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What do you consider female pattern baldness?
What do you consider your female pattern baldness? Is it a disease? A condition? A genetic abnormality? A cosmetic inconvenience? A simple fact of life?
I am struggling to decide how I view it. On one hand, for those of us with androgenic alopecia, I am not sure our hair loss can qualify as a disease. We have female pattern balding, and as much as it sucks, is it an illness? I would never consider a balding man to be sick. So is a balding woman ill?
And in thinking about it further, since our hair loss is essentially a genetic condition, is it even accurate to view it as a situation to be modified or corrected? Or is it just a part of who we are… a way of being to be reconciled along with all of our other genetically-based traits?
I believe that most genetic traits - like eye color, body shape, skin color, height, etc. are not “conditions” or “diseases” to be corrected. They are what makes us each unique, and beyond that they are completely outside of our control. I thought I believed that genetic traits should not be rejected or lamented. But then again, hair loss is a genetic condition, and I most definitely lament mine. And of course there are genetic conditions like cystic fibrosis or sickle cell anemia that are considered diseases, and rightfully mourned and controlled. So where does female androgenic alopecia fit in?
I don’t know if this is “politically correct” to admit, but sometimes I find myself having feelings of jealousy for those of you with other types of alopecia, because your hair loss is so clearly a biological, medical condition. You can look to your autoimmune system as the culprit. A doctor hands you a diagnosis, your condition shows up in medical journals, your alopecia is so legit. I image somehow that it might be easier to explain and come to terms with my own hair loss if it was overtly a medical condition. Maybe that is an unfair to feel, and maybe I am totally out of line, but somehow I think it might be easier to have autoimmune hair loss over hormonal and genetic hair loss.
I guess I am still feeling like my hair loss is a genetic defect. I feel sad and depressed when I think about what it is and why I have it, as though somehow deep inside myself at the most basic level am defective or abnormal.
So, I welcome your thoughts on the subject. How do you define your hair loss to yourself? Also, how do you explain it to others?
Especially for those of you with androgenic alopecia (female pattern balding), what are others' reactions to your diagnosis?
I am struggling to decide how I view it. On one hand, for those of us with androgenic alopecia, I am not sure our hair loss can qualify as a disease. We have female pattern balding, and as much as it sucks, is it an illness? I would never consider a balding man to be sick. So is a balding woman ill?
And in thinking about it further, since our hair loss is essentially a genetic condition, is it even accurate to view it as a situation to be modified or corrected? Or is it just a part of who we are… a way of being to be reconciled along with all of our other genetically-based traits?
I believe that most genetic traits - like eye color, body shape, skin color, height, etc. are not “conditions” or “diseases” to be corrected. They are what makes us each unique, and beyond that they are completely outside of our control. I thought I believed that genetic traits should not be rejected or lamented. But then again, hair loss is a genetic condition, and I most definitely lament mine. And of course there are genetic conditions like cystic fibrosis or sickle cell anemia that are considered diseases, and rightfully mourned and controlled. So where does female androgenic alopecia fit in?
I don’t know if this is “politically correct” to admit, but sometimes I find myself having feelings of jealousy for those of you with other types of alopecia, because your hair loss is so clearly a biological, medical condition. You can look to your autoimmune system as the culprit. A doctor hands you a diagnosis, your condition shows up in medical journals, your alopecia is so legit. I image somehow that it might be easier to explain and come to terms with my own hair loss if it was overtly a medical condition. Maybe that is an unfair to feel, and maybe I am totally out of line, but somehow I think it might be easier to have autoimmune hair loss over hormonal and genetic hair loss.
I guess I am still feeling like my hair loss is a genetic defect. I feel sad and depressed when I think about what it is and why I have it, as though somehow deep inside myself at the most basic level am defective or abnormal.
So, I welcome your thoughts on the subject. How do you define your hair loss to yourself? Also, how do you explain it to others?
Especially for those of you with androgenic alopecia (female pattern balding), what are others' reactions to your diagnosis?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Lexi on
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I guess it is a curse...or "our cross to bear"...but never feel like you would rather it be a true health related issue. Thank God every day for your health, even tho the shedding continues. I just explain it as...I am losing my hair more and more daily...they really don't "get it"..no one does until it is YOU. My derm told me to stay away from Pantene shampoo, for whateve that is worth, and the shampoo to use is Head N Shoulders...I guess on the premise that at least trying to keep your scalp as healthy as you can ..can't hurt.
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Permalink Reply by LA on
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Hello,
The hair loss was new and out of nowhere, but other similar issues like acne, for example, I have been treating since I was 12 (I'm 39 now). I have done a lot of reading of research articles and have come to the conclusion that I have some sort of chromosomal defect that causes my body to react incorrectly to normal amounts of male hormone. It's all very technical and without an endocrinologist who is willing to buy into this, I'll never know. A gynecologist thought I was onto something though. Very frustrating, in the sense that, if I knew, maybe something could be done!
So I guess to answer your question, I define it as a chronic medical condition or maybe a birth defect. I can reduce the symptoms by messing around with my hormones and that the hormonal treatments work, confirms for me that something is wrong there and this has helped me to have more acceptance. It's something I was born with and it's real, despite my mother's insistence that it's stress! grumble grumble
I really can't explain it to people. Like Lexi commented, they just don't get it. My scalp hurts and stings and my hair is always everywhere, so I rarely get to forget about it, which seems to be the hardest thing to get people to understand.
For me getting to the bottom of the cause (or as close as I can without being an endocrinologist) has been my way to cope. While it may be a defect, I have some answers and this makes me feel better. -
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Yes, why does the medical field always relate everything to "stress"?? Goodness, I am not THAT stressed!!! Yes, don't we all identify with the "hair everywhere" syndrome...so tiring. My dr. recommended me to use testosterone patches, and that freaked me out. I would be scared to death to try that, and not only that, but, hey doc, is that free??? I think not. Too costly for me to even try without a guarantee. And why testosterone? Do I wish to grow hair on my chest and back..or my chin?? No. I would think estrogen rather than. But who am I? Neither one I could afford. So I deal and cope. I was thinking thyroid, and finally, my numbers went up, so he put me on Levoxyl....I have been taking it now for 3 months, and no stop to the shedding, no regrowth of hair. I will give the thyroid meds a year and see what happens. I can only pray for hair to grow. But more so, pray for just good health in general is more important than hair. After the year, I will not want to take the Levoxyl anymore. It is a real drag..first thing in the a.m. with a wonderful large glass of water...yuck...then hang around for 30 minutes before I can eat breakfast !! Breakfast is what I get out of bed for !! So I sit on this computer always searching for wigs. I have bought so many, and once I buy them, think they are just not "right" and don't really make me happy.
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