I wear both and they do get hot but im used to them. i once worked in a dry cleaners with alot of heat so Im use to the heat from a wig. Wig caps you wear over your hair helps my wigs stay on. You could try like a pretty, polyester scarf to set off an outfit and keep your wig on. I have did that many times. I have actually never went to the beach or swimming so I do not know what ways to keep you hair from getting wet. That could work, but I dont think getting the hair a lil damp, not completely wet, would hurt a wig. We should go wig shopping or something.

It depends on the location. When im in Raleigh at school, I go to the wig store down the street. When im in Salisbury, I go to where my parents take me. lol! Yea, I dont have a car or a license.

lol! Of course I know how to get there. Shopping for hair and weave is almost as fun as shopping for clothes to go to a party. I love Raleigh. Salisbury is a small town and Ive been living there all my life so its good to change up a little bit. I will probably be home in May, since that is when school gets out for us.

Hi Susan, nice to meet you! Thanks for your compliments :-D, I wear the mono-top, petite/ average size Racquel Welch brand of wigs., I've worn them for about 6-8 years. While they are far from the ideal "solution", they suit my needs just fine. Price points are very affordable $300-$550 (No RW wigs should be more than that, otherwise the retailer is simply getting greedy) I always get compliments on how nice my "hair" looks :-D I get the ones that have the high lites and low light colour mixes. My red is R28S and my blonde is R29S. The one I'm wearing in my current profile picture and the blonde hair is style "Masquerade" and the one with the blue scarf is "Eternity". They are synthetic wigs. These wigs are great because along the front of the hand tied, mono -top crown is a clear flexible membrane. It is the perfect spot for clear 2 way tape or wig glue. I usually only secure them with adhesive if I'm traveling or if I'm doing something active (like sports etc). Once its secured I'm good to go. If I don't need it to be that secure I usually just wear a fabric headband (as in my blonde picture). I noticed some one else recommended the "Comfy Grip" gel headband, I tried and didn't like it at all, but that's just my review. Thanks for touching base, if I can help in any other way just ask! Have a great day :-D

well i don't wear it everyday....tends to get a little hot during summer....our summers down here are sweltering!
i mainly just wear it if i have somewhere nice to go... or if i am meeting people for the first time... but if im just around mates.. i feel comfortable without it.

you have the prettiest blue eyes i think iv'e ever seen!

no problemo chickydee...i could keep going.. was gonna say that other picture you had looked like a picture of someone who should be on bold and the beautiful or days of our lives.. i could almost imagine the vasoline around the camera lens haha

HA! Thanks for your compliments! I'm pretty proud of being bald which is weird because it wasn't a choice, but I feel like come on world, if I can handle being a bald woman, I can handle anything! Plus I had a dream last night that Jake Gyllenhal was a security guard and I was walking through this security gate and I took off my wig and threw it at him, and he laughed and thought I was charming and then we went and had coffee by Lake Michigan. Now, I never had amazing dreams like this when I had hair. And I'm serious, I totally had this dream last night. ;) HA!

hey susan! thanks for the welcoming! your from the states too?

Thanks so much! I hope you have a great Easter too! (being the Easter bunny & all, haha) We're almost home, after a full day of traveling we're only 3-4 hours out, so i will be happy to be home, even though i thoroughly enjoyed my trip.

thanks susan.. hope you have a great easter also... im up in townsville visiting my parents... thats in north queensland... (the top pointy bit of australia)
i just arrived today.. staying for a week... so should be nice.... anyways just a quick one.. have a great easter break!

Susan,

I think you're very pretty. I suffered with depression for awhile myself however I've always had alopecia but I can understand where you're coming from. If you ever need some cheering up don't hesitate to message me! How old are your sons? I have three daughters (14, 10 and 7).

keep smiLin :]

Hey Susan! It has been a while...but I'm doing pretty well. We got some flooding in our area & it flooded our basement, but it has all been sucked up & has started to dry out...thats why I'm dreading the rain we're supposed to get today & tomorrow. Also because I'm supposed to go fishing with a friend tomorrow & I don't wanna miss that! =)
How are you doing?

Thank you! I would appreciate all the sunshine I can get here! We need it! haha. By the way i love your page, its so cute, & makes me think of summer, which i am very ready for! =)

Hi Susan.
Im good thanks for asking, how are you? :)
I started with the juice for.. 4 months ago, because some of my friends with alopecia tried it before me, and they hair where on their way back. It thought it didn´t hurt and I'm so glad i tried it! Off course, maybe it isn´t the juice but I think so. Its the only thing I've ever tried which gives my hair back. You found alo vera juice in healthshops. I drink 100 % alo vera juice, 25 ml each day. For me it works and I hope it works for other people to :)

I getcha!! Well, ya know, you should wear something on your head to the beach anyhow cause you don't want to burn your scalp (it really does hurt - for days lol). If you have a hat or bandana on you won't be going scuba diving but can still enjoy the water. As far as shaving your head is concerned that will always be YOUR perrogative, don't let anyone tell you cause you must be ready, it is quite a difference and you'll want a wig as back up incase you really don't like the bald look. I didn't have much of a choice as everything fell out on it's own and I find for myself that the patchy look isn't very becomming (even if you shave the patch you'll still see the dark spot where your hair once was). There are pros to shaving your head though. A wig is so much easier to manage in the morning (you can fix it the night before even and they are workable, I know a lot of wig tips), you will be so much cooler when it's warm out, you'll never have hair blown into your eyes, mouth, etc. The list goes on!!! lol If you have any questions lemme know! take care!

Hey Susan,

How r u

I am good cant complain. Niyah met charlie Villanueva at the meet n greet they had this week. Other than that trying to stay strong for her since she has developed 2 new small spots. I had to change her hair style and have been lucky to let her go natural and it covers the spots. The treatments have been working for her so far so I am keeping the faith it will all work out

Thanks girl! Yes they are resiliant...

Susan, how have you been? Still enjoying Alopecia World? I hope all is well. :-)

Hi Susan, Thanks for adding me as a friend. It is really cool to meet people my same age going through the same thing that I'm going through! I know this can certainly be hard on the self-esteem. It is so helpful to meet others that can help boost us and help us realize that there is so much more to beauty than what grows out of our scalp. You are a beautiful woman and your sons are gorgeous!

He aint my hubby yet!!! 7th june and counting - but yeah - him joining was awesome to me. he has been such an amazing support to me. Dont know what I would do without him.

well its 95% back- but very short (i shaved it all off about a year ago) so on my wedding day ill be sporting a beautiful long wig!!!

Hey Susan!!! It's me Brandy....hope all is going well. Would love to hear from you and see how your doing? The kids??? That part time job??
Must say...I bic'd my head lastnight for the first time and DAMN...is it cold!! LOL!!
Hugs to you!!!

Hi Susan,
Thanks for your compliments on my wig. It is synthetic and was pretty inexpensive, which is funny after all of the money I've spent on custom wigs over the years! I got it at a wig shop, but they also carry it online. The brand name is Rene of Paris, the style is Gillian. I would recommend trying wigs on at a shop if you can find one because they look a lot different on you than on the models. Good luck!

Hi Susan, You asked about what to wear at the beach. I always wear a bandana or some other type of scarf. One of my favorite "beach" looks, especially with longer hair is braids with a bandana. You can get it wet and it still looks really cute. But it depends on your style and if you are comfortable with that look or not. But if I had as much hair as you but was just afraid of scalp showing through when it was wet, i would definitely go for braids and a bandana!
Regarding where I wear my wigs, I usually don't wear them to work out just because I sweat a LOT and I don't like to be that hot. The synthetic wig feels secure on me for most activities but if it is really windy it could possibly blow off...maybe? i don't know. luckily that has never happened! you could definitely wear the wig if you are doing a stationary bike, stair climbers, ellipticals, etc. because it doesn't require you to move your head around a lot. I don't know if it would work as well for yoga or kickboxing, but it might be fine. Anyway, i hope that helps and good luck wig shopping!

Hi again, Susan. My wig only cost about $125. I don't know how long it will last, but it seems good quality and I am happy with it!

My Beautiful Journey



I thought I knew what love was at 16. I thought I knew what love was when I met my husband at 21. I thought I knew what love was when we wed at 24. I thought I knew what love was when I gave birth to our son at 29.

My husband and I were as happy as we could be. It was November of 2006. We just had our first child, our beautiful son Thomas. We had built a beautiful home in Houston, Texas three years prior to having our son and had worked, saved, traveled and enjoyed our lives together. Everything was perfect. Life couldn’t have been better.

One morning as I was putting on my makeup, I noticed my eyebrows were thinning. I assumed it was Telogen Effluvium (post pregnancy hair loss). Over the next few weeks and months I continued to lose hair. Slowly, small and large bald circles appeared all over my head. My husband and I had planned to go on our first ski trip alone, so I put off the Dr. visit until I returned. I could still cover the bald spots and I figured I would wear a cute ski hat most of the time. After returning from our trip I made an appt. with the dermatologist, still assuming my hair loss was Telogen Effluvium. I thought that maybe she could give me some sort of vitamin supplement or something. After all, I had recently given birth and we all know what a toll a pregnancy takes on a woman’s body.

I will NEVER forgot that day I went to the dermatologist. It was life changing. I brought my 7-month-old son with me. Of course, he wanted to get out of his stroller and I had to work hard to keep him occupied as I waited in the waiting room. At this point, I had already lost my eyebrows and eyelashes and only had about 30% of my hair left on my head. I was very self-conscience and feeling depressed and irritated that I had to go through this. I thought to myself, “there are millions of women who have babies, why does my pregnancy hair loss have to be so severe!”

As I waited for my name to be called, people would stare at me and then look at my son with pity in their eyes. I think most assumed I had cancer. I had to get used to feeling self-conscience. This was a new feeling for me. My entire life I was told how beautiful I was. I used to walk into a room and all heads would turn my way. I used to have thick, naturally blonde hair. The type of hair other girls hate you for. I was honored to be the Prom queen in high school and even won a beauty contest, Miss junior Orange Bowl Queen. My sorority sisters would tell me I had Barbie hair. I did have Barbie hair. If I knew then what I know now, I would have appreciated how beautiful my hair was.

I had to get used to people staring at me. That day I learned I had an autoimmune disease called Alopecia Areata. The dermatologist told me there was really nothing I could do about it, and I will probably loose the remaining hair I had left on my head. She said, “It may come back, but then fall out again.” “The course of this disease is unpredictable.” Those words haunted me for a very long time. I left the office holding back my tears with a millions things going through my head. I got to the car, buckled my son into his car seat and completely “lost it”. Over the next weeks and months, I would vacillate from feeling deeply depressed and sad as if someone I loved died, to feeling angry, to being in denial.

I eventually decided to shave my head because I couldn’t bear to see hair in the bathroom drain, on my pillow, on the floor, and on my son’s clothes. My beautiful hair was everywhere as a constant reminder that it wasn’t on my head anymore. I still remember as clear as day sitting in our guest bathtub while my husband shaved my head and our son watched as he sat in his baby Einstein excersaucer, playing with his toys, watching his daddy use this weird thing that makes a buzzing noise. Over the next few days and weeks I avoided mirrors. I couldn’t even bring my son to a mirror to smile back at his own reflection because what I saw when I looked in the mirror was too painful for me to endure. I was all alone a lot during this time. My husband had to work, my family lives in FL and all my friends were working. I would look forward to my son’s naptime so I could cry really hard in private. I never wanted my son to see me upset. Although he was very young, he could still sense if his mommy was sad or upset. I would sing to him, “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray”. I could never get to the end of the song because I would start crying midway through.

My other “sunshine” was my husband. His presence was gentle and calm. I could always sense his strength and concern. He would hold me and just let me cry and sob. His love for me was a shining star during this most difficult time in my life. I am not sure I would have survived if I didn’t have him.

It has been almost 2 years now since I lost my hair. I have full blown Alopecia Universalis. There is not one single strand of hair on my entire body! I have not seen any signs of regrowth and don’t know if I ever will. I am 30 now and now I know what love is. From all of this, I have learned what true love is, I mean deep love, the kind that runs so deep, you know it’s not leaving. The same weekend I shaved my head, my husband shaved his. He told me that if I was going to lose all of my hair, then he didn’t need his either. He has shaved his head ever since.

I have recently learned to embrace my hair loss and have most recently accepted it. I have come to realize it really isn’t that important. How does that song go, “all you need is love.”

Some may look at me and feel sorry for me because maybe they think I have cancer or maybe they just feel sorry for me because I look so different. But I have it all. I have love. The love of myself, my husband, my son, my family and friends keeps me going.

I hope this story will inspire those who don’t feel attractive, have lost their hair, or just have lost focus on what is important.

Love,
Jennifer

Hey Susan,
i just sent you "my story" hoping it may help you in some way. I didn't realize how much space it would take up on your page. I'm sorry about that. I think you can erase it from your page if you want to. Love,
jenn

I want you to know Susan that I felt EXACTLY like you describe. It has taken me almost 2 years to get to this place. I did have to start taking Zoloft because I could not function at all! The Zoloft really helped me to get out of my rut I think. I think watching your hair come out is very hard, that I why I shaved my head. Shaving my head was also very hard, but also was helpful in some ways. I also learned how to wear wigs and got a few that I like to wear. They are short bobs with bangs, like Katie Holmes sort of. But i only wear my wigs when i get dressed up for special occasions, going out to dinner etc. I wear a hat in public when I go out and I just tell myself, "who cares". I really think time has helped me though Susan. i could imagine feeling so at peace as i do now when I was in my deep depression. I literally did not stop crying. It was terrible. That is why I decided to go on the Zoloft. If your Dr. says you don't have alopecia areata, then your hair should eventually stop shedding nd come back, unless you have female pattern baldness that runs in your family. With alopecia areata, our immune system attacks our hair follicles. You hang in there girl! you will get through this, i promise you! It will just take time. Love,Jenn

It was made by Lari Vreeken in Los Angeles. www.larivreeken.com She is amazing.

I was just thinking, have you had your thyroid checked? that can cause severe hairloss. either way, if it is not alopecia areata, it should come back because if the antidepressants caused it, then once you discontinue them, it takes a while for your body to go through the entire hair cycle. do you know how the hair cycle works? how long have you been shedding hair?
You know sometimes when people go on extreme diets and loose weight too quickly, they can loose hair. I am not sure how fast you lost weight, but if that is the reason you lost hair, it will come back too. Maybe you can go try on wigs with your hair. You don't need to cut your hair to try on wigs. When i go swimming which is not very often , I just wear a hat and don't go under water. I do exercise and i wear a hat when i do that because i don't want my wig to get all yucky. I don't work outside the home, but if I did, i know I would wear my wigs. It would actually take alot less time and I actually think I would sort of like as weird as that sounds. I really am used to wearing hats now though. i have been wearing them for almost 2 years and I think it took at least 6-8 months to not get upset when I looked in the mirror. I think I feel better about it all because I know if i wanted to, I could look nice with a wig and makeup ya know. i also figured out how to put fake eyelashes on. But to be honest, my entire hair loss experience made me really focus on my personality. I feel like I am a nicer, kinder person. I feel good about my actions and the way i treat people and i think that improves my self esteem. Does that make sense? You can ask as many questions as you want. I love to help people and i want to help you. :)

one more last thought, could it be androgentic alopecia? now sure i have the correct spelling?

i do go to the gym and i just wear my hat and when i go on vacation, i bring both hats and wigs and play it by ear. keep talking and writing people on alopecia world and you will feel better slowly. tgif! :)

Hi Susan,
You are lovely! I understand how difficult this is -- I've been through it all. I've had au for 20 years!
I wanted to help support other women, so I wrote a book called, "If Your Hair Falls Out, Keep Dancing!" It's for women and it is a great read, with lots of good info and help. If you want to check it out, go to my page. You can click my web site. Would love to help.
Hugs, LeslieAnn

Susan, What can I say to what you have gone through? Except that you need to know that you are beautiful and well dear, I understand that you may not feel that way, and it is difficult to have your hair fall out. I would love to chat though. Get right down to the hart of you and see what makes you smile. I too lost a lot of weight, but am struggling to keep it off. Help, help, help.

Susan, when I said that I wanted to get to the core of what makes you happy, I think that we have a lot in common. If those pictures on your spot are your husband, he looks like such a character. Wonderful.
Today, I have to study accounting (yawn). I want to get through the last five classes for my business degree. I go back and forth between feeling ugly and not so ugly/smart and not so smart. I hope to keep reminding myself its not about looks. Now, if I can only convince the rest of the world while reaching outside myself. Keep smiling.

Susan, Your sons are great and so are you. I have a son that is almost an an adult and a daughter that is an adult. So, you are asking about going to the beach. Of course I have had to deal with that and I do wear a hat or a swim cap. It's the only thing that can be done if I don't want a burnt head. I started wearing wigs because my daughter played soccer and well my head was always getting burned while I was just being a good mom. I was tired of wearing hats all the time. Just having this web page is a wonderful way for us to know that we are not alone. I felt so ashamed for so long, but that has to end because it could ruin my spirit and my love for life. So, I am thankful for those who have reached out to me including you.

As for you, you don't look old enough to have sons that age. I mean that in every complimentary way that there is. Your son is a weightlifter I see. I hate weight training myself.

My children are almost grown. They still do not respect me (teenagers). A couple of years ago, I was told to lose weight or have some serious health problems I started on a journey. It took me a year and a half to loose nearly 90 pounds. I was asked a lot of questions like was it gastric bypass, was it do to illness, was it do to other things? Well, it was a lot of hard work is what it was. That, and knowing that I could have diabetes, heart trouble, and kidney failure. So, now people talk about me still, but they wonder if I am going through mid-life crises. This includes my own daughter. I think that they need to get a grip and stop gossiping. All in all Susan, I just think that you should know that others who are not sensitive to how traumatic loosing your hair is, will talk and keep on talking. We can't change that. However, it is their own insecurity showing through. You are beautiful, you have a wonderful husband, and two sweet sons. So, you encourage me and I'll do the same for you. If you have a bad day, know that there is a crazy friend in WA who can relate to your feelings and want's to help you smile and be yourself. I wan't to help you have the security to say "Get a Life" to those who gossip even if it's under your breath. Always, Danna

Hey, You're gonna help me make three miles right? I'm doing 2.5 at 5.8 MPH, and maybe you can coach me from a distance. I just know that I need all the help I can get as far as getting to the gym. It's tough after a full day of work, I need to drop 10 - 15 lbs to be in the shape I was last summer.

So, I saw what you said about things and well it is such an emotional roller-coaster when you are loosing your hair especially if it was full and thick prior to the start of the hair loss. I just want to really let you know that your feelings are not stupid, nor are they shallow. No one can understand exactly what you are going through unless they have been there. Just remember to always hold your head high, you can always choose which path you will take and not the path of others. What I mean is you can choose to feel ashamed, or you can know that you did nothing to cause your hair loss. Who you are on the inside is the thing that will be remembered by those who matter. Keep smiling and help me keep running 3.0 is the goal.

Okay so your questions are not maddening. I told you that sometimes we would laugh and sometimes just be there to respect one another. So, about this running thing. My wig is human hair. I usually run in a gym only because I suffer from terrible asthma during the spring. The thing is I do 24 hr fitness (the name of the club). No one there gives a care about what I look like, most are too worried about what they look like. I wear a hat, it absorbs the sweat (yuck I know) its all good. Funny thing though with the wig, shower, shampoo what is left, and throw on the wig. Look great. I told you I have some hair growth so it would be too much to just try and be bald. I can tell that you have a great personality. I just hope that I can help you have the confidence to let that part of you shine through this worry that you are going through. Find something to laugh about each day. Whether you chose to shave your head or not is up to you. However, just know that the person you are deep inside should not carry around a burden of feeling ashamed. I am talking as someone who does not want to have half a head of hair. I mean my hair won't all fall out. I have far too little on the top and a little more in the back. I am looking at getting a vacuum wig because I want to go snorkeling sometime. I only ask you for your help with the running because the more people I have in on my fitness journey, the more accountable I can be. Currently I use wig tape and have an Amore wig from Renee of Paris. You can get them on-line.

Hi Susan. So are you saying you dont suffer from Alopecia? After my mom stopped her Cancer treatments she started taking Wellbutrin as well. We applied a lace wig and started treating her hair with a product we found online and her hair started growing almost 2 inches or more per month.

Susan please call us so we may discuss the details we have a few questions and think we may be able to help. 910)6248138/Sam or 253)3349244/Shay

Hey there Susan. How's it going for you?

We haven't chatted for a while. Hope it's not too hot where you are. ~Danna

Hey Girlie!

Thanks for the comment on my blog :) That's too funny that you read it to your husband!! But I completely understand! Sometimes I do it too! Other peoples words work better than my own in explaining this craziness to him!

Thanks for your kind words too!! It always feels good to be told you're beautiful!!! :) Right back at ya btw!!

I HAD to laugh!! You too take pictures of yourself while driving!! LMAO!! I thought I was the ONLY one!! We MUST be soul sisters to have SO much in common!!

{{Hugs}}
C

Hi Susan, I am on spironolactone. I just got off of birth control as I wanted to no longer mess with my hormones. My doc seems to think that it is working, I am not so sure. I had a TON of hair and have lost a lot, however no one else can notice yet. So perhaps it is helping. Fingers crossed! Good luck to you!
Lisa

Well, sadly I won't be attending UNCC next year, but your son will probably love it [with the basketball and all].
I've declared an art major, and I'm hoping to transfer to Appalachian for fall of 2009.
I have been seeing Dr. Graham at Alamance Dermatology in Mebane, NC [I am from Burlington and I go home on the weekends]. She has been very interested in the latest research and making sure that I am coping with my alopecia. I would recommend her to anyone. I have been treating my eczema through that office since I was just a child, but with a different doctor. I was lucky to find someone close that knew what she was doing from the start.
I have been getting steroid injections on my scalp once a month since July. I am considering giving it a few more months before discontinuing the treatments. It's helping to grow the hair back, but it is still falling out at a rapid pace.

Similar to your situation, my hair loss began after going on Zoloft for 1.5 months. Also around the same time, I switched birth control from Yasmine to Yaz. At the end of this month, I am going off the Yaz and getting Paraguard [the non-hormonal IUD] to see if it helps spur any regrowth. I have alopecia areata that seems to be heading toward totalis. I'm not sure if this information helps you out with fpb, but I will let you know how my experience with this goes as well.

Thanks!
Well, I've had experience with all of those schools.
My mother lives right off the campus of Western Carolina and my sister goes to Appalachian. She loves it.
Make sure your son has a car if he's going to Western. Civilization is a good 15 minute drive. Have you visited all of these schools?
They are each very unique.
Good luck on the College search.
Maybe we can meet sometime. Hickory is on my way to my mother's and my grandmother's house.

Keep in touch!

AND.
UNCG is awesome.
What is he thinking about majoring in?

aw thank you!