When does the lanugo fall off?

Lanugo refers to the fluffy hair on the body of a newborn just after birth. This is normal, but it will gradually disappear as the child grows. This is what we often call the lanugo falling off slowly. This is a normal growth and development of an infant. Parents should not worry if there is lanugo. When will the lanugo fall off? Let’s take a look at it below.

When does the newborn's hair fall off?

Normally, the lanugo on a baby's head will fall off once in the mother's womb during the seventh or eighth month of pregnancy, and will gradually fall off a second time not long after birth until all the lanugo falls off. Therefore, except for babies with special diseases or premature babies, lanugo will only be seen on the bodies and faces of newborn babies. After birth, the hair on the head will quickly change from lanugo to colored soft hair.

Is it normal for a newborn to have less hair?

It is very common for newborns to have less lanugo, so mothers don’t need to worry too much.

1. The amount of fetal hair varies from person to person, and this difference has nothing to do with the mother's nutrition, disease condition, severity of pregnancy reaction, or mood during pregnancy. Therefore mothers do not need to feel guilty about their children's thin hair.

2. Having thin hair at birth does not affect future hair growth.

Some parents worry that their children are born with less hair and will lose their hair when they grow up, which will affect their appearance. According to the analysis of data from our outpatient follow-up, in general, hair will gradually grow around the age of 1, or even earlier, and by the age of 2 the hair will have grown quite a lot.

3. There is no need to take "treatment" measures.

Some parents do not wash their children's hair for fear of damaging their hair during washing. In fact, it is the old hair that falls out. On the contrary, if the hair is not washed for a long time, the stimulation of oil and sweat will make the scalp itchy and cause secondary infection. Some parents shave their babies' heads in the hope of accelerating hair growth, but to no avail. Some parents apply "hair growth essence" or "hair growth spirit" on their baby's scalp, which is unnecessary because it does not constitute alopecia.

Through the above introduction, we now know when the lanugo falls off. This is also something that many parents and friends worry about. As the child grows slowly, we will find that the lanugo is becoming less and less obvious, which is what we call the lanugo is slowly falling off, and it will be gone after a few months.