Esther Ryu

Female

Chino Hills, CA

United States

Profile Information:

Relationship Status:
Single
About Me:
Iam 22 years old.
I've had a full head of hair all my life, just until November 2009.
now i am completely bald from head to toe...
I have no eyelashes so my eyes are always dry and itchy.
I have no nose hair so my nose is always runny and congested.
I dont even have any peach fuzz so my skin is dry and scaly
I used to be hott but now im not.

do i need to accept it? do i have to accept it?
not to sound like a self consumed b*tch but i really dont care what others say about me...
it doesn't matter what others think about me, but it matters what i think about myself...i've always kinda been that way...

but i dont feel like im in my own skin anymore...and it hurts to look in the mirror...

everyday is a miracle.

used to be alopecia areata ophiasis type.
turned into totalis...
now its universalis...
does this usually happen?
Do you have alopecia?
Alopecia universalis
Are you age 18 or older?
Yes - I am 18 or older
Your Website (Leave blank if you don't have one):
http://facebook.com/estherroo

Comment Wall:

  • LeslieAnn Butler

    Hello and welcome, Esther!
    How are you doing today?
    LeslieAnn

    Dec 30, 2009

  • Tiffany P

    Welcome :o) i am somewhat new and have fun meeting new people and having people know how i feel, i also am trying to figure out when the best time to shave my head. anyway i hope all is well and agian WELCOME! bye

    Dec 30, 2009

  • Matthias

    Hello Esther,

    welcome to alopecia world.Did you loose your hair in the last weeks?
    You can t hide the bald spots with your hair I think.So it s maybe better to shave off the hair and wear a wig.
    I have Alopecia Tozalis since 16 years.I shaved my head when I couldn t longer hide my bald spots.I didn t like to have only a few hair and I feeled much better after the shaving.
    You must decide what s best for you.

    Regards,
    Matthias

    Dec 31, 2009

  • Steve Jones

    Happy birthday and new year

    Jan 1, 2010

  • Gail

    You're very beautiful and very brave!

    Jan 3, 2010

  • Amber Lounder

    Hi Esther
    Welcome to Alopecia World--we understand what you are going through
    It's not an easy time I'm very sympathetic, I went through that last fall.
    This site will help you immensly regain strengh
    You are gorgeous hair or no hair-lucky girl:)
    big hugs

    Jan 7, 2010

  • Melissa Harris

    Esther, Hi there! I have that same pattern! Are you getting any treatment at all? I'm currently on treatment now. I would love to chat with you. Please hang in there, I KNOW how you feel! Hope to talk soon! Melissa

    Jan 11, 2010

  • Natalie

    Hi Esther! My ophiasis pattern kicked in around the 7th year that I had alopecia. (Before that the alopecia was really scattered.) About 70% of my hair fell out with that pattern, and I ended up shaving it off and getting a vacuum wig. Let me know if you have any questions :) It is a really difficult journey, but just remember that you are beautiful with or without hair! I promise you will become a stronger person by dealing with this :)

    Take care,
    Natalie

    Jan 12, 2010

  • Ilia Reed

    Hi Esther, thanks for accepting. It is a tough time for you. I'm with you. Wish you much strength, good friends who always see the beauty of a person that grows. Take care.

    Jan 22, 2010

  • AARON JEFFREY TWIGG

    U ARE VERY HOT, I was 35.5 years old when I started to develop alopecia

    it must suck to develop it young and being such a hot asiatica

    Jan 23, 2010

  • JeffreySF

    Hi Esther,

    Stopped in to say hello.

    Jeffrey

    Jan 23, 2010

  • AARON JEFFREY TWIGG

    I love your old hair

    Jan 25, 2010

  • AARON JEFFREY TWIGG

    I use a wig for my hair, which is something of a redemption.

    I am getting some regrowth now, after 3 years.

    How long have you had it? Any regrowths?

    Jan 27, 2010

  • porcelinh

    Hi, Esther. I can relate. My AU started when I was 19 and I am now 30. Mine started to diffuse rapidly. You hang in there and be strong. Remember you are not alone. ~Holly

    Jan 28, 2010

  • Ray Kirkham

    It is a gutsy thing to post the pictures you did. I think you may be facing the situation so much better than many in facing it head on. You picked the right place to do it. At some point, incidents like you mentioned are bound to happen, but i feel your openness in this forum will help you realize that dreading people knowing something about you is not the way to go. That is not to say that I think there is anything wrong with wearing hats and wigs...just that you are still a beautiful young lady with or without whatever you may feel you need to do.

    Are you a student or do you work? The funny thing that happens when you face something head on...you get strength from the experience...all the strength you need to feel good about yourself...to live the life you want for yourself. I am glad I heard back from you. I was a little concerned as there were no pictures of what I am sure would be a beautiful smile. I can tell you right now, Mr. Twigg began to say it right...you are hot...hair or not. But NOTHING ABOUT YOU SUCKS. LOL Ray

    Feb 3, 2010

  • charity turner

    ALl you can do is take it day by day. For 4 years I was paranoid about my bald spots showing. I would definitely not mind having that problem again, my hair is almost gone now so I spent a crapload of money on a bunch of wigs. I think my leg hair is gone now too but I still have eyebrows. To top it off I gained more weight than I ever had in my life from depression because of my hair and steroids, cortisone ect..I started telling more people at work my problem and it seemed to help. I still havent given up though even though I do accept that my hair fell out and dont really know when it will grow back.

    Feb 3, 2010

  • Emory

    I had the same thing. Went from AA to AU. It does hurt a lot. At least for me. I too have never cared much what others think, but I don't like the way I look without hair. That's what's important.

    I suggest a quality wig. Get someone here who knows about quality. They run from a squirrel sitting on your head to high quality prosthesis.

    Feb 7, 2010

  • Tiffany P

    Just stopping by to say hello i hope you are feeling well, hairloss sucks and even though i am coping ok and moving on i still find times when i could scream and slap somebody lol well i dont have words of wisdom and i certainly dont know how you personally feel because we all handle it different but i have a feeling your a strong person and will get thru this. :O)

    Feb 13, 2010

  • Devin

    Hi I love your profile information and your right its all about what you think of yourself that counts. Hang in there girl it gets better!

    Feb 20, 2010

  • Clara S.

    Hi Esther, Am the same, it still hurts to see myself in the mirror. Although I'm trying my best to be positive. Am not sure if I should just shave it all off at this point, instead of watching it drop one by one. I just started losing my eyebrows 3 months or so go and am not sure what else I will lose...just taking it a step at a time.

    Mar 1, 2010

  • Tommy Yang

    hi there,, u look pretty.. holla.,..

    May 3, 2010

  • Tommy Yang

    aww.. thanks esther..well I think its tough on you now because you only have it for 1 or 2 years.. i have AU for 8 years now, back when i was 17 years old.. and that was the toughest time because i was still a teen and still in high school.. and looks was the most important feature.. but i manage to ignore peoples stupidity opinions and did not care what they think.. dealing with alopecia you need 2 main keys that works with me.. first, you need family members who help understand your problems and stick with you through every problems and treatments you have and support you.. and second, you need real friends, who you can trust and count on and they love you for not just how you look, but your personality and the way you are.. i wouldn't be able to lived life happy if it wasn't for these 2 things.. i lived life to the fullest.. dont quit on life because you have no hair or look funny to normal people.. if i can do it.. you can..hope to talk to you again..-Tommy

    Oct 18, 2010

  • David A

    Are you in korea now or still in Ca?

    Oct 21, 2010

  • brian

    You're good looking with or without hair.

    Nov 1, 2010

  • Drakes

    the no hair in the nose is bad... people never understood why I always was sniffling etc..

    no eyelashes are bad too... things get in my eyes daily... pain in the neck.. Sunglasses all the time.. :)

    Nov 30, 2010

  • Brudy

    I recently discovered Alopecia World.  Your photo caught my eye because I don't see many Asians like me with alopecia.  I'm Japanese American and live in Southern California also.  I'm probably your mother's age - 58 but look much younger as most Asians do.  I'm surprised how brave you are to post a photo of yourself without hair.  I could never do that.  I used to have really beautiful hair and then I started getting bald spots that started to blend together.  It was the ophiasis pattern like yours.  Now I only have some head hair down the middle of my scalp but I am clinging to that last bit of hair instead of cutting it off.  I'd rather have it fall off naturally instead of giving in to total baldness.  For the most part I have alopecia universalis.  Because of my age, I thought the loss of hair on my arms, legs and armpits was part of the aging process, but my dermatologist told me it was probably the alopecia.  I do still have some hair "down there."  I also have some eyelashes and the beginning of my eyebrows but not the ends.

    I don't know how long you've had alopecia, but if it's been less than 4 years, there is a doctor at UCLA who is THE doctor to see to try and get your hair back.  His treatment was not successful with me, unfortunately, but you may want to see him if you think there's still hope.

    I don't check this website very often so if you care to e-mail me -- brudyjuce@gmail.com

    Judy

    Dec 17, 2010

  • raire a rucker

    wow but you are still hot with hair or not

    Jan 13, 2011