Hi everyone! I'm new to the group here. After years of fighting with thinning hair and hair loss I finally gave in and bought a wig this week.  My mother has Alopecia and I knew at a young age there was a good chance it would happen to me but never expected it this quickly.  My youngest daughter died 13 years ago and that's when I noticed it getting worse. My Dr. confirmed it was Alopecia and that the stress I was under triggered it. I was amazed at how emotional I felt over losing my hair.  I mean, hey....I just lost my teenage daughter shouldn't I be able to deal with just about anything now?  It only made me feel even more depressed.  I tried many different things and hairstyles to hide it. Finally getting to the point of using hair powders to camouflage the spots of no hair but it was getting to the point of coloring the entire top of my head. My hair dresser and dear friend kept encouraging me to try a wig so I finally did. I wore it for the first time yesterday and today. I received many compliments on my hair (which I really didn't know how to answer). Part of me felt guilty that I was hiding something but these were new friends I haven't known long and I wasn't up to sharing my story. My new wig is very similar to how I was wearing my hair just fuller and now with bangs so everyone things I  just had a makeover. I guess that is good but now I have this fear of "being found out". Not that I've done anything wrong......These feelings are driving me crazy.  I just don't know how to deal with this.  I keep telling myself it's only hair and that it could be so much worse but it doesn't really help.  I guess my question is for those of you who have decided to wear a wig, how long did it take for you to feel comfortable wearing in and not self conscience? I am in my late 50's and I live in a 55 + community where I had been talking a water aerobics class twice a week but now I'm not sure if I should continue.  Do I wear my bald hair in the pool and just share with the others I'm now wearing a wig or do I get a backup wig just for the pool so they don't know.  I've tried working with scarfs and don't like them.  Any tips you could give would be appreciated. I want to live again and not hide behind this disease. My husband has been supportive but I don't think he can really understand the impact of not having hair does to a woman.       Thanks for taking the time to listen.

Sadness.....:(