Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tro on October 31, 2012 at 4:08pm

I'm 27 years old now and it started for me when I was 25. I am experiencing two slowly growing patches of hair loss in the beard right now. I haven't tried any treatments to correct it, but as it grows it's on my mind more and more. I'm becoming more conscious of eating better, paying attention to the chemicals found in different products, etc. I was involved in a car accident shortly before the hair loss started, my doctor figures it could be related but impossible to know for sure. Reading other stories of stress having a direct effect, and having a very stressful job running a small media business, I'm doing what I can to take breaks and limit stress.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Savannah G on October 31, 2012 at 4:41pm

I'm Savannah, and I'm 14 years old. I've had Alopecia for my entire life the first time I ever lost it, I don't remember it. The second time, I was 6 years old and I had such a big patch I had no choice but to cut it. I walked out of the salon bawling because I looked like a boy and didn't understand why this was happening to me. Luckily, it was during the summer, but it didn't get better and I wore a wig all through 2nd grade. We were too young for anyone to know or ask about it. It grew the following spring, and I had a full head of hair my third grade year, until that spring. I wore bandanas until the year was over, and the next year at school, I wore a wig we got from Children with Hairloss. By then, I was too old for people to not notice. But no one ever asked me anything, and I got by without anyone being judgemental. My 5th grade year I. Was blessed enough to have a full head of hair oncemore, and that year I started seeing an irodologist for my condition since we didn't have any answers from any of the dermatologists I had previously seen. Later, we decided we didn't agree with everything she said, but for the next almost 4 years, I went to her for supplements that helped it grow and followed a strict diet of avoiding yeast, cane sugar, or dairy products. Now I'm a freshman in high school and this past summer I've lost random small patches and its grown back in, and during my eighth grade year, a huge patch in the back of my head, that could be concealed by the rest of my hair that was long and thick enough to cover it, started to thin to where it was noticable. So gradually it got so bad people asked me constantly about it and I barely skated over the rest of the year until the summer when my mom could buy me a wig. I've worn it all so far this year because the huge patch that fell out last year, all of that has grown in, but the smaller random patches are still baby hairs so I can't. Go without wearing it yet. I'm faced everyday with the fact that it might never come back completely but I invest my faith in God that I'm blessed with it again someday at least for the highlights of my life. I've had a long history of stress throughout my life, but right now we have no answers to why it has to be this way, so I just do my best to see it as a simple obstacle of life and move on from it. My biggest challenge now is trying to figure out who to trust and tell about my condition because people are so judgemental and I'm afraid, more than anything that girls I befriend will use it against me and then people won't like me anymore because of my condition. Its hard to date and have alopecia because looks are everything at this point in my life and that's why I choose to not tell many people about this aspect of my life because the last thing I want is for them to have the advantage of using it against me.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by You can do it : ) on October 31, 2012 at 5:32pm

I am 22 and have had AA since the age of 8

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by robert whitford on October 31, 2012 at 5:57pm

Areata/totalis since the summer of 1994 universalis not long after that. Still processing...

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Tania Hall on October 31, 2012 at 6:19pm

I have had it 3 times... At 12, 30, and 40. When I was 40, it changed from areata to universalis and that is how it has been for 18 years.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Dorothy on October 31, 2012 at 7:27pm

I have only had one bout of AU it started immediately after the birth of my daughter over 40 yrs ago and never went away, it came and stayed.

At first it was only my head, legs and arms, then eyebrows and lashes would come and go, then after a couple of years they went and stayed gone too.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Serge on October 31, 2012 at 8:02pm

I've had it twice. Once when I was very young 2-3 years old. I grew all my hair back except of a small patch at the back of my head (which was very easy to cover with surrounding hair). Then it began to start falling out around the age of 11-12. By the time I was 15 years old I decided to shave off what hair was remaining. After each subsequent shaving less hair would grow back. I am currently 29 years old, so for approximately the last 14 years I've had pretty much no hair on my head. However I have recently started to have some regrowth of proper darker hair (not peach fuss or as it is technically known as Vellus hair).

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Julie on October 31, 2012 at 8:33pm

When my daughter was 3, she developed a few quarter sized bald spots that quickly grew in. Then, at 12, we found a spot on her crown, then another, and another...she lost around 80% over year, some growing in while other patches falling out.She wore toppers during the worst of it. All her hair grew back, they are now shoulder length. We were devasted when we found new ones a few weeks ago...a huge one on her temple, another huge one in back of her head and two smaller ones in her bangs. For now she can cover them up with styling and bandanas...we are praying it doesn't get any worse this time. I guess that is part of what makes this so difficult...we just never know what will happen.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by charity turner on October 31, 2012 at 8:51pm

I first got it at 31 years old a quarter size patch, it took about 2 years to mostly all fall out except for the top part. I wore a wig for two years after that happened. I took methotrexate for a few months it started growing a little but I didn't want to take it too long so I just got scalp cortisone injections ever since. I still have patches all the time but I still get injections I only have 2 small patches now. I worry still that it could just all come out again though.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by shafeah m'balia on October 31, 2012 at 9:27pm

i was seven years old with my first bout of alopecia universalis. to this day, i can't think of any particular trauma or stress that triggered it. since then,i had 2-4 incidents of alopecia areata through my adult life which were treated with cortico steroid injections. they usually occurred after some particularly stressful period. i developed this last round of universalis in 2009 after having 3 minor surgeries over a year's period of time.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by sueb on October 31, 2012 at 10:37pm

I am 48 and when I was 45 my hair stylist found smooth small bald spots on my head. I went to a dermatologist to have steroid shots and was diagnosed at that point with AA. When I was 46 I ended up losing it very quickly and started wearing a wig. 8 months later my hair was growing in and I ditched the wig. I only had my hair for 4 months and I started losting it again. Luckily I had a human hair wig and it looked so natural. Recently I have lost most of my eyebrows and eyelashes are thinning and I have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism and on synthroid. My dr. has also put me on female hormones....I havent seen any changes yet but my energy level is back, but no hair. I am gluten free and buying organic and limiting my alcohol and dairy as well. Also staying away from GMO and eating good protein. It's not fun, but I have learned to accept it. I am feeling fine and I know God has healed me!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Dorothy G. on October 31, 2012 at 10:42pm

Hi Laura,
I first had AA in college - so around when I was 19 or 20 (in 1983). I had it start again in Aug. 2009 (not known why - not really stressful time). It started with a few patches that the shots helped. Got much worse earlier this year. Went from about 30% hair loss on scalp to about 90% in 3 weeks (some stress but not to cause that much loss so quickly). Lost eyebrows and eyelashes a short time later. Now am AU with some peach fuzz on my scalp. Now wearing wigs and penciling in eyebrows. Not worrying about lashes.

• ▶ Reply

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• Next ›
• Page