or hair is the most common symptom. Other conditions that cause hair loss can occur alongside vitiligo, but vitiligo itself is not usually the cause.
Poliosis - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment
If you notice light patches of skin or hair, talk to your healthcare provider about ruling out other conditions that can change your pigmentation. However, if there are other conditions, the doctor diagnoses and treats them. For example, the doctor may prescribe steroid creams and use light therapy for vitiligo, but these medications usually do not stop the white patches from spreading. While poliosis itself is not a harmful condition, it may be related to other clinical issues. Some of these issues could be harmful, whereas some are not. The presence of white or gray patches of hair follicles is sufficient to analyze the condition.
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The white hair caused by poliosis is due to a lack of a pigment called melanin in the hair follicles. Acquired poliosis is often caused by different eye diseases but can also coincide with some autoimmune conditions or certain medications. Parsa Mohebi Hair Restoration (PMHR) is a globally acclaimed clinic, renowned for delivering lasting, natural hair transplant results.
Other Vitiligo Symptoms
Clinical assessment and investigations may be required to determine the cause. Lindsay Curtis is a freelance health & medical writer in South Florida. Prior to becoming a freelancer, she worked as a communications professional for health nonprofits and the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Nursing.
Poliosis is sometimes called a white forelock because it often affects a patch of hair at the front of your head. If an underlying condition causes poliosis, it is important to work closely with a healthcare provider to manage and treat the underlying condition effectively. An alternative treatment option for hair discoloration from vitiligo is a hair follicle transplant. This is where healthy hair follicles are removed from areas unaffected by vitiligo and placed in areas of pigment loss.
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Roughly 15%–25% of people with vitiligo also have another autoimmune condition. Vitiligo and alopecia areata share the same immune system pathways and are linked to an increased prevalence of thyroid autoimmunity and atopic dermatitis. It appears as white or gray patches or spots in any area of the body that has hair. People can also develop poliosis due to the use of certain medications or developing other conditions, such as inflammatory disorders.
A lack of melanin is usually due to a decrease or absence of melanocytes—the skin cells responsible for producing melanin. Vitiligo can cause hair to lose color, but it doesn't cause hair loss. Instead, vitiligo often occurs alongside another inflammatory skin condition called alopecia areata. Melanin isn't just responsible for skin color, it also gives hair its color.
Other conditions like poliosis, or white forelock, can cause gray or white patches in your hair. They are similar to vitiligo, with slight variations, and can occur with conditions like vitiligo and alopecia areata. A skin biopsy (removing a sample of skin for examination in a lab) may be needed to diagnose the exact cause of your pigment loss.
What conditions are associated with poliosis?
Common causes include certain medications, inflammatory or autoimmune disorders, and melanoma (a type of skin cancer). Poliosis (also called poliosis circumscripta) is the decrease or absence of melanin (or colour) in head hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, or any other hirsute area. It is popularly known as white forelock when it affects hair directly above the forehead.
If poliosis affects the child, it is important to see a doctor. It can signify thyroid disorders, vitamin B-12 deficiency, and other serious conditions. Poliosis (poliosis circumscripta) is when a person is born with or develops a patch of white hair but maintains their natural hair color otherwise.
If you really struggle to adjust to your poliosis, your doctor might suggest a support group where you can connect with other people who also have poliosis and other conditions that cause it. Many people can have poliosis from birth, or it might show up unexpectedly at other stages in life. It is sometimes called a Mallen streak, after a fictional family with hereditary poliosis. The Mallen family featured in a sequence of novels by Catherine Cookson, of which The Mallen Streak was the first. She later adapted them into a TV series called The Mallens. If not treated, it might lead to other eye conditions, including glaucoma and cataracts.
When these cells are destroyed, a pale or white patch of skin can result. If you have other conditions, your doctor will diagnose and treat those. Your doctor might give you steroid creams and use light therapy for vitiligo, for example, but these don’t usually stop the white patches from spreading. Vitiligo can alter your appearance, causing discoloration on patches of your skin and hair. Unlike other chronic autoimmune conditions, there are rarely other symptoms that develop with vitiligo.
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Though rare, the use of certain medications may lead to poliosis, and therefore, recent medication use may also be a part of the diagnosis. There is no way to permanently change the color of hair affected by poliosis. Still, if you want to make your poliosis less visible, it’s relatively simple and inexpensive to dye hair that’s been lightened by poliosis. You can use a home kit or visit a hair salon to have it done. You’ll have to redye your hair when your lighter roots begin to come in.
The condition can exist from birth, or it can appear without warning at any age. Most people with poliosis might choose not to look for medical treatments, but instead let the hair remain as it is, or else dye it, as an easy way of covering up the white. Poliosis may be prevented through treatment of the underlying condition. It can also be managed with temporary solutions to cover the white patch.
Poliosis affects your hair, and can occur in both adults and children. It can, in any case, show up alongside different conditions that pose a health risk. Hence, it can be an early symptom of more serious medical problems. While there is no need to be alarmed if poliosis appears, it is best to see a doctor if it does.
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