Just wondered if and how you handle the hair coming in and then falling out again.......

A summary,  I became and Alopecian in 2009 , lost all my hair, wore wigs till Dec 2017 Christmas eve.

in fall of 2017 it started coming bk, a short style but bk, so I held off till Christmas eve in case it was gonna be a short stay again. I took the chance and put the wigs away, this was extremely hard on the self esteem to go wig less and as  is the past it would come bk then all fall out again.... so I kept it shaved and it showed my patches and bald patches but I wore wigs out in public just not at home.....

Anyhow, it has been a great 2 mths of head freedom, and as expected (my doctor warmed me it would not stay)   it started falling out again. So I am doing the comb over thing again, takes me 25 mins to get ready in am before work to try n hide the bald patches.  BUT I cannot hide the top of my head bald patches anymore. Still not caving in.  I only go to work and groceries and home anyway. Otherwise I kinda hide again and just stay away from the public. 

It sure as heck beats up your self esteem.  I don't care what anyone says  some say "it is only hair" that is the worst thing someone can say to you, especially because they don't walk our shoes.....

I am a tough and outgoing person, do so much for others and try hard. BUT man this sure beats me up in my self esteem department. Don't feel pretty, don't feel complete sometimes......

I know in the grand scheme of things, it is only hair and we are not dying. But it sucks just the same.

People that don't have Alopecia do not understand the emotional that goes with it. It is always, always on my mind.  I feel insecure but yet I am a secure person, if that makes any sense at all.

So I guess my question to you would be, HOW do you deal with losing it again?

do you just keep it shaved and not take the chance of this roller coaster ride over and over again?

or do you brave it and just shave it and go without sometimes?

How do you deal with it? 

Any thoughts / experiences you have had  are appreciated.

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Hoping for responses here. I’m in the process of losing all of my hair for the first time and feel this will be me down the road. Like you said, its only hair and we’re not dying, but it sucks just the same!!! So true. The uncertainty is the worst. Props to you for dealing with this!!

hi Help wanted,  not sure what your real name is, but hello.....

I was as scared, angry and frustrated as you probably feel right now.....and to be honest after 9 yrs of it first falling out and this is the first time I ever went without wigs and now it all happening again  it was like the first time all over  again. I am back to my wigs again.   My hubby shaved the rest off and I was shocked how little I did have and how many holes bald patches there were again SOOOOO I have decided never again so not worth the emotional time to go thru this again..... it truly sucks you are right it really sucks........... I tell myself each day over and over again I am pretty, I am strong I am fierce ......I can have my odd sad poor pity me times  BUT dust off and push thru....... I the odd time will share with others especially if I am struggling with it at the moment but usually just act like it is all ok and am dealing I find this pushes me to accept and deal and I always remind myself that this will not kill me, it will not make me sick (other than the injections I sometimes still try) it helps with the hidden inflammation under the scalp...........those injections hurt (lots) for the moment then your head is numb, and sore for the remainder of the day........but otherwise not too bad.........you just have to chose if you want to try it.....I would say if your new to loss and only have a few patches then yes do the injections it may save it or it may not.......... only you can make that decision..........           I agree the not knowing is hard.........     I find to be honest the odd moments that my self esteem takes a hit in the insecurity (which I don't share with others too often, I keep that inside cause that is who I am) because I tell myself.. I have lived thru the worst day of my life ( losing a son) so this hair thing is just a minor bump in the road in the grand scheme of things , this is how I try and look at it......  have a good day , message anytime.......

Omg I’m so sorry and I can’t even imagine. I’m sure nothing compares to the loss of a child. You’re right, a minor bump in the road. And now that I finally shaved my head, I feel so much better!!! Same as you, I was shocked at how little I had. Best decision ever. If it all grows back, great! But if not, oh well. It can always be worse! Everyone has their struggles, mine is just very visible these days.

Yes true on that.........  Do you go out in public bald? or just a scarf?  I have never been able to do that yet.  I have such awesome wigs........  human hair mostly and not very expensive either and last quite a while ...........  and then some synthetic that are my at home and camp wigs.....they all kinda are the same style.   

 the it's only hair comment was never my words, that is what a few people have said to me over the years and each time I say to them ......that is easy to say till you walk this path, then it sucks......

My only words to you for this unpredictable journey is breath........and be grateful and   reach out when the moments are a little much as sometimes they do beat up the self esteem a little.  But 99% of the time I am good about it and accept it all,  the whole package  I just have 1% of the time where I am not happy about it and think seriously......why......then I regroup and think how lucky I am truly am..........this time cause I had it come back and took a chance  then such a short time it tingled and started falling out again it was in all honesty a little saddening............   but    whewwww   that is me taking a deep breath and picking myself up and marching forward........         Thank you again for reaching out, I appreciate it.......   and I wish you well          feel free to message me on my page anytime.......   

I think we all know what it is like to slowly lose all of your hair. It sucks. however, just because it started does not mean it wont stop until it is all gone. I started to lose my hair last year at the start of the second year at college. It sucks. However, after the semester, it started to grow back. All of it. After losing 75% of my hair, it stopped falling out. It grew back, and now i only have a couple of spots. I dont think it very fair to only read the blog posts on this website. It can be helpful, however, it can lull you into a sense of helplessness. it can make you feel like it there is no hope once it starts. That is because the majority of people that are active on this site are not and were not "successful" in stopping their alopecia. There still is hope once it starts. I dont think there is a magical "diet" that will fix it all. I think it is just unpredictable, therefore, you shouldn't compare yourself to everyone on here. Only time will tell. There is hope. 

instructions:
      Treatment of hair loss foods are: Foods rich in iron, such as lean meat, eggs, spinach, cabbage, celery, fruit, etc. are the best treatment of food. Recommendation: Eat more vegetables to prevent constipation. To insist on eating more cereals throughout the year, Fruits. Iron supplements. Iron-rich foods include soybeans, black beans, eggs, octopus, shrimp, cooked peanuts, spinach, squid, bananas, carrots, potatoes, etc. Supplemental vegetable protein. Dry hair, hair split, can Eat more foods such as soybeans, black sesame seeds, and corn. Eat more fresh vegetables and fruits that contain alkaline substances. One of the factors that cause hair loss and yellowing of the hair is due to acidic toxins in the blood. This is due to physical and mental fatigue. Eat pure sugar and fat foods, so that the body produces metabolic acidosis toxins. Liver, meat, onions and other foods in the acidic substances are likely to cause excessive toxins in the blood, so eat less. Add iodine. Hair The luster is related to the role of the thyroid, iodine supplementation can enhance the thyroid secretion function, is conducive to hair bodybuilding. Can eat kelp, seaweed, oysters and other foods. Vitamin E. Vitamin E can resist hair aging, promote cell division, make hair Growing. Can eat fresh Lettuce, cabbage, black sesame.

Thank you for the information. :) 

Sorry to hear about your troubles, Denise.  But your "it's only hair" comment is somewhat puzzling to me.  I have AU (started out the way yours did), and I have no hair anywhere.  It is only when you experience total hair loss, that you realize hair does INDEED serve a very important function, other than helping us to achieve a normal appearance.  Hair serves as a protective mechanism as well.  My arms and legs are constant itching due to no hair being there to protect them against the elements.  With no brows, I often find sweat dripping into my eyes at very dangerous times (when driving a car and almost blinding me).  With no lashes, I have to constantly worry about outside debris invading my eyes causing the possibility of eye injuries (scratched cornea and broken blood vessels).  No nose/ear hairs provide infections, virus, etc. a much easier entrance.  WE HAVE A VERY REAL DISEASE--AN AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE.  Please do not give the medical insurance industry an excuse to minimize it so they can increase their profits.  Do not give medical research an excuse not to investigate adequate treatments and cures for AA.  "We are not dying"?  How do you define "dying"?  The quality of our life is certainly "dying"!  Again, I am so sorry that you are going through this again.  But don't let anyone try to belittle your situation.  I have always noticed that the same people who say to us alopecians, "It's only hair" cannot leave their house if they are having even a remotely "bad hair day."

Such good points!!

The "it's only hair"  comment is what a few people have said to me, I myself NEVER say this, cause it is hair, it is important and it does hurt the self esteem..... 

I hear you about the eyes   the moisture when sweating drips in eyes and when it is extremely hot I feel like I am wearing a touque and sweat more................   

Thank you for your words    , everyone for replying I appreciate it.......

So sorry I misread your comment, Denise.  I just get so livid when I hear the words, "It's only hair" that I lose it!  I know people mean to help and are trying to make you feel better, but they don't make you feel better.  They make us feel worse. Losing your child (I can only imagine) must have been and still must be horrific for you.  That, to my mind, makes your alopecia issue worse.  You've had way more than your fair share of heartache with the loss of your son.  You should not have to deal with alopecia areata as well!!  Just my opinion, but life can be so unfair.

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