Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Beth S on October 29, 2009 at 6:36pm

THank you - made me laugh

Permalink Reply by Mary on October 28, 2009 at 11:00am

As Aimee says...everyone is different. I had patchy and very hideable AA for 7 years, then within 5 months, I lost all scalp and body hair. I was totally hairless by March 2008 and stayed that way for close to a year, and recently have some facial hair regrowth. Totally unpredictable.

Permalink Reply by Blessed Soul on October 28, 2009 at 1:41pm

Yah same here. I used to have AA when I was 8 yrs old. Hair used to come & go in patches. Then in between I got all my hair back. Then suddenly I got patches again. By the time I was 12 my hair fell so rapidly that it jumped quickly from AA to AT to AU. Since then I have AU with no hair anywhere. :( This progression is normal. There r chances that u mite lose it all.
I will pray for u though that u get ur hair back.

Permalink Reply by Galvin on October 28, 2009 at 2:41pm

It took me about 30...35 years to go from AA to AU. I wasted so much time
and money.. on wigs....I really regret not shaving it sooner. Still miss the
eyelashes, dust use to drive me nuts. Now eyeglasses help with that problem.

Permalink Reply by BaldGirlsDoLunch.org on November 1, 2009 at 11:22pm

Hi Galvin,

What you say seems true for most people. Judging by comments on AW and people I talk to all over the country, it's uncommon to find someone who shaves their head and then regrets it. It's usually at the point they know it's the right decision. But would be interested to hear of any shave regret.

Your experience will invaluably help many of the parents who are wondering how to advise their sons. The earlier the better works for most.

It wasn't all that long ago that men wearing totally naked heads were labeled skinheads with all the nasty comments that went along. And not so far before that when our country's founding fathers were considered improperly dressed without their powdered wigs. Plus ca change, plus c'est meme. But things are always in a state of change when it comes to hairstyle. So we'll just ride along for all the fashion fads and get aligned when we can.

Thea
baldgirlsdolunch.org
PS. The Bald Girls are having lunch in Pittsburgh on Dec 6. Stop by and say hi!

Permalink Reply by Coleen on October 28, 2009 at 11:02pm

Hi Beth, Yes everyone is different, my hairdresser found a small patch on the back of head, and I could cover it up. That was in November of 2007, I then found another small patch, by December of 2007 my hair was very thin, went to a Derm in the area and she tried a few things and then sent me to a derm in chicago, by the time I saw that dr in Feb. of 2008 I had very little hair, by the end of February I shaved the rest off, it was just not good to look at anymore and by March I lost all the rest of my hair, arms, legs, underarms, eyelashes, the eyebrows were the last to go. I have tried all the different treatments with no luck, so I just decided to go natural, if it comes back it comes back, if not then I'm not going to worry about it. I have been AU since then, I pretty much go natural, wear a bandana, or a hat. The worst part is the winter, boy does your head freeze....LOL!

Permalink Reply by Beth S on October 29, 2009 at 6:36pm

Thank you for thoe note. I just noticed last night my eyelashes are going. I am also seeing a doctor in Chicago. He has seem some growth but for me it is hard to tell and its hard to believe it will grow back considering other hair is still falling out. Do you mind me asking which doctor in Chicago you saw?

Permalink Reply by Coleen on November 2, 2009 at 9:32pm

Hi Beth,
I saw a doctor at Northwestern Hospital, Dr. Heather Wickless, I really liked her, she was really honest and very compasionate. Good luck, my doctor pretty much told me it could go either way. I just take it day by day.

Permalink Reply by BaldGirlsDoLunch.org on November 1, 2009 at 11:31pm

I had two single patches a decade apart. Then very slowly my body hair seemed to go and scalp thinned out a lot ( got limp and thin) ...it's pretty obvious that it was changed. But life was incredibly busy writing books, changing careers, raising kids, moving 4 times in 9 years and having a preemie baby during the last one. And with each move I thought the quality of the hairstylists must just be going downhill. Mostly it was my hair going downhill, unfortunately.

In the last 14 years the thinning went to ophiasis baldness in the back of the head and then AU all over...well a few straggler follicles hang on here and there. So I never got the patches again. And the only regrowth are eyelashes that come and go.

There's no knowing or predicting a pattern. It does help emotionally to assume you're now going to lose it all and get on with cosmetic strategies that work for the current situation. Then if it does come back you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Thea
baldgirlsdolunch.org

Permalink Reply by Dominique Cleopatra on November 2, 2009 at 12:30am

No harm in hoping for the best though! Nothing ventured nothing gained. I do believe in the mind body connection but still do not understand the full extent of it. Thoughts have power. Some say everything must first exist on the etheric (thought form) plane before it can be manifested into the physical. Just something to think about...

Permalink Reply by BaldGirlsDoLunch.org on November 2, 2009 at 8:57am

I agree.. positive thinking, for sure; tempered with a parallel strategy for feeling as whole as possible in the moment.
And I always found that taking pro-active steps to do something specific each week to feel more whole gave me stages of feeling in control that raised my ability to cope day to day.They were little things that made a big difference: like getting brow lessons from make-up artists or experimenting with more hat styles.

Thea