Alopecia World
www.alopeciaworld.com
Only gray/white hairs remain?
About two months ago I noticed a bald spot forming on my left side. It was about the size of a half dollar, but has grown.
I have brown hair, but I've had grays and whites sprinkled in, and slowly increasing in quantity, for about 10 years.
I'm 34, male.
When I first discovered my bald spot, I googled and read few pages about alopecia areata. It sounded like it would likely grow back over time. And my top hair covered it, so I didn't sweat it.
But in my case, only my brown hair seems to be falling out. The gray/white hairs remain.
But there aren't a whole lot, so it's very thin and wispy.
I'm beginning to think the gray/white hair might be starting to fall out, but I'm not sure. My bad memory is my only reference.
Does anyone share this experience? And could this be something else other than alopecia areata? It IS only on the left side.
I have not seen a doctor yet, but since the area is getting bigger, I'm thinking maybe I should.
Here's a current pic. It's hard to see the wispy gray/white hairs:
Thanks for any suggestions. I'm glad I found these forums!
I have brown hair, but I've had grays and whites sprinkled in, and slowly increasing in quantity, for about 10 years.
I'm 34, male.
When I first discovered my bald spot, I googled and read few pages about alopecia areata. It sounded like it would likely grow back over time. And my top hair covered it, so I didn't sweat it.
But in my case, only my brown hair seems to be falling out. The gray/white hairs remain.
But there aren't a whole lot, so it's very thin and wispy.
I'm beginning to think the gray/white hair might be starting to fall out, but I'm not sure. My bad memory is my only reference.
Does anyone share this experience? And could this be something else other than alopecia areata? It IS only on the left side.
I have not seen a doctor yet, but since the area is getting bigger, I'm thinking maybe I should.
Here's a current pic. It's hard to see the wispy gray/white hairs:
Thanks for any suggestions. I'm glad I found these forums!
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Tallgirl on
-
When hair grows back after alopecia, it may be a different color and texture. My natural brunette hair came back all pure white and wispy where it DID grow back...and other body hair and eyebrows are still brunette. My mother had dark hair until her 70s, so it is not age-related...just another aspect of The Wonderful World of Alopecia! Maybe the white hairs are tougher?
-
Permalink Reply by Ion Ymous on
-
Thanks for the reply Tallgirl.
In my case, the gray/white hairs in my "bald" spot did not grow back. They simply never fell out.
-
Permalink Reply by Gail on
-
Yes! See a dermatologist, thsi week if possible. I'm no doctor, but yours looks like the typical onset of alopecia areata. AA's not necessarily symmetrical or confined to any one area. All docs are different in their approach to "diagnosing" and treating this, so find one you like and trust and see what happens. Good luck & keep us posted!
-
Permalink Reply by Dominique Cleopatra on
-
I heard alopecia targets only pigmented (i.e. colored hair).
-
-
Cool! Thanks Dominique! The word "pigment" was key! I googled "alopecia pigment" and found:
From http://www.keratin.com/ad/ad010.shtml
"Alopecia areata commonly affects pigmented hairs and is less able to attack un-pigmented or white hairs."
From http://www.keratin.com/ad/ad006.shtml
"It has been suggested that pigmented hair follicles are more susceptible to AA compared to white hair. When a lesion develops in someone with grey hair, the pigmented follicles are usually the first to be affected leaving just white hair surviving in a patch of AA - although with time even white hair can be lost (Dawber 1994). As a result of this phenomena, some dermatologists believe that immunological action on hair follicles is specifically directed towards pigment producing melanocyte cells (Tobin 1994)."
© 2024 Created by Alopecia World.
Powered by
