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.
:)))

Hi everybody, I am new to alopecia world, but I hope to make friends here, blend in and give hope as well as share with other people who has the same condition like me the feelings I have had for years that no one could possibly understand except those who has suffered from FPB. I have had this condition since I was a teenager and it ruined the best years of my life. I was always the "bald" girl, I missed the chances of having boyfriends, and even of getting married. I live in a community which is ruthless when it comes to stuff like this, they are not so broad minded, being from a third world country and having FPB is not such a good thing. Then I started wearing wigs, even this is such a shame in my country that I have suffered a lot from co-workers who chose to use such a thing against me, to torment me and talk about me from behind my back. But from all of this I learned to be stronger, and now I am proud to say that YES I have FPB and YES I am wearing wigs, it is something that God has chosen to give me to test me and I am thankful that it is just my hair and nothing else, I am glad I still have my sight and all my limps :)
And guys wigs are not such a bad thing, some of them look very real. I order my wigs online and I am obssesed, I buy all kinds of styles, but I always stick to my natural colour. Try these sites www.clairhair.com and www.hairsisters.com and www.gmbshair.com and look under Lace Front Wigs, they are the best ... especially Freetress and Janet Collection they are good quality and affordable.
And by the way Rogaine does not work, you have to use all everyday non stop and the minute you stop, you lose all the hair again.

I continue to see more and more people with this pattern of hair loss at my job, it almost feels like an epidemic! Sometimes I wonder, has this disorder always had such a large number of people afflicted by it and I just did not see it or has this always been the case and I just wasn't looking? Because honestly, when I ride the subway or even walk the streets, I sometimes feel surrounded by it- People suffering from hair loss. What the heck is going on?

Guys, I forgot another site www.internationalwig.com the people there are really very friendly and hopeful.

Hi to all! new the site & group. What are some of you using for attachment? Bonding? Tape? especially the lace fronts.

I am not using anything if I'm going to work, I just tighten the wig a little bit and that's all, I cut the lace so close to the hairline and it's almost invisible. When I know I'm going out in a windy day or when I'm gonna do a lot of activities, I use adhesive, tape doesn't really work for me.

Vanessa HI,
I was really tired of people's look at my bold head, so I just got my first wig to see what will happen, will people know that I'm wearing a wig, will the stares stop? And you know what it did, having very thin hair attracts more attention than wearing a wig, not everybody would stare long enough to figure out that you're wearing one. And now I'm addicted.

Hii! I just joined this community, but I can already tell I will love this site. I was just diagnosed in May and I still look like I have a full head of hair, but I don't. My hair is half the thickness of what it used to be. I don't want to end up with my scalp showing through. I obsess about this. What does everyone use as the best treatment? Can you still style your hair with a wig? Can you wear it up? Can you have sex wearing one?! I'm soo scared of where this will go..

As almost everyone on this site knows, I have become a wig addict. After a couple of years of obsessing and trying unsuccessful treatments, I let my hair go and buzzed it to within 1/2 inch of my scalp. I really wanted to start living again! Now my wigs have surpassed shoes as my favorite accessory. If you purchase a human hair wig, it can be styled with hot rollers, blow dryers, flat irons, etc. But synthetic wigs will get fried by high temperatures. But, most people don't realize that to a certain extent you can actually style a synthetic wig with styling tools. The only rule is to make sure you keep the hair fibers wet and use an adjustable heat flat iron or curler on the lowest heat setting. The easiest way to achieve different styles, however, is to just get multiple wigs! :-) I like to use styling gels, palmade, etc. to achieve messy "bed head" looks occasionally and that's perfectly OK with synthetic wigs. Just get something water based so it comes out easily when you shampoo it. From my experience, you can definitely have sex in a wig (my goodness, I've gone swimming, sailing, and skiing in a wig!). But, I'd recommend one thing: if you still have some hair, sew small "toupee" clips in the very front of the wig and at the the nape. I have done this, and I can honestly say that it's NEVER come off or even shifted during the most "energetic" intimate moments.

Marie,
thank you for that post! You answered so many questions I've had. Where do you get your wigs from? Obviously if/when the time comes that I need one I will try some on somewhere, but do you know of any sites that I can at least look at styles?

I have to chime in with Marie again... wigs are addictive! I have one "good" one (superior quality) and a couple of cheaper ones that are fun. As you can see, my first wig is a very short style. I can't wait to get longer ones that I can play with and feel that much more feminine in! I haven't had long hair for eons and now I can!! I buzz my hair too and it really helps keep the wigs in place - I call it velcro head ;)
Angela, there are plenty of wig websites out there, just google "wigs". Someone on this site directed me to www.wigsupport.com and it's a forum with a plethora of information and discussion on wigs. A lady on there sells wigs and she posts pictures of the actual wigs. I haven't dealt with her yet, but there are is a ton of positive feedback and comments from the people on the site who get their wigs from her. I love the site.
I think someone else posted another wig website/forum that sounds very similar to this and I'm sure there are plenty others out there.
Happy "shopping"!!! :)

Marie... what kind of wig do you have to go swimming in? I need one! :)

Wow! The positive energy is fabulous! I have spent so much time mourning hair loss, but the solution-focussed attitudes here have me feeling so much better. I dance ballroom and latin and had a horrific vision of myself being dipped and my wig falling off! Now I see that when the time comes and a wig is the way to go, I can keep up all my regular activities! Now it's just sorting out all of the other health stuff that seems to accompany this hair loss! Thanks for the information and the positive outlook! Helps wonders!

Tawny -- I just went swimming (actually snorkeling) in just a regular Noriko wig. I wore a "Scuba Do Rag" wit it. http://www.scubadorag.com/cart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_2 I love them; they are very hip and very functional.