Comment by Natalie on November 23, 2009 at 5:42pm

Hi Karen,

I am sorry to hear about your daughter. I don't have any children myself, but I know that my mother was just about as devastated as I was when I began to lose my hair. A parent's first instict is always to protect their children :) I have a fantastic Freedom wig, but I'm not sure if a child as small as 6 years-old can get one.....(www.newlifehair.com) Whatever happens, just know that you are her rock and she will always depend on you for support :) (I'm 23 and I STILL go to my Mom for support!) Take care and best of luck.

-Nat

Comment by Ronda Darling on November 23, 2009 at 10:04pm

I have an eight year old daughter who was diagnosed with Alopecia this past June. It started out as a couple of small patches, but has progressed drastically this past month. She is almost completely bald. This past Saturday was our first appointment with "Hair Enhancements" who specialize in head coverings and wigs. I ofcourse am new to this whole situation and didn't know alot about wigs, but now I know a little more. First, at my daughters age (8) she is a little too small for a vacuum wig (very expensive and her head is still growing) and usually vacuum wigs work best if someone is completely bald or willing to shave daily. Our daughter still has a little hair and she is still connected with this tiny little bit. We as parents hope that her hair grows back, but she is being pretty good about it. The kids at school are supportive. I sent home a parent letter to all her classmates and also sent two books to school for all the teachers to read to their classes. One was called Princess Alopecia and the other one was called The girl with no hair. Both books helped all the kids in her elementary school understand what she is going through. Ofcourse, she has also learned to ignore the one who makes the unkind remarks/comments. She had learned to stand up for herself which is a great character to have. We have told her the truth up front - that this disease is very unpredicatable...it may grow back, it may not, but we are going to live for today! Hair doesn't make the person! When we went to her appointment this past Saturday, we had her head measured for a wig, but then decided that having a customized wig would be better. They would be more secure on her head and also be more comfortable. They made a mold of her head. At first, I thought...they are going to have to shave the rest of her hair off to make this mold!.....WRONG! They placed alot of baby powder on her head and the little hair that she has left. Then they placed this rectangler shaped plastic form in this heated water and when it got warm, it stretched and was placed on her head and pushed down until her whole scalp/head was showing. They then waited until it cooled down and then they pulled it off her head. It was very interesting to my daughter and she found it "cool" to see the "shape" of her head. She is so excited with getting a new wig even though she has to wait 6-8 weeks.

Here is a picture that will better explain the "mold" of her head! Look at that smile!!

Comment by Mallory Crowner on November 24, 2009 at 11:42am

I agree with everything that everybody has said. Love, support, and a positive attitude make ALL of the difference in the world. I like that Ronda sent a letter home with the children to educate not only them, but more than likely their parents too. And sending information to the school is a wonderful tool! I know that the National Alopecia Areata Foundation has a couple of different movies and some pamphlets of information as well. You could always get in contact with them for something like that. (http://www.naaf.org/site/PageServer). They have information for parents on how to cope with the disease (believe it or not, we all have our issues with it), along with information for children, teens, you name it. They host a conference every year too. Good luck with everything...keep us all posted. :o)

Comment by Holly Follea on November 24, 2009 at 4:01pm

Hi Karen, I'm sorry to hear your little girl is having such a hard time. :-( At her age, chances are she is going to have to get her wig custom made. I would recommend getting one with stretchy material in the back and adjustments in the nape so she can adjust it. Also, instead of shaving and bonding, my friend's daughter has alopecia and is a cheerleader. She just gets a wig with extra poly (the material tape sticks to) and tapes it down. She can even wear it for sleepovers. Then she can also have clips or combs sewn in over the areas she still has hair and remove them if she loses them or move them if she gets regrowth elsewhere. There are also stretchy wigs that have silicone if, heaven forbid, she loses more. Silicone is great for gripping and not messy, there are at least 2 companies that make wigs with silicone areas (in the nape, temples and across the forehead usually). Hope this helps. --Holly

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