Alopecia World
www.alopeciaworld.com
Please help! Is alopecia contagious?
Hi all,
Quick back story, I am 28 with AU, it started when I was 14 and had progressed to AT at 21. I have been away from this forum for around 2 years now after finally excepting my alopecia was here for good.
Over the last 3 months I have been in a relationship, my longest ever relationship since battling alopecia. The girl I am dating is 25 and has never had any kind of hair loss issues ever, however over the last 3-4 weeks now we have been noticing the horrible early signs of alopecia in her. We wake up with the pillow covered in her long brown hair, the bathroom is covered with her hair, every time she brushes her hair an excessive amount are hairs are left in the brush, something she doesn't recall ever happening, every time i run my hands through her hair an alarming amount falls out into my hands. Last night after coming out of the shower she noticed a considerable thin spot at the side of her hairline, not a bald patch but just very thin. I was very worried so began to examen the rest of her scalp for any bald spots, she has very long thick hair so I couldn't target any bald spots but thats not to say they don't exhist. She has told me that she feels like hair her has been shedding more then usual over the last 4-6 months but never anything that had concerned her until these last couple of weeks.
My question is does anyone have any experience of having a partner developing alopecia in the following months after they have began a relationship?? I have researched extensively and by all accounts alopecia IS NOT contagious! But I find all of this to be too much of a coincidence. I pray to god that this is just excessive shedding and everything will turn out to be fine but the signs remind me soooo much of how my alopecia began. I feel absolutely terrible and it is almost as if I am reliving the onset of alopecia all over again.
I am writing this post at 5:30 am whilst the girl in question is asleep next to me. This has taken over my life for the last week or so now and I just need some kind of reassurance that everything will be ok. I am not letting her know how worriedI am as I do not want her to worry or stress out. I have reassured her that everything will be fine and it is just regular shedding. Truth is I am worried beyond belief.
Any input will be appreciated.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Chenyp on
-
I'm so sorry to hear this,alopecia may be sad,but,a wigs maybe can help you,look some Affordable Glueless Wigsmaybe can help you.
-
Permalink Reply by Rose on
-
Hi Danny,
I really don't think it is contagious. Strange though, I have experienced the same thing you and your girlfriend are going through. I dated a guy with alopecia totalis for about 8 months. I had a full head of hair then. about 8 years later I got alopecia and lost most of my hair after four years. After much deliberation and research....no....I do not think it is contagious. I think that God (or what ever you believe in...) blessed me with the opportunity to date someone with Alopecia so that I could have a solid understanding of it when it happened to me. It was a gift, and definitely not something I "caught" :) Breathe easy in the fact that you are able to support her in her process with a first hand sense of empathy :)
-
-
Danny, what everyone already wrote is exactly what I would have said. Just wanted to add ONE thing. I had a growth spurt when I started having my period. Hormones definitely affect hair loss/growth. STRESS is a big deal also. Please have your girlfriend get all the tests recommended in these posts. Hormones, thyroid, etc. No way, no how is alopecia contagious. TALK it out. breath.... expect the best possible outcome until proven otherwise.
-
-
If anyone is looking to buy good quality 100% human hair please visit this etsy store
https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/BERRYLACEWIGS?ref=hdr_shop_menu
-
Permalink Reply by Jaeden's Momma on
-
It IS NOT contagious! However a change in hormones could cause her hair to shed more than normal and as a woman she should consult with her OBGYN. My daughter has AA and I can assure you it is not contagious. Depending on her age it is normal for a woman to shed a lot of hair because our hormones our hormones are consistently fluctuating especially once a woman reaches her mid 20's.
-
Permalink Reply by Double on
-
Alopecia is 100% NOT contagious. Just very, very common. If she is worried about having alopecia, she should get the necessary blood work done to find out. If it turns out that she does, in fact, have alopecia, you absolutely did not give it to her.
-
Permalink Reply by Ulli on
-
Hi Danny,
I've never heard of Alopecia being contagious, since it's an autoimmune disease and that should make it impossible...
BUT... The weird thing is, my AA started last year in April and I remember seeing something about Alopecia on TV maybe a month or two before I began losing my hair.
I remember I had never heard about AA before and thought how traumatic this must be for the ppl who have it.
Then I forgot about it and only remembered this tiny TV documentary AFTER my AA occured.
Coincidence??? I have no idea but I still think it's weird. Ö.Ö
This is probably not helpful but I wanted to mention it.
Greetz from Germany,
Ulli
PS: I only developed Type 1 (AA) although I had bald spots all over my body and my hair grew back eventually. I think stress caused it and accepting the hairloss made me relax enough to let it grow back for now.
-
-
hey thanks for sharing also cool to see thoughtful responses
I have alopecia areata and my hair sheds more than regular. 'm in a similar situation where family members may be shedding an abnormal amount. I was wondering what steps you took after leaving your message.
Any advice will be most appreciated Thanks very much
-
Permalink Reply by Debbi Fuller on
-
One in every 100 people will develop alopecia areata in their lifetime. That means that there is a 1 in 100 chance that your girlfriend will have some spots at some point in her life. Only 2% of those people will become totalis. This is a coincidence. She also has to have some sort of genetic predisposition for alopecia. I bet if you ask her, there are other people in her family with some sort of autoimmune conditions. I have a fair number of clients who are married to people who also have had some spots in their lifetimes. It is NOT contagious!! The triggers can be varied and many. Hormones can trigger it, stress can trigger it, a virus can trigger it and unknown things can trigger it. It is NOT because you got together. If it IS alopecia, then the two of you can weather it together because you already know a lot about it. You DIDN'T cause it.
- ‹ Previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
- Next ›
© 2024 Created by Alopecia World.
Powered by
