Can't cope any longer? I have had Aleopecia Universalis, no body hair any where, for over 40+ yrs. My hair started falling out in the 4th grade when I was 8 yrs. old in 1964. By the time I was 13 I had less and less hair, just random patches of hair all over my head, that is until, what I had left was ripped out by the school bullies. Sometimes I think I should give myself a medal. Many of the teens who have committed these mass school shootings these past years, have done so for reasons that have been way less relevant than what I went through. "I did it because I was bullied and I couldn't take it anymore?" I guess the blessing was that back in those years coping by just bringing a assault file to school and killing every one was not a common trend yet. Nevertheless, these are/were supposed to be some of the best years of one's life. All I remember is the bad. My parents bought me my first (high quality) wig the summer before I went into high school in 1971. God bless them for doing that but those years were not much better because my secret wasn't a secret very long. Needless to say I ended up wearing wigs for the next 35-40 yrs. I finally took my last one off about 10 yrs. ago. Now I wear a baseball cap every where because I am so use to having something on my head. But as much as I thank my late parents for buying me those wigs. They really did me little or no good as far as any social life goes. I hid under these wigs for decades. And instead of taking more chances, for instance, by approaching women, in bars, at college, etc, which was my fault, I simply shied away because I assumed they would be turned off if and when I had to tell them about my condition. To this day I have never had a girl friend or relationship in my whole life. I lost my virginity at age 48 to someone I met on the internet 9 yrs ago. That's it. I work out at the downtown YMCA 4 times a week. I am in great shape. I go to a couple of local Milwaukee bars a couple of times a week to talk to people I know. But otherwise I'm still completely alone to this day.
But the biggest problem that I have had to deal with, other than the fact that I cannot hide the fact that, I have no eye brows or eye lashes either, (there are no wigs for that) which gets me double takes on places like the bus every day, is the ignorance and derogatory assumptions I get, even today. And there is no age barrier or limit for that. So called, grownups are and can be just as stupid and ignorant as any 8 10 13 or 21 yr. old. But we simply cannot stop and tell every one about our problem or condition. I wish I could. So, even though I have in fact been seeing a shrink for the past 5 yrs, & I take anti-depressents to get me through what is supposed to be a life, so far, I live on. Besides, I promised my mother, who died 3 year ago last April 20th, that I would carry on and hang in there. And it's easy for me to say. But educate and explain to people when you can. And even though I am not in any way an idealist. I lost that decades ago, try to remember, "All those who matter in your life, don't mind, and those who mind, don't and shouldn't matter. With love and kindness, Mark Hansen, Milw. WI.