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At what point do you REALLY start to accept it?
I discovered my first spot just under a month ago. It grew large, fast. I shaved the underneath of my hair. The a week later I discovered a few smaller ones closer to the top of my head.
Last night, I thought maybe I might be imagining it, but could have sworn there was a small spot missing from my eyebrow.
Which I've just realised has doubled in size.
Yay!. Not!
Sh*t just got real then!
Has it been this quick for anyone else?
Aly
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jo S on
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Hello, yep it was quick like that for me. I'm only about 7 months in and I'm not sure if I've accepted it or not. It is what it is unfortunately. I wore a wig for a while, now I just wear hats, it's too hot this time of year for wigs. ( if you ask me ) I imagine some people accept it quickly and others never do.
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Permalink Reply by ettab on
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I've been dealing with this for as long as I can remember. It started with small spots and got progressively worst as I got older. I still haven't accepted it. Only my husband and immediate family know.
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Sorry that you are going through this. I was really slow to pick up on the fact that I was losing a lot of hair (due to a history of insignificant bald spots that came and went and having a new baby) so I'm not sure how long it took. I think having had bald spots before made it harder for me to accept serious hair loss since it had never been an issue before and had usually grown back. I agree that your hair may yet return. As for fully accepting AA, I don't think I'm there yet, and it has been a year and a half since I realized I couldn't pass for normal with my head uncovered. For me, I think I want to know whether I am a bald woman, a woman whose hair grows back, or a woman with just some weird hair, but when it comes to acceptance, those matter less than just accepting that my hair will do its thing, and whatever it does doesn't define me.
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Wow Garden Jess, I wish I could get to that point . I feel so ashamed,I can't even look at myself in the mirror.
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Permalink Reply by Christina on
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I've been dealing with this since I was 13. I'm now 34 and still have not accepted it. The last time my hair fell out was 2009 and it has not grown back yet. I have good and bad days. I wear hair extensions and when it's time to get it redone I have major anxiety and feel like I'm back at square one with acceptance.
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It started the same way with me. On my chin and then the back of my head. I got several spots, some small, some large. I went to a dermatologist, who injected steroids twice a month. That, in conjunction with eating Paleo, stopped the alopecia and regrew all of the hair. It came back brown.
At my last haircut, I found a new spot. I have been eating normally (not paleo) for about six months. I don't know if it was the diet, the shots, or something else that made it go away, but I am about to go back to paleo and wait six months before I go back to the dermatologist
. It took about 4-months before the alopecia went away the first time.
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Yes, mine came out of no where ! From a couple of bald spots to literally flying off my head if I stood in the wind and big clumps in the shower. Within 2 weeks I had no hair on my head and 2 weeks after that I had no eye lashes or eye brows. It is like a nightmare that I can't wake up from.
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Permalink Reply by Skin on
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Hi Aly. Acceptance is within yourself. I've had AU for 33 years now (got it at age 17). First year was difficult. I wore a beany hat. After that, the following summer got too hot at work & I realised I looked a prat wearing a woollen hat in 30 degrees of heat. Not only that, it wasn't comfortable. My workmates weren't stupid & realised I was trying to hide my baldness. As soon as I put the hat in the bin, it was like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. From THAT POINT onwards, I haven't cared a monkeys about alopecia. Being a bloke, it's maybe different & more "acceptable". You'll go through the mill if you lose it all (everybody does). Stay strong, laugh at yourself & most of all... be confident & be yourself. Don't try to hide it, the only person you're fooling is yourself. Good luck.
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Permalink Reply by Tommy on
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I agree with Skin here, it's all about accepting yourself.. I've had AA for 25 years now, and it started when I was 22 years old. It was rough back then, but it has gotten easier to live with over the years. I have chosen NOT to hide my bald spots / patches in public (I have found that keeping my hair short, works for me) It has been a deliberate choice because I needed to find out what would be the worst thing that could happen. Some people will look at you thinking you probably have cancer, others might be shocked, and again others will look at you and admire your courage and your self confidence.
I can honestly tell you, that when you find the courage to reveal yourself - You my friend will be more relaxed, and you will be able to live your life freely without having to care one bit if people look or not..Most of the time you will find that people will be attracted to your personality and your presence, if they don't they should not be part of your life.
Another thing is that Alopecia is known to be affected by stress, which is why you definately should learn to accept yourself for the whole You. The spots will probably come and go, move around, get funny shapes and sizes.. So in order to live a full and happy life you will need to learn to embrace them as being part of the whole You.. When you sincerely are able to do that, you will find that others will accept and respect you for YOU - Best of luck..
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Permalink Reply by basilica on
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Unfortunately yes. I do not want to scare you at all because it very plausible that it will not happen for you but after I discovered my first circle it was literally all gone within about two or three weeks!
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I am 58 yrs young. I have had alopecia universalis total body hair loss since I was about 13. I know that we are all individual beings with our own hearts and minds. But we are also social beings and admit it or not what pep say to us, what they dont say to us, how they treat us, whether their social or anti-social etc, permiates us. And we tend to reflect those feelings back on to others and society at large, the feeling that we are accepted, not accepted (because pep do not understand why we look like we do) good, bad, or indifferent. Ideally I think that one can accept it when we hapen to be lucky enough to find that someone who will accept us as we are and love us anyways. So far I have never had that or found that, ever, in my whole life. As far as society at large accepting it, that will always be made up of 2 types of pep, those who accept us in every way and those who dont and I dont know if that if or when that will ever change.
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hi deb - i have vitiligo too. stress also makes that worse. try to stay out of the sun . i don't have eyebrows or eyelashes either. you are not alone!!!!!! you just have to find someone who sees your real beauty. i am wishing you a happy new year with wonderful new adventures. hang in there!
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