Mike

Male

Brisbane

Australia

Profile Information:

Relationship Status:

Married

About Me:

Although I live in Australia, I am really a Kiwi from New Zealand.
42 years old. Married, with four wonderful kids,(and one really amazing wife who puts up with us all).
About my Alopecia:
I first noticed a small spot on my face that didn't grow hair in November 2007, which then grew larger. The hair on my head started falling out in January 2008, with a small patch about the size of a thumb nail on the side of my head. This patch was soon joined by lots of other patches, and they all grew larger and joined up.
By June 2008 I had only a few small Islands of hair left on my head. I hardly had to shave my face anymore as I only had a small patch with 8 hairs left in it to shave.
In August 2008 I was sunburnt on my head which started small stubble to grow within 2 days. I looked into this further and found that Ultra Violet light helped suppress the Immune system. This new hair that started growing in was white to transparent in appearance, but it was new hair, even though it was thin!
October 2008 saw my Alopecia spread to my Eyebrows and Eyelashes. This gave me an even more funny look as at times it looked like I was pulling funny faces with one high and one low eyebrow.
My hair continued to fall out and regrow throughout 2009. It would appear that I was regaining my hair in one area, only to be loosing it again in an other place.
March 2010 saw a big drop in the rate in which my new hair would fall out. Hardly any hair was falling outMy hair thickend up everywhere except at the back of my head and eyebrows where it remained thin, but not bald.
July 2010 took a new twist on my Alopecia. Previously the hair loss had been from the base of my neck and up. This time bald patches were appearing on the back of my hands, arms chest and legs. A clear signal that I was not finished with this blessed Alopecia.
August 2010 saw the appearance of a brand new bald patch in the thin hair on the back of my head. The remaining thin hair started to get thinner and by the end of the month I had many new bald patches on my head, and my eyebrows started to fall out again.
Update: December, 2013 I have a full head of hair now! I get the occasional small bald patch around the size of a thumb nail, but this disappears normally within a couple of months. I have left my alopecia to run its course which appears to be gone after 5-6 years.
Another update: Time has past. Up until 2019 I was basically over the worst of this alopecia. I had a few bald patches appear, but they regrew rather quickly.
In 2019 my world was tipped upside down. I was involved in a fatal accident. I was in the passenger seat of a car that ran over a motorcyclist. This rider had been knocked off his bike by a vehicle pulling out of an intersection, then as he stood up, was then struck by a car travelling at 140km/h before being run over by the car I was in. I was the only one to go over to help the motorcyclist. His injuries were horrific and unsurvivable. I watched as he died, unable to do anything. The things I witnessed had a massive impact on me. I was diagnosed with CPTSD, mild depression and anxiety. I was also diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. My Alopecia returned. I am assuming that all the stress I was going through has played a part in this returning. The stresses of this accident have subsided and after 3 years, I would have to say I have mostly accepted the events of that day and am no longer affected to the same extent. Alopecia though continues to worsen. Back to almost no eyebrows and multiple bald patches that do not appear to recover well. The strange thing is that this no longer bothers me. I am at complete peace with this. What the future brings and whatever the challenges are that await around the corner, I feel I am ready to face them head on. While the things I have faced are unpleasant, I have emerged on the other side stronger for what I have been through, and life means so much more.

Do you have alopecia?

Alopecia areata

Are you age 18 or older?

Yes - I am 18 or older

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