hi guys! see that image there with the three girls, im sooo the one on the bottom center. glad this group exists so specifically. love to hear about how you guys work with your fpb.

Hi Emily

Hmmm it's hard for me to say which one I am - suffice to say I have lost half my hair.

Does anyone seem to lose on the sides a bit as well or are you all only losing on the top of the head? I wonder whether what I am losing on the sides is just normal hairloss.

I have gone through a whole range of coping strategies - from cutting hair shorter and dying it to shaving my head to wearing a wig and finally to wearing scarves. I am most likely to go back to wig wearing in the longer term as I want 'hair' so I can look the way I want to.

Vicky

i do know a woman who lost her hair, it just started vanishing above her ears and her hairline at her nape sort of disappeared. i dont know either if its considered fpb. at this point, i think any woman who has had to not have hair, not by choice is a sister of mine. im trying to "choose" not having hair instead of it just "happening" to me. its a practice i have not perfected. one day at a time....

hmmm...
at the moment, i really feel so bad,
and the "lack of hair" on top of my head´s getting more-and-more
visible.. doesn´t help to comb my longer front-to-ponytail-hair above it to cover.. it just looks and feels messy.. help needed..
should i really cut it?

sylvia

Well ladies, my biopsy results show no AGA or TE; only alot of hairs in the growing phase. My derm says the telogen effluvium is resolving. However, I'm a skeptic. I still lose what seems like too much hair to me. I guess I'll keep my fingers crossed and 'wait and see'. My endocrinologist also did not find anything either. I'm still going to remain in this group though even if my hair doesn't come back. My mother-in-law has FPB and I have a greater appreciation for hair loss now.

I meant 'even if my hair does come back'

Laurie, how do they take a biopsy? Did you go to a dermatologist for that? I don't have an official diagnosis yet, so I guess I'll try to make an appointment before the end of the year.

Vicky, like you, I think I'm starting to lose some hair on the sides, too.

Have any of you experienced hair loss elsewhere? I used to have a lot of hair on my arms but it vanished almost overnight years ago; however, I wasn't concerned about it. As a female, hairy arms isn't exactly a desireable trait! I stopped shaving my legs in my 30's because I no longer needed to. Anyway, I was wondering if this is normal for FPB or unrelated or does it indicate that my hairloss is something other than FPB?

Hi CSue, i have also found over the yers that my hair has thinned out on the sides to, enough to see scalp quite clearly now, but as you know by now i chopped the whole lot off just yesturday. hubby hadnt seen my head untill an hour ago, i was worried how he would feel about it, but i need'nt have, he was fine and is very very supportive thankfully.

Sue, they actually numb an area on your scalp and cut out a small piece. The 'cutting tool' is kind of like a cookie cutter about the size of a pencil eraser or possibly even smaller. You really don't feel a thing. They send of the biopsy and you get the results a little over a week later.

As far as the body hair, my Mom (age 58) has noticed less hair over the years. She hardly ever shaves her legs anymore. Maybe one of the benefits of getting older! She does have thinner (maybe thinning) hair than she used to, but she also has no bald spots either - maybe just a small amount of scalp showing at the crown. It's so slight it could just be a cowlick. She is also a diabetic like you and probably does not control it too well as she is overweight. Hope this helps.

hi, folks..
i am completely new to here..
before i got my head shaved,
a few days ago, my head looked a bit
like the "black-and-white"-picture,
on the group-front-page..
i do hope, i find nice and interesting
people here...

hannah

Hi, Hannah!
I hope you find your support on here. Good on ya for shaving your head- sometimes wish I had the guts to do that!!
Have a good week. xxx

Hey all!
I, too, have FPB according to my dermatologist and trichologist and it sucks because I'm still really young. I thought this crap was supposed to begin (if it has to begin at all!) as the woman gets older, not when she hasn't even hit her 20th birthday. Ugh! I'm trying to be optimistic about it, looking at different wigs and scarves, but more than anything I wish my own hair would stay with me.
Just a couple of questions for those who are pretty well-versed in FPB.
1) Can it lead to AU?
2) How can I be 100% sure it's FPB and not Tellogen Effluvium? I did have very low iron... I was boarderline anemic! (And possibly a little too hopeful.) =P
3) I have overall thinning. I don't have patches like in AA, but rather the hair all over my head has gotten thinner over the years. If you separate my hair you can see through to my scalp. (It's annoying because I used to have the thickest bush of hair anybody had ever seen. You'd have to take a weedwacker to it in order to see any scalp.)
Any answers would be great! Thanks!

Alexandra, have your doctor check your thyroid if he hasn't already. Low thyroid causes overall thinning; whereas, FPB is predominately on the top of the head similiar to male pattern baldness.

He did check my thyroid through blood tests and the results came back fine, he said. I'm so confused!

I'm sick of watching my hair slowly fall out day by day, I'm nauseated by my mother's constant questions, I'm sick of dealing with hair loss. I'm saving up for a vacuum wig and I'm shaving it all off. I'm done.

Hello again! I had to step away from this a while ago. I needed to try to get away from any reminders and guess what? I can't. So here I am in hopes that I can find something positive and to have not only myself as the only one going through something that is so traumatic. This pic is over a year old. I thought it was thinned out then! lol. I think this whole thing is driving me nuts. Help!

Hi! You are NOT alone, it is always there, isn't it?! Looking back at old photographs, it's hard to believe that I used to moan about my thick hair because it took too long to brush in the mornings and was full of knots. Now I'd gladly have knotted hair but how can three hairs knot?! ;o) Are you wearing a wig yet? It's a tough first step but you will feel infinitely better, or at least I did. But everyone's different and it might take you longer to get used to the idea and adjust to it. Good luck!!

Hi, I agree with Gemma. A wig is a viable option, one that feels weird at first, but can eventually be a good solution. I finally went to wigs about a year ago after having a topper for two 1/2 years. I really like the wigs! Just yesterday I was at a tanning salon wearing my new wig (with a friend, I was NOT me. I avoid UV rays!) and the girl working there said, "I like your hair. Who cuts it for you?" I said, "Really? You like my hair?" She really did! I told her it was a wig and she was incredulous. If you get the right wig and learn to play around with it, it can look good. I always say that I don't care if it looks REAL, I just care that I look GOOD! Now that I'm into wigs, I think about my hair so little these days. Sometimes, I'm playing with my bangs and forget the hair is not attached to my head. (It is MINE, however. I paid for it!) If you want to know any more about my experirences with wigs, just e-mail me.

Marie, you are so right! I have only been wearing a wig for a couple of months now and I wish I had done it years ago. My co-workers cannot believe how real it looks and feels (and mine is synthetic!). I can't wait to get more - different styles, colours, lengths. I can't believe I actually have a CHOICE of hairstyles now. I haven't had that choice in YEARS. As Marie said, there are definitely wigs out there that you can style and play with, but I am enjoying the "shake and plop" option right now ;) I love the fact that I can be ready to run out the door in seconds and my hair will be fabulous, LOL. ;)

once you have had all the physical checks you can if you catch it early (within first 2-3 years) minoxidil may help.
I tried it for 3 years - nothing. Lazer - 3 years - nothing. Endless pills and other potions.
The best solution in the end after 27 years of trying to find a 'cure' and crying in the mirror has been accepting it and focussing on the best managment option for me to conceal it.
To take advantage of the hair at the sides and back I now have a 9x9" lace hair system with injected lace on the top.
This blends so well with my own hair and hides the see through bit on the top of my head.
I go swimming, gym etc wear my hair up and down - it feels like my own.
It has to be the best option for anyone with advanced FPB.
But don't go to the big names in the hair replacment industry - look for smaller comapanies or go factory direct!!

I'll talk anyone through it.
:)))