I've been coping with AA for 3 years now. I was the first in my family to present, but my mom has celiac disease, so I assumed the cause to be completely genetic since the two conditions have now been shown to be genetically related. But just last night, my husband discovered a large bald patch on the side of his head! This has my mind racing to the notion that, if nothing else, the trigger must be environmental. I am now trying to figure out if there is something in our 1950's house that could… Continue

I am very thankful for this website and for the support of my fellow members. It can be very therapeutic at times!! But, I also find it can be very depressing, so I do take long breaks from it. I hear the voices of those who have accepted their condition, no longer fight it for various reasons, and I fully understand and support their positions, but that's not where I am today. I am not ready to give up hope. While I have lost well over half of my hair and still shed, I also have good hearty…

Continue

The last couple of days I've been slacking on my anti-inflammatory diet, and it all started with some cardamom pear cupcakes someone brought into work (sigh). Then yesterday, I ate a carb and sugar laden breakfast, tried to get back on track with a healthy lunch, but ended up giving in to a butter drenched dinner with two martinis and ended the day with a mug of hot chocolate. Oh, dear. It was fun while it lasted. This morning, I awoke with a persistently itchy scalp and double the shedding…

Continue

"You should just cut the rest of your long hair off. It'll be different, but you'll get used to it."

This is what my nine year old son told me this morning, and there is wisdom in his words. The remaining long strands serve little purpose (except to be pulled back to do the pony tail and ball cap thing on the weekends as a welcome break from Harriet the Wig), and now look just as ugly as my bald patches next to the regrowth that's anywhere between 1/4 - 3 inches in length. I am…

Continue

I've been wearing a wig now for 1 1/2 months. I've received many compliments from folks who just thought I got a new cut and/or color. Wonderful! HOWEVER, I was not prepared for someone to ask me the name of my stylist (in the middle of a work meeting, nonetheless!). Awkward! I wiggled out of the situation by promising to email the info later. Now I'm hoping she won't call me on it. If she does, I will be honest, but I'd rather not go there.

Next dilemma is to figure out how to get my…

Continue

I have been learning to cope with the daily shedding, seeing 1/2 of my head patchy bald, wearing a wig. I cycle between decent days and depression, with tears drying much quicker now that it's been nearly a year since my first patch appeared. But today, I feel ANGRY because I feel LIMITED.

I cannot just tuck my wig hair into a pony tail when the office is warm, or behind my ear. I find my sunglasses bump into my wig making neither sit right. I HATE wearing a scarf during my workouts…

Continue

...and my first wig. It's a little poofy at the roots at present compared to my natural hair shape. I was told to give it a few days to settle down and then come back to have it thinned if it's still too big. It was REALLY full on top when they first put it on my head-- I looked like an 80's hair band rocker dude, but they thinned it some and used the flat iron, and this is the result. Better than bald patches by a long mile, but I still dearly miss my long hair and just being natural. It…

Continue

For years I've had trouble finding cute shoes in narrow widths and now a similar frustration with wigs-- small caps were discontinuted 60 days ago on my top wig pick. And do not even get me started on hats that will not stay on in the wind!! If only I could shift some fat up north.... Grrrr

When my hair is combed just so, no one can see the many bald patches around my head. However, it's a different story when the wind blows, my long hair catches on the collar of my coat or I bend over. I decided this morning that I'm tired of constantly worrying if a patch is showing, especially as I continue to shed and have a wonderful trip to Europe coming up a few weeks that I don't want to be spoiled. I have made an appointment for a consultation tomorrow morning to see what my options…

Continue

I'm new to AW, so someone may have shared this already. U. of Texas/MD Anderson Center is building a national alopecia registry to use in genetic analysis. You (and your family) can add your information via their web site at:…

Continue

...and that's how it started for me, 8 months ago. That silver-dollar sized patch I found behind my ear has since spread almost to the part on the top of my head and continues to spread on either side. Not to be outdone, the other side has started a collection of competing, smaller patches and TODAY I noticed thinning in one eyebrow?! Just when I adjust to a new normal, normal becomes something else. :-( Been cycling in and out of depression, struggling to keep a positive outlook as my doc…

Continue