Nervous I may experiencing the onset of AU? What was it like for you?

So I researched a lot on the internet about AU and there is surprisingly little information. I figured I would come to a forum and ask people that actually suffer from the disease to get a better understanding of the hair loss I am experiencing, and if it is in fact, AU. So back in August of 2010, I noticed my hair was thinning on the top of my head. I went to a dermatologist and he said it's probably just MPB and that if I wanted I could try rogaine or propecia. I opted for just rogaine. Since then, my hair on my head has thinned substantially but I have noticed that its thinning ALL over my head and not just the top. I also noticed after a couple months that I was losing hair on my chest, armpits, and legs too. I have no bald spots anywhere on my head or anywhere else. I am just experiencing thinning all over. I can easily pull out hairs pretty much anywhere on my body. Even my eyebrows have shed a bit. While I still have a full head of hair and hair on other places of my body, the thinning is troubling me as it hasn't seemed to slow down. People can't notice it yet, but if it keeps up like this, it will be noticeable over time. So my question is, does this sound like AU? I was under the impression that AU usually has bald spots as a symptom, and that the hair normally falls out in clumps. As I've stated earlier, I have no bald spots anywhere, just overall diffuse thinning on pretty much all parts of my body. If this doesn't sound like AU, does anyone have any idea what I could be experiencing? I have been feeling terrible lately about this... thanks in advance to any info/advice from you guys!

Mike

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mike H on March 8, 2011 at 1:04am
Oh and just thought I should add. I'm a 24 year old male from northeast US!
Permalink Reply by Angie on March 8, 2011 at 10:46am
Hi Mike,

I'm kind of new to this myself. Your dr. may come back with a diagnosis of AU...here's why I think so: My son was initially diagnosed with alopeica areata because of the patchy bald spots, but when he lost all of his scalp hair, eyebrows and eyelashes, we were told he has AU. He's too young for body hair, but if he were older, I suspect they would have fallen out, too. Since alopecia is an auto-immune disorder, I would suggest anyone with it to check their immune system and strengthen best they can. My son, for example, is iron deficient and has other mineral deficiencies. He also has food allergies. If he were older, I could get him to choose to eat better foods (fruits, vegetables, etc.). Everyday is a struggle for us when it comes to eating. He wants what all the other children are having...junk! If you want to fight this and give your body the best chance to do so, I strongly recommend you review your blood work carefully and try to build up where you are deficient. If a regular MD can't or won't recommend supplements, find yourself a quality holistic practitioner who can guide you. In the meantime, watch this DVD, FOODMATTERS http://www.foodmatters.tv/. It only costs $4.95 to watch online, or if you're a member of NETFLIX, it is available to watch online (my friend has told me). Also, visit www.mercola.com for great articles on food, health and other important topics.

Good luck and I hope all works out for you.

Angie
Permalink Reply by Mike H on March 8, 2011 at 2:20pm
Ugh this is just so confusing for me because I don't have bald spots, just general thinning everywhere. And I seem to be losing it slowly as I first noticed all this back at the beginning of August..... I'm discouraged that my doctor won't have any good answers for me either :( I guess I'll have to wait and see.
Permalink Reply by Angie on March 8, 2011 at 2:30pm
Here is a site that treats alopecia with ayurvedic method http://www.alopeciacure.com/typesofalopecia.html. I'm not suggesting you try it, but it has photos and descriptions of the types of alopecia. That information may be helpful to you.
Permalink Reply by Angie on March 8, 2011 at 10:49am
Oh...forgot to tell you, if at all possible, stay away from conventional chemical treatments. Not only do they not work, but is counter-productive in many ways in the long run. Keep it natural if you can.
Permalink Reply by Tuesday on March 8, 2011 at 11:20am
Mike, I have had AU for 10 years. My impression is not too helpful but I'll add it anyway. It's so hard to predict the path of Alopecia Areata and everyone's case is slightly different. If I go back in hindsight, I recall my eyebrows and lashes thinning and thinning and my hair seemed thinner too. I had not ever needed to shave my legs but if I recall - my body hair was thinning. I just didn't notice. Then the bald spots on my head started and I quickly went to AU.

That's my story.

My father on the other hand - as a teen, lost all the hair on his legs. That's it. Everything else about him is normal. He has male pattern baldness but no other signs of alopecia. Strange. You'd think it would have spread or something or the hair on legs would return.

So, I do believe it's hard to predict. You may indeed experience alopecia in the future - but you may not. And if alopecia does materialize, you can't predict its pattern.
Permalink Reply by Tallgirl on March 8, 2011 at 1:07pm
When I had it, temporarily, it came quietly. I was busy teaching (in a wig) for 6 months, then one day looked down and noticed my arm hair was gone. Then I discovered it was going elsewhere. So, yes, AU can sneak up on you.
Permalink Reply by Mike H on March 8, 2011 at 2:17pm
Hm, I guess what I should really ask is, did you guys have bald spots on your head/eyebrows/wherever when the AU started? And once you noticed you were losing your hair, how long did it take for it to go?
Permalink Reply by Tallgirl on March 8, 2011 at 2:44pm
Massive head hair fell out Nov-Jan first. All head hair fell out. But I had had AA off and on since age 10, and this was about age 41.
Permalink Reply by Tuesday on March 8, 2011 at 3:13pm
I'm sorry - I wish I could give specific details. I think my hair/body hair was thinning for a good 5 months before I noticed. Then in span of about 6-8 weeks, the shedding seemed to heighten and about 80 of hair fell out.
Permalink Reply by Chentil Changing on March 8, 2011 at 4:45pm
hi mike i was diagnosed with au last year. my hair started thinning out just on my head, then fell out in clumps, and then i had no hair. AFter that my other body hair started to go. It has been almost a year since this started and now my eyebrows and eyelashes are starting to fall out. So i know how you feel bc with my wig it wasnt so bad but now you can tell theres something different about me. I would say that you also have AU just in the beginning stages and honestly I dont know what kind of medicinal advice to give bc i am also stuck. ive been to the dermatologist and doctors and they have never seen a case like mine. if i find out anything i will let you know & hopefully vice versa!
Permalink Reply by Mike H on March 8, 2011 at 4:54pm
Man, I was really hoping people would say this doesn't sound like AU :-/ Everyone seems to think my scenario sounds like AU though huh?

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