Comment by Sharon on September 18, 2008 at 4:10am

Hi Lauren what a huge decision for you to make. Our daughter has has alopecia for nearly 4 years, she is coming up 12. Each year her hair loss got worse, she coped by wearing hats, headbands, and scarves etc. Last august when her hairloss was at it's worse and she was about to begin the new year at a new school she had to make the biggest decision of her life, she knew she could no longer hide it with hats and bands and needed to get a wig. Although she had very little hair left she was still very reluctant (understandably) to part with her remaining hair. We decided to get a wig that she could wear over her remaining hair which was a godsend, after she got used to it she loved it.

Then something changed, her hairloss got worse again and the kids at school got wind of her hair being a wig and I think she was a little worried about it being pulled off. We again discussed a Freedom wig, however she knew it meant the last of her hair being taken away. Three months ago we went and she was fitted for a Freedom wig, she had the last little bit of her hair shaved off and was so amazingly strong I think she had made piece with that fact that it was going. Mum on the other hand shed a few tears =(.

But it is all good she has got on with life and is getting used to her knew look, her wig arrives next week which she is very excited about. I am so proud of her for taking control of her hair and getting rid of the last little bit now she can control it and not her having to worry about whether it is going to fall out or grow back.

Only you will know what feels right for you, I wish you luck with your decision. Take care
Sharon

Comment by Orbit on September 18, 2008 at 8:29am

I too had a hard time deciding when would be a good time to go smooth. When my alopecia was very active as a kid I always kept my last few hairs and wore my wig over them. In my teens after a brief remission my alopecia started again and I knew exactly what was going to happen. I knew what emotional roller coaster I was about to embark on and I didn't want to get on the ride!!! I had so much else on my plate, high school, boys, boys, school, boys... so for me it was an easy decision. I knew I couldn't watch myself transform hair by hair. As soon as my spots were about 25% I got the clippers out and buzzed it all off. WHAT A RELIEF it was for me! It was like I shed a layer of sadness. I immediately felt better about myself and loved feeling of running my hand over the velvety texture of what little hair I had left. As the rest of fell out I found that it wasn't as traumatic as the other times it had happened. So for me I wished that I'd done it sooner!

Everybody is different so you'll know when is the best time to do (if there is even a best time). Hang in there, there is so much more to life than hair and this does get easier I assure you. Keep smiling, and let me know if I can help in any other way. :-)

Comment by Mom on September 18, 2008 at 9:56am

Hi- when my daughter (she's 12) decided to shave her head she kind of made a turn for the better- she went from looking and looking at her spots- freaking out about how it looked, picking hair up from everywhere, tring to hide her spots just so, and so on to "taking charge" , shaving her head, dont get me wrong we cried while it was done BUT...It was a relief for her, she completely stopped looking for new loss, and kind of went forward with her life, her wig looked good and she definately still has tough times but it did help her move forward. Good Luck

Comment by Sarah McIntosh on September 18, 2008 at 10:48am

It was the hardest decision I made for the time.I remember watching my hair coming out everyday and it wasn't getting better.My mom kept telling me it would be ok.I think she was hoping it would come back but it wasn't.I cried for days but I finally shaved the remainder off when I was about 16 for the first.Personally,I thought I would be devastated but once it was done I felt relieved.It was like I had some control over what was going on.I wasn't freaked out about how much hair I lost everyday because there was no more hair to be lost.
Best of luck with whatever you decide to do!

Comment by Linda on September 18, 2008 at 11:11am

Hi Lauren, I shaved my head July of this year, check out my page and my blogs. It was the most liberating thing I've done in a long time. Like Carly's mom said, you no longer look for hairloss, nor do you sweat over whether or not your spots are showing. I wear my Baldness proudly, confidently, accepting who I am rather than how much hair I have or don't have on my head-Bald is soooo Beautiful!

Comment by Mandy on September 18, 2008 at 3:55pm

I wish I had time to read all these responses. :o( But yeah, this is a very personal decision. You can't let others make up your mind on this one. You have to go with what feels right for you. For me, the answer was shaving it off. It made me happier not having to watch it fall out everyday anymore. Also my wig fits waaaay better with my head shaved.

Comment by lauren on September 18, 2008 at 9:36pm

I just wanted to thank everybody for the advice and i think that i have made my decision and get ride of the rest of my hair tommorow after picture day:)

Comment by Melissa Harris on September 24, 2008 at 1:42am

Hi Lauren,
Just wanted you to know that no matter what you decide, you will be ok. If you need help with researching anything to help you, please let me know. I went to one wig store here in Albuquerque and hated it. I went to Dallas and found a great place that was way more helpful for people with Alopecia. There are better wigs out there if you really want one. Although, some people just like to wear hats and bandanas instead of wigs, so really it's your own personal preference. Are you still getting any kind of treatments at all? Anyways, hope you are ok! Keep ion touch !

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