Will hair regrow after hair loss from scalp ringworm?
Scalp ringworm causes hair loss, and whether hair will regrow depends on the severity and specific type of scalp ringworm. There are generally four types of scalp ringworm: yellow ringworm, white ringworm, black dot ringworm, and kerion. White ringworm is primarily caused by infection from Microsporum canis, Microsporum gypsum, or Trichophyton violaceum. It is common in school-aged children, starting with small clustered papules that quickly expand outward into round or oval shapes covered with gray-white scale. Hair affected by white ringworm protrudes 2-4 millimeters above the scalp before breaking off. This type of ringworm does not destroy the hair follicles, so it does not cause permanent hair loss. After treatment, no scars are left, and hair can regrow in the affected area. Yellow ringworm, commonly known as bald ringworm, affects hair follicles and destroys them, leading to significant permanent hair loss and leaving behind atrophic scars. Hair will not regrow after healing from this type of ringworm. Black dot ringworm is now less common. It directly affects the hair follicles, characterized by hair breaking off shortly after emerging, leaving black dot-like stumps at the follicle openings. As this is a type of fungal infection, the prognosis includes localized hair loss and spot-like atrophic scars; hence, hair will not regrow in these areas. Kerion is a more severe outbreak where honeycomb-like pus pockets are formed at the follicle openings, allowing pus to be expressed. Triggering bacterial infections can also lead to abscesses. This type also destroys hair follicles, resulting in permanent hair loss and scarring, without regrowth of hair.
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