Alopecia due to stress, trauma etc

I wonder if anyone out there has put their alopecia down to a stressfull period in their lives.  I have heard of a few cases on the site and I completely blame mine on a rough period when my marriage broke up. The first symptoms appearing around four months after my lowest period.  Does anyone else believe that their trigger was stress or trauma?  and if so, How long did it take for symptoms to develop and how did your alopecia progress?

Thanks.   Carl

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Permalink Reply by Deborah Gay Smith on July 13, 2014 at 8:59pm

  

 I have AU for the last few years.10 years+ I started out to have AA  and it continued  forward to finally have AU. I think it had a lot to do with my stress I had during my marriage at a point. I've been married now for 40 yrs now. Yes, we've had our ups and downs like any marriage has.

I continued to stay with my man and I found that the stress level does have an effect on the body. In the past, I've gain weight and lose weight due to stress in my life when younger. But for some reason, my body had decided to attack my hair than my weight. It grew over years from AA- AU. As my marriage peeked (disagreements,rage,etc) I had noticed that my hair would fall out a lot more. When in the shower clumps of my hair would just fall out when I would be shampooing my head! I would just look at it and say wow, I know its cause of the stress am under with this man! I can say today,July 2014, my hair is finally coming back in. Very slowly and not fast enough either!! It seems like the top layer of the hair all over is coming in now and I've seen improvement more  when my marriage is at a positive stage than in an anger stage. Am not taking anything at this point.I guess am not like most women who cries about having no hair at all or what types of medication can I use.etc...I guess I take it with a grain of salt and go on with my everyday life.I do wear a wig in the winter time when its cold. When summer comes, the wig is put away(unless am going out for a special dinner or event)   and I just go bald or else I will wear a head wear (like the motorcycles guys wears.)to protect my scalp from the sun. I buy them at Wal-Mart in the men's section. Or else I would buy them when I see them while shopping. I've had scarves and other types of head protection and I just don't like them as well. These that I've mention above is quick to grab and put on going out the door!YES, people do think I have cancer sometimes but when people ask me whats wrong with me, I tell them I have Alopecia.. If they don't know what it is, I tell them about it as much as I know about the auto amune system. Other times, I will just let it go and have them think I have cancer.....bad thing to do but it all depends how am feeling at that time. I've had several women come up to me and say" Oh am praying for you" Or Am a cancer survivor twice" and let it go(I thank them for their prayers  and support or I just say Thank you )I do like having AU cause I don't need to worry about shaving my legs, or arms. No perspiration either.! (sometimes i do use deodorant, once a while) But most of all, I wish I had my beautiful auburn hair once again. Maybe someday I will !

Permalink Reply by elgoog on July 13, 2014 at 9:33pm

I had gotten so sick back in 2007 that when I woke up from my sleep on Sunday, I had thought it was Monday. I was wrong it was Wednesday. I remember that temperature was 90 degrees outside, yet I had to wear the biggest Carhartt jacket I had to keep warm. When I got to the doctors, they lady at the front was like no sitting just come in the back. I don't get sick, except the common sniffles etc., so when I got Alopecia 3 months later I have always thought about me getting that virus to my alopecia. Something that I had always thought about. 

Permalink Reply by MJ on July 13, 2014 at 10:34pm
I developed AA about 13 months after having an epidural abscess and almost dying. I had emergency surgery to remove the abscess and the dr said if I didn't have it done I could be dead or paralyzed within a couple hours or a couple of days at most. I'm fine now except for the AA that developed 13 months after the surgery. I also had to give myself antibiotics into my chest for 12 weeks and
Oral antibiotics for another 8 weeks. So yes, I believe the trauma/surgery/antibiotics had everything to do with it. Now it's turning into universalis and I'm about to shave my head.
Permalink Reply by sabrinaann on July 15, 2014 at 10:58am

In 2005 I had my gall bladder removed and then a couple of months after that my best friend (I considered my soul mate) was found dead in his apartment.  Finding this out I was inconsolable. Then 2 months after that I developed an arrhythmia that took 4 heart procedures to fix and stabilize.  I lost my business and all my savings as a result of all my medical trauma.  I have had chronic scalp pain and constant diffuse hair loss ever since.  I have one bald patch while  the rest of my hair falls out diffusely.  It grows back in some places and not in others.   I have never recovered financially to where I was, I do work but not making nearly the same or enough money... and despite health insurance have an enormous amount of medical debt I may never dig myself out of.  Despite meditation and a multitude of healthy alternative coping mechanisms I live with chronic stress. I wear tons of toppik and now use extensions in areas to cover the loss.  It's getting to the point where I am getting ready to move into a wig.  I believe with absolute certainty that stress has everything to do with my alopecia! 

Permalink Reply by Carl on July 18, 2014 at 8:43am

Thanks so much to everyone that has replied to this so far.. I will try to write to you all.  It seems a lot of you have put your alopecia down to stress and that is a relief to me as I have no other auto immune condition that might have have caused mine.  Is anyone that has replied in the same position???   I accept that stress can cause a flare up when an auto immune condition is already present, but wonder how many cases of alopecia are PURELY stress derived..

Carl

Permalink Reply by Stressed on July 18, 2014 at 1:30pm
I think it could be that stress triggers the genetically susceptible individual. Mine started after a series of unfortunate events. I was harassed by a driver who went on road rage, had a severe fight with a loved one, inordinate work stress then my dad was diagnosed with cancer all within weeks followed by rapidly progressing alopecia within 2 to 3 months. So yes stress is a prime trigger in mine.

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