Welcome to Alopecia World! This is a great place for great people, so be sure to make your positive presence known. :-) - rj, Co-founder

Welcome.

Roger.

Hi! How are you and Maygen doing today? Sometimes alopecia is harder on the parents than it is on the kids.
I just wanted to say hello and welcome!
LeslieAnn

Oh good, I am so glad you're ordering the book because so many women and girls have told me that it has made all the difference in the world. Please let me know how you both like it, would you? And I would be happy to help in any way I can.
Hugs...

Hi Maygensmom,
Welcome to Alopecia World

Hello maygensmom,
I felt the same way as you did, we have to find a cure, and see as many doctor's as possible. But now I am over the anger and denial, and I am doing whatever I can to be supportive of my daughter. She is five, and seems to dealing with aa better than I am. jessica (amelia's mom)

Hi Maygensmom, I wanted to welcome you to Alopecia World. I can honestly say that we are a great community here and I hope you enjoy the time you spend with us and we look forward to your input. Cheryl, co-founder

hey maygensmom,
I was wondering how you and your daughter were doing? Hope things are well.
Jessica (amelia's mom)

just read your posting. i could cry at how incredible your daughter is. i'll be sure to share this with my 5yr old daughter. take care.

Hi Maygensmom,

I saw your picture featured on the home page so stopping by to say hello! Maygen sounds a like a fabulous young lady. I have AU but my son had AA- about the same loss as your daughter for a number of years. He didn't let it stop him from doing things either and, though I'm sure he would rather have been without it, always had the support of his group of friends as well as family. I'm sure I fretted over it all much more than he did!
I hope you enjoy Alopecia World.
Louise

Sorry it took a while, I don't check in very often. Yes it grew back when I was 16 for a very short time...months. But it fell out again and hasn't really returned since. When it does come in, it happens the same way it fell out...in patches.

Hi!
I,too, have wondered about the possible hormone connection. But, the docs have run tests & nothing shows up.
I do notice that my hair loss is more profound after being pregnant. Of course that's normal, but not in patchy handfulds!!
And, the truly odd thing is, my hair grew like you wouldn't believe during my last pregnancy with my daughter. But, with my 2 boys, my hair didn't grow, at all, even though I had a full head of hair. ODD!

Hi ... yes, I have had a chance to take a look this morning! Thank you so much for sharing. With the cold weather here, I was able to warm up a bit looking at the summer time photos!!! I sent you an email of things here with Christmas. Please take a look at that when you get a chance. Merry Christmas to all of you! Meygon is a special one to have you!
School has a few more days here and its on to the holiday time.
David

I am sorry, I did not spell your daughters name correctly! I apologize! Its Maygen, not Meygon! ugh! I will get it right forever now, promise!

thanks:) just trying to capture the lighter sides. blessings to your family.

I am curious if heredity plays a part in this? Not necessarily from within the immediate family but one, two, or more generations? Both men and women that may be generations apart?

Hey, welcome. I also have a younger daughter who just lost her hair... went from a few bald spots in the summer to completely bald by November. She's a sports kid (volleyball & basketball) as well. We're in Arlington, and Shannon's also here on Alopecia World.

I have done tons of research on wigs. What I was told was that human hair is lots more expensive, and can be a lot more hassle to take care of. We went with synthetic. We tried to find a wig shop locally so we could see the wig on Shannon, but the wig shops only had "Dallas hair" styles (you probably know what I mean) so we took a chance on something from wigs.com and lucked out that it looks really good. We also took it to our hair stylist for a cut-in. (Be sure your stylist is comfortable cutting wigs... they DON'T GROW BACK.) The only drawback *so far* with synthetic is that the longer wigs tend to frazzle (my word) at the ends where they hit the shoulders. I took some advice from someone here on the wigs forum and went at it with a flat iron (on a very low setting) and conditioning spray and an evening in front of the TV and reconditioned it to an extent. We should have bought more than one wig so she wouldn't be wearing the same one day in and day out. Except for the "frazzle", the synthetic looks real, most people can't tell she's wearing a wig, since we closely matched her natural color and got a natural looking style for her not much longer than what she had before it fell out.

I'm about to buy a couple from an odd place for a fraction of what I paid for the first one, and see what they're like. There's apparently a huge community of people who do what they call "cosplay" (costume play) and they're heavily into wigs & styling and I can get a base wig for $40, but I don't know what kind of quality it'll be yet. I'll let you know. ;-) Since I paid about $300 for the one she's wearing, I can tell you I'd rather have several slightly lower quality wigs (so long as they're comfortable & look ok) that we can rotate through than one that we're always desperate to keep looking good and keep clean.

Sounds fun, please let me know if that wig shop works out and has good prices and options for kids! It's hard to find that! Shannon hasn't been in sports so far this school year, with everything that's been going on we hadn't been able to put energy into finding her a volleyball league or coach, but I've found one (I think) for after the holidays, so we're going to figure that out. I bought her a nice sports BeauBeau sports scarf at 4women.com that she really likes, we'll probably see how that works for sports, and maybe get a couple more if it works well. Otherwise we may be figuring out how to make some sort of t-shirt material head wrap thing. She's not really comfortable going without anything yet but won't want to deal with the wig, either.

Hi, my name is Cindy and my almost 7 yr old sounds has a very similar attitude as your daughter regarding her hair loss. She has been wearing a wig for a year now. She also lost all of brows and lashes . It is amazing how embracing some kids are of this condition. My daughter has never cried over losing her hair. I have taken her to several doctors until I found one willing to take more of a risk with her. Now, her hair is growing back slowly. It seems like forever and I have so many emotions, especially when I look at old photos of the first 5 yrs of her life. if you are looking for wigs, I highly recommend the Kids Hair Club. The hair club for men has a kids club. They give 3 free hair replcements a year and 8 free services. My daughter is getting her 2nd wig on Saturday. The hair is great, holds up well and it is easy to care for. I brought old photos before hair loss and they did an amazing job with the color. You can go to www.hairclub.com to get the phone number for the application. They ask no questions, but you need a doctors signature and that is it. My daughter does a lot of sports and has never had an issue with the wig falling off. Cindy

I just walked into the pediatricians office and her doctor signed it. I called ahead that i was coming in with it. The Hair Club requires a doctor signature because they use a medical grade tape. They offer this program for ages 6-17. I know of a girl your daughter's age who has it glued on and there is another girl who just got tape that last 3 days at a time. We take hers off at night because she likes her head to breathe and we are doing a treatment. Sam has regrowth so now alot of the tape is on her hair now. My only suggestion would be to ask for the measured cap and not let them do a mold. We have a cap from a mold now and if you lift the hair up you see her bald head or hair underneath. The measured cap we are getting on Sat and it will come down to above the ears and the hair will look like it comes out of her scalp all around. This will require less tape which I am excited about. Right now the wig is taped around her whole head. You can't tell she has a wig on. The brick picture is the hair club wig and my profile picture is too. Good luck. Once you talk to JOJO and get the paper work call your local club and make an apt. They will tell you it takes 8-10 weeks , but plan for more like 12-14..good luck...

Hello! Thank you for the amazing compliment! The one I'm wearing in my mail picture is from Noriko and the style is called "Reese." I order my wigs from namebrandwigs.com -- I have yet to find another website that has lower prices!!

I haven't run into that problem before; the wigs I've ordered on that sight have only had one size cap. If you daughter already has a wig, take a look on the inside of it. You'll see the way it can be adjusted in the back -- usually with some elastic that can be loosed or tightened. Otherwise, I'm sure if you call them or email them they'll be able to give you detailed instructions on how to measure your daughters head to see what size would suit her. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful! Please let me know if I can answer any other questions for you, though!

That style is beautiful! I've actually been tempted to order it for myself- but I don't have good luck with longer wigs-- I've never really had longer hair, so I have NO idea how to take care of it!! I end up ruining them every time. :)

I am new to this site, my daughter is 8 and she has just been diagnosed with AA. How old was your daughter when hers started? How is she dealing with AA and becoming a teenager?
So far my daughter has not asked any questions, she has 3 spots(one golf ball size in the back and 2 smaller). We keep asking her if she has any questions about what the dr explained and she says nothing. I saw in your photos that Maygen plays sports, my daughter plays Ringette (hockey with a ring). Does Maygen wear her wig with sports or is she comfortable without.
Thanks for listening, it is so much to take in emotionally with learning the news plus all of the things to learn about.

omg! thats horrible!
children don't understand about alopecia!!
i hate the fact that they think that they can make others because they are different..
i went through to same thing when I was her age!
kids all of school teased me and told everyone that i was dying of cancer!
we were very mean you me..
tell her not to pay any mind to them!

<3

Hi there,Just wondering how your daughter made out at the doctor and with ordering a wig.Cindy

Hi! Tak a look at my blog! Today was a great day!

I too started out with alopecia areata but now i have no hair left. I'm only eleven but soon i will be twelve and its really cool to know that there is least one other person like ur duaghter that knows how hard it is to go to something like school and wonder if someone is going to find out that you have no hair left.

Shannon's doing great. She's trying to deal with the wigs & results have been mixed, but around friends & family she more often than not just wears a head wrap now. She has a little "fuzz" on top and what *might* be some fresh growth on the sides, but we're not getting our hopes up just yet. :)

Thanks... These wigs are the best. They suction fit onto your head which makes them perfectly secure. I am lucky too that I have a great stylist that cut my hair. No one ever knows that I have AT.

So far I have not lost any lashes or eyebrows. I have lost at least 90% of the hair on my head. I'm a little worried about what will happen if anything once all the hair on my head is gone. Will this continue on? Will I lose my brows and eyelashes? Your daughter is a beautiful girl. how long has Maygan had Alopecia Areata?

Awwww jeez thank so much. You're soo sweet. You are an attractive woman I might add!

Maygensmom -- That you greatly for your kind welcome comment as I became a member of Alopecia World. The people who are members seem to be great on so many dimensions, including the effort taken to provide high quality photos of real life activities and circumstances. Best Wishes, Gordon.

I think your daughter is a very pretty girl!!
Well I live near Toronto and today the temperature was about 0 celcius which is about 32 degrees feirenheit...and that's pretty warm for this time of year. I'd love it to be in the 60s or 70s that would be amazing for us right now.

I used to like playing sports. I played soccer most of my life. I earned many awards, but I haven't played in a few years now. I joined a gym 4 months ago and I go several times per week now. I had to get back into shape after being in Greece for almost a month (my profile pic is me in Greece. I took it standing in a little village where I own property). The food I consumed there everyday was enough for 3 days :-) Now I guess I like photography as well. I'm also taking a soap stone carving class and soon a body casting class as well. I'm not really artistic, I don't think, but I'm trying to mold myself into being artistic...no pun intended. I like listening to music and I like singing but I'm a lousy singer. But sometimes I like hanging out and doing nothing...read, watch tv, or just be with the ones I love.

Hi Mom,

Hope all is well with you.

Jeff

thanks so much for that incredibly positive and inspiring message! i may have to save that one to refer back to in the future. you and your daughter sound like amazing people. i have def been trying to take the same approach with Paige. Overall, she's been ok, just a few bad days here and there. she isn't really ready to take off her hat yet at school. i'll leave it up to her. anyway, thanks again and by the way, Maygen is beautiful.

Thank you so much for the welcome! I viewed your pictures and Maygen is just gorgeous! Genevieve still has quite a bit of hair, and I can cover the spots with her remaining hair. I'm not sure where the hair is going though. I'm not really finding large amounts on her pillow or in the bath. Yet, her spots continue to grow in size. Where is this stuff?! I'm really trying to take the same positive approach to all this that you and your daughter have taken. You are both obviously very strong people and an inspiration. God bless y'all!

hey maygensmom.
i´m really sorry for your daughter but she can be happy to have a mum that cares so much.
thank you for the greets. its a bit crazy that i can speak about au so naturally with people from the other side of the world but not with my familiy. have an nice weekend indira

yes, you look younger than me...unless I wear my barney shirt then I think I beat you. Shawn

Pearland is about 300 miles from Dallas. We have friends and family in that area and it generally takes us about 4 1/2, 5hrs. to get there. Pearland is just south of Houston, so we are pretty far down here. Thanks for the compliment on my kids--I think they are pretty cute myself, but I'm the mama so.....................:)

I've been @ 90% for almost a year now. I have had no regrowth. I believe by summer it will all be gone. With what little I have left, I have developed a ton of tiny spots. I just keep praying that it stays just on my head. Do ya'll go to the NAAF conference? I have never been, I really want to go this year to meet people who expereience this on a daily basis. Now that your daughter is a little older do you think stress plays any role in the hair loss? I was wondering because, I was really sick in December I ended up with Pnumonia. As I was getting better. The last spot of solid hair that grows filled with tiny spots. For me stressful events seem to help the hair loss along. Well God Bless! I look forward to your response :o)

Thanks for the birthday wishes!
Others' lives sound so interesting but more often than not they are just like our own. I've only been to Greece once and that was to visit family and register that property. It is an amazing place and i had fun but i also learned a lot as well. I had to actually think about it when you asked me what I like to do; and yet I didn't even mention some of the things I like best.......like gardening. I like vegetable gardening the most. There is something about tilling the ground and planting seedlings that I enjoy. I enjoy watering the plants and watching them grow. The fruit or vegetables that they produce are the icing on the cake because i enjoy nurturing the plants through the growth stage the best. I also like hiking. I like hiking through forests most of all: Especially deciduous forests in the autumn. At that time the silence of the forest is broken by the crunching of the leaves bineath my feet and the smell released by the decaying leaves is relaxing and therapeutic to me.
Remind your daughter that she is beautiful and she can do anything she wishes. The only thing stopping her is herself. And although I'm sure you would do anything to be able to take her condition away just don't forget that there is another child that needs just as much love and attention...your son. But it sounds like you try as best you can! God bless you for helping those in need.

I appreciate your sharing Maygen's story. It's a constant battle, & I'm trying to prepare myself for the long haul. It's nice to see Maygen so involved in activites & sports & surrounded by a good support group. We have been fortunate to find people are very compassionate & curious about what's going on more so that saying unkind words. I find sometimes kids say something and it just comes across unkind not understanding that it's the way it was said vs. what was said.
Thanks for the kind words about Kendall. We think she looks great w/ or w/o hair too. However, we do really want her to have hair...obviously! :)
Please keep me posted w/ results from the steroid pills. I wish y'all much success!

Thanks for your comments on my page. Your daughter is a beautiful girl and from her own page seems so positive and involved in all things a 13 year old girl should be. As a junior high teacher it warms my heart to see such a well adjusted, happy girl who when faced with unexpected challenges looks for the positive and makes a conscious effort to grow (hair, spiritually, emotionally). I am impressed with you both. God bless.

Bald Girls Rock,
Jenn

thanks yea pretty much all i do now a days is mud break stuff on my trucks and fix them so i can mud some more lol. its fun. yea im pretty much over looking for a relationship but if i did find a girl who liked muddin and bald guys that would be awsome