My acne got pretty bad. It's getting better now with the birth control and spironolactone (anti-androgen). They say these meds will help my hair shedding as well. We'll see.... I'm giving the meds until the end of the year. If nothing's changed, I think I'm going to just let my body do what it wants to do. If I loose all my hair, I'll get a great wig!

yeah i use to drive, but i gave it up in january. sometimes i miss it and there are time where i dont. i hope all is well have fun,
hugs and kisses

Dawn,

The derm put me back on birth control (trying to get off in the first place is what started all of this) and on spironolactone. The birth control lowers free testosterone and the spironolactone blocks the androgens (at least this is my understanding). I've never had hormonal problems like this before. Not when I came off the pill for the two pregnancies or during pregnancy - maybe because I was younger?? Well, the meds have until the end of the year to work or I'm done with them, hair or no hair!!

Thank you for the warm welcome.

DAWN HOPE YOU ARE OK ?

Hello Dawn,
Thanks for the welcome! I will be on the lookout for someone in your area to help you out with hair, should you desire. Otherwise, should you ever feel like bringing your son to Disney in Orlando, remember that we are a quick hour drive away!

Wow Dawn, you look really young, I thought you were in your early twenties. I will keep you in my prayers concerning the heart condition. You, like most of us Alopecian women, are beautiful, stay blessed!

Hi Dawn!
I hope I am responding to you in the correct spot. I am looking at this on my phone, so some webpages don't format correctly on my phone. Ah, who am I kidding: I just can't figure out some of these things on my phone!
Thanks for the welcome!
I wanted to let you know where I get my wigs ... I have a friend who is a hairdresser ... and she has alopecia! A client to my husband ... I think 8 years ago ... introduced me to her hairdresser who had recently developed alopecia.
She orders wigs for herself and me and anyone else she meets who loses their hair due to alopecia or chemo and just charges her cosmetologist rate, which really helps since these things can be way overpriced.
I must say, my hair did not stick around long enough for me to try out the partial-type wigs.
For years we were ordering Revlon / Tressallure / and I think there's another similar line wigs. These were synthetic wigs, and although the hair is amazingly real when you first buy it, the fibers seem to dry out and mat up and it looks rather gnarly. For me, I was needing to reorder every 6 weeks or so ... and they would run about $90 + I paid for my friend to style it. I also discovered that buying longer haired wigs worked better for me ... as the ends got a matted / split-ends-outta-control look, My friend wowuld trim off the bottoms and I would have like renewed hair for a few more weeks.
A coworker to my friend also orders hairpieces, but she does have hair ... it's just really really thin. She has tried some of the partial type wig things. Some of them look like a wig that you pull your hair thru and it blends with your hair ... it looks nice on this girl, but I wonder how much of it is due to her years of doing hair?
Thing is: those wigs are ITCHY!! I found it helped to order wigs that have a lot of the monofilament cap to it for a scalp-look.

years ago, I had Noriko wigs ... those were nice, but the hairline/realistic looking scalp/part wasn't on the ones I had purchased through a salon in burbank. (a referral from a friend's-friend).

I just started ordering a custom wig thru my friend. I don't know what it would retail at, but I LOVE having human hair. This one I got in December, and I just placed an order -because it takes 3 months to process- but the hairs look nice, it's just shedding. I joke that my wig has alopecia.
This newer custom wig thing has a cap that is way more comfortable (not that horrid lacy-itchy-cap), and although I think it's supposed to use wig tape, I found it actually sits pretty securely on my head. The tape is messy and sorta gross. I only use it IF I think to, for Legoland trips, etc.
So this company that I ordered my wig from is called 'New Concepts Hair Goods, Inc'. From looking at their catalog, looks like (for you, since you have very thinning hair?) they offer a 'micro-link attachment system' and stuff to achieve 'partial integration' and this looks cool: called a 'Seamless Hair Extension System' for thinning hair ...
But if you've already seen all that, I'm sorry to be repetitious...

Hi Dawn! So sorry I haven't replied to you before now. I have been out of town. Thanks for your reply and I admire your strength in not letting this control your life:) I have a girl here in Memphis who is wonderful with wigs, hairpieces, etc. I have a hairpiece that I pull my hair through and it looks soooo natural. I have a friend with universalis so she wears a full wig and it's natural hair. I would be glad to get in touch with either or both of them. I know you would be pleased.

Thank you Dawn! Jillian

Hi dawn thanks for the welcome, how long have you been here?

Thanks Dawn for the welcome, it means alot to know that someone was so willing to click on respond especially me not putting alot of information about me and my situaion orginally. Thanks, again

Hi Dawn,
I did a little work in the Waynesville vicinity a few years ago. I was on my way to a drill site when I had an interesting encounter. If you are coming from Brunswick and turn left in metropolitan Waynesville, at the school, then bear right at the fork, you come to a long, straight section of the road. One day, while driving on that section, I notice an armadillo waddling across the road toward Little Satilla Swamp. As I watched, the biggest gator that I have ever seen charges out of the swamp and grabs the armadillo! I watch with my mouth hanging open as the gator, with his head at an upward angle, crunches on the 'possum-on-the-half-shell. As I got closer to the alligator, he took his prey into the swamp. I will never forget Waynesville for as long as I live. I met some nice folks there. I did a little research and found out that it was a really happening town about 200 years ago - one of the oldest in the nation.

oh wow! yea summerville is only a little ways from here. its a small world... too bad more people dont know of alopecia around here.

That is a darn good question, Dawn. I used to work for the GA Geologic Survey as an Advanced Geologist. We drilled into the Floridan aquifer collecting cuttings every five feet to log the geology and identify the aquifers. We ran a ten mile long seismic line through that area and the information from the well was used to interpret the seismic data. By doing this, we learn how to manage water use from the Floridan aquifer, identify other viable aquifers, and hopefully avoid a law suit from Florida and South Carolina. The drillers and I ate a lot of lunches at the Nahunta Dairy Queen.

Thanks!
St. Cloud is by Kissimmee/Orlando area..
Thanks for the welcoming!
How are you?

Thank you Dawn for the welcome. I am so happy to have found all of you.

DAWN HOW ARE YA? HAVENT HEARD FROM YOU IN A WHILE IM JUST CHECKING UP ON YA TO SEE HOW YOU ARE. i HOPE ALL IS WELL

Dawn,

I was glad to hear your shedding slowed down and am sorry it didn't last. Mine stopped for about 10 days and started again today - not terrible but definitely over the 100 hairs we are suppose to lose. I had to abandon the spironolactone I told you about. I just couldn't handle the side effects; mainly dehydration. I was always thirsty and could not sleep through the night anymore for the bathroom trips. I figure sleep is more important than hair! Hopefully, the acne won't get worse as it gets out of my system. Have you ever had a workup for PCOS? Some of the symptoms are oily skin, acne and hairloss. It may be worth checking it out. I'm seeing an endocrinologist next month for the workup.

As far as hairpieces - I actually tried on a clip on topper today. I REALLY liked it. It was human hair and could have easily been cut to fit my style (or what my style should be!). I didn't purchase it because it was $675. I don't think my husband would have liked the price on that one!! I have a ton of baby hair and with the recent slow down in shedding I'm going to try and wait a little longer.

Well, I didn't like the anti-androgen after three months anyways. I gave it a fair shot but just didn't 'feel good' on it. After being off a few days, I feel much better. So, hair or not, I guess it's worth it. I'm definitely suspect of PCOS. I will say though, the birth control pill after a few months greatly helped with the oily skin and acne. How long ago did you start the pill? After I started, my shedding seemed normal after a month. At about two months, I noticed a big increase in shedding which has gradually slowed down. Some women experience telogen effluvium from starting the pill, but more commonly diffuse shedding from stopping. Maybe that explains what's been going on with you lately? I think this would all be easier with an explanation/diagnosis. At least you could tell people what you have. Keep your chin up and keep looking for a hairpiece if you think you need one. I didn't purchase one but I found it at a hair salon in Houston called Shear Attitude. It was a human hair clip on topper but VERY expensive. WE ARE NOT OUR HAIR!!!!

Thanks so much Dawn.

Thank y ou for your welcome... I apprecite it.. Everyone on here seems to be so nice and welcoming... Ilook forward to talking with you more...

How are you doing, Dawn? Any better? I sure hope so. I've been in the dumps lately too. I'm trying to pick myself up though! Hope all is well.

No, I didn't get the topper. I was told the clips can pull out your existing hair. And I'm not at the point where I think this might not end. When/if I get there, who cares if the clips pull your hair out? Have you ever considered just shaving your hair and getting a cute wig? Sometimes I think that would be easier!!! Hope you have a good weekend as well!

Thank you. ^^

thank you dawn for the welcome.

Hi Dawn

Thanks for the welcome.

I can relate to the shedding!

Vicky

hi dawn and thanks for the welcome

Also, I was just reading your blog post and I just wanted to say that I have noticed my scalp itches the most when the shedding is at its worst. I also have the acne issues - but then I have PCOS and both the acne and hairloss in my case are related to excess androgens.

Vicky

Hi Dawn!!!Thanks!!!You have to come to Portugal to see my city!! Kisses!!

Weekend was good. We went to two separate parties (very unusual for us) so that was fun. Of course, fixing the hair was NOT fun like it used to be. I just cut my hair in a bob, too. I'm probably going to go even shorter at the next cut. I am just tired of the long strands everywhere. No, we weren't affected by Gustav and hopefully we won't get Ike either. We evacuated with Rita a few years back and it was HORRIBLE. My kids were 1 and 3 at the time and you can imagine how fun that was! Hope you had a good weekend...

Glad to hear you had a good weekend!!!
I bet your hair is cute in a bob. Mine also keeps getting shorter and shorter too. I know what you mean about the long hairs. I have been finding them in my dryer vent, vacuum, and drain like crazy. I have been tempted to cut it real short and get a hair piece. I haven't gotten that brave yet but I am feeling braver and braver every day. Oh, about the topper, will the clips cause further hair loss. What if you rotate the clips? Will that work? Have you heard of microlinks? I was looking at a site and they do hair integrations and attach them with microlinks. This place that did them were in Toronto and I can't seem to find a place around here that attaches with that method. I bet, Houston being a larger city, you could find someone around there.
I

I think you can rotate the clips and that should help. But the one I tried on pulled out some hair just taking the clips off. Haven't heard of microlinks; I'll check it out. I really do have enough hair to get by with right now, especially if I go shorter too. My problem is that my hairline is thinning and I think it is slowly receding too. I guess it's bangs next. I am so ready to be bigger than this and shave it. I guess that will come when I don't have enough hair left...

Thanks for the welcome! I'm really happy to have found this site and getting to know people :)

Thanks for the welcome Dawn!!!

It is great to meet people like you with the same medical issue. This is very encouraging.

Esther

Hey

It definitely sounds like you have hormonal issues - what you describe is very similar to the PCOS symptoms I have, except I also have issues with my weight and the way my body deals with sugar.

If you are interested in more information, then you might want to check out SoulCysters - if you haven't already heard of it. It is a great forum for women with or suspecting they suffer from PCOS and might be useful for you.

Vicky

Hey Dawn! I actually got my wig off e-bay. You can go to the search and type in Human Hair Wigs and it will pull up alot of different looking wigs. After shipping and handling my cost a little over 100 $. Which isn't that bad for a wig. I hope to hear back from you.
Katie

Hey there Dawn, how are you? very nice to hear from you :o)

Thanks for the nice comment
I've been painting for 25 years & I love it!!!

Thanks for the greeting! I'm glad to be a member.

Eileen

Hi Dawn
Thanks for the welcome

Linda

Thank you for the welcome :)

well I am a total dork, I posted my reply to MY page lol. OOPS. Anyways, I just said that this is a wig, I went to a local shop and got it. One of these days I will have to post a pic of my natural style :o)

Hi how are u and Thank you for the welcome ; )

Thanks Dawn. We took a direct hit with the eye only a few miles from our house. While the devastation around us is very sad, our family was very fortunate. Our home didn't sustain any significant damage and we are all safe! I don't think I'll ever ride out another hurricane even though the 'officials' didn't say we were in a mandatory evacuation zone. It's just too dangerous. We just got our power back this evening after losing it at 8pm on Friday. Slowly life will return to normal. Take care.

Hi Dawn! We are very close to Kennebunkport.....in fact that is where I got married this past May! It is like 20 to 30 minutes away! We would love to have you come in for a consultation. How long are you planning on staying for your visit? Cost is hard to determine depending on what base materials we use, type of hair, length of hair, etc. the price can vary any where from $350.00 to 1,600.00 (that includes all the styling that needs to be done to the hair and also care products.) Many insurance companies offer cover for cranial prosthesis and that is something we could help you with as we file insurance claims for our clients. Let me know if you have any questions and feel free to give us a call at the office 207-571-3277 with any questions or to schedule a free consultation with us. In addition any one who I refer from this site gets 20% off the cost of the hair system.

Sadly with big hair chain companies they only give you the options that work best for them to make as much money as possibly. We have heard absolutely terrible horror stories from clients who go to those places. You have so many options with hair replacement but they only want to give you the option which locks you into having to come to see them and pay for the hair to be re-bonded(glued) monthly. Where it was your first time with a hair replacement they should have offered you more. We have used several integration pieces for clients and had a lot of success with them. The systems we’ve used have much bigger holes …..using your reference with the size of a pencil eraser I would say the holes in our systems are more like 3 erasers put together….which allows for hair to be pulled through easily. Also we would never start you off by bonding your hair. We would use clips which are extremely secure and would give you options and also let you get comfortable with wearing hair without permanently gluing it to you head. There are so many options! : )

Hi Dawn
Ive not been on here for a long time but I noticed you sent me a message, so sorry I did not reply but pc was seriously ill (hee hee).
Anyway Ive no idea how to retrieve the message so hello and message me another time if you get the chance.
Val

Thanks Dawn! I'm really happy to have found AW!

I am glad - well not glad, but you know what I mean - that it's not just me because everyone says how in FPB you only lose from the top, but I defnitely seem to lose more hair than I would expect from the sides. I know because I will get an itch and scratch the side of my head a clump of like 5-10 hairs will come out at a time, all from the same spot and this happens on a daily basis.