Comment by Calipso on November 10, 2011 at 1:10pm

Not everyone can understand what we are going through - saying "it's just hair" is not fair. Simply I could say - Can you shave your head bald and pour a liquid that will prevent your hair to grow forever? If not, then don't tell me it's just hair. Because it's the freedom of choice that we are losing, the choice to be bald or to wear our hair.
Today I went to a Psychiatrist for advice about a wig, but hey she said - " a lot of girls shave their heads and wear hats and look cool" Yeah...Thanks, but these girls know they can stop shaving and have their hair back - I can't, It's gone and this uncertainty if it will grow back or not, should I accept the way I am now or should I keep trying to so smth is an everyday struggle. Just hard to find someone who can truly understand. yeah...so that's my thoughts;/

Comment by Jackie on November 10, 2011 at 4:33pm

I gave up on psychiatrists for that very reason.

Comment by Tallgirl on November 10, 2011 at 4:56pm

I think it boils down to how much we kvetch and moan and steer the conversation to our alopecia issues in public, when our friends really can't do or know anything about this. Just like we get annoyed with emos or old folks who talk about gout and surgery details, the general, fun-loving friends in our lives do not want or need to see our downer faces or hear our downer stories 24-7. The emotions remain juvenile because therapists and ministers have no training or answers for us to GROW in resolving our alopecia issues. However, I have seen growth as people talk on this site...so maybe this IS the therapy!

Comment by Tony on November 11, 2011 at 12:39pm

An excellent article on Alopecia, done as part of a cancer study, but the findings are nevertheless relevent to women with alopecia:

http://taxotears.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Alopecia-Study.pdf

"Hair loss has been reported to be associated with lower QOL (quality of life) as measured with the FACT-B [38]. However, little is known about the effect of alopecia on specific components of QOL...Some patients commented on hair loss negatively affecting social activities and interactions and as having an influence on willingness to continue working or creating apprehension about returning to work [6,9]...A change in the perception of the sense of self
and self-esteem was also reported [3,21]. The decrease in sensuality and sexuality was also felt
to be related to hair loss"

I'll take that to mean that alopecia goes beyond cosmetic...

Comment by Jackie on November 12, 2011 at 2:07pm

I really enjoyed that article Tony; it really put things into perspective. @ tallgirl, we listen to people bitch and moan about their mundane problems each and every day, all day... i.e. "i hate my hair, its so frizzy"....or "my stomach is so fat, I'm getting lipo next payday", or "my husband never helps out around the house"...we smile, shake our heads in agreement and tell them to be cool! HOWEVER! dare we mention how much we hate being bald! The eyes start rolling, the sighs start flailing and the "come on! Dont be so down on yourself, it's just hair" malarky begins. SMH.

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