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New to this site and new to alopecia
As luck would have it my mother owns a beauty supply that specializes in wigs and hairgoods in Orlando, FL. Ever since I can remember I have been around hair salons, beauty supplies and hair goods.
I have seen many cases of hair loss among men and women. So when I saw a bald spot in the back of my scalp 2 weeks ago, I knew exactly what it was. I was bewildered to the why I had alopecia areata suddenly, since I am in my 50's and have no family history of it. However as far as my immune system is concerned I have had a chronic case of canker sores in my mouth for years...they are also cause by a haywire in the immune system.
My mom very quickly jumped to her own assessment. "Stress did this" she exclaimed as she studies my very obvious bald spot.
One of the questions she asked me was "where is the missing hair"? Where is the long clump of hair that was in that spot? I have no idea. One day I had hair everywhere and then a week later a part was missing with no evidence of it falling out at all....So can anyone tell me when and where I lost it. Did it fall out while I was sleeping, or did it fall out in the shower or is it all rolled up in my hair brush?
I wasn't surprised when my prinmary doctor didn't really know what alopecia was...But he's thorough enough to research it and is doing a battery of tests. The dermatologists here in Florida are so busy with skin cancer patients that I couldn't get an appointment for a month.
So I have to ask you all to give me advice. Is the bald area supposed to be itchy? Does Rogaine make it more itchy? Rogaine seems to make my hair oily. Is that normal? Does shampoo with tar really work? (the shampoo itself smells like a disinfectant)
I can wear a wig...but like so many of you, who really wants to unless they have to. My mom has some beautiful wigs, but I just want my hair back, frizzy and all....Will I be one of the lucky ones who gets their hair back in a few months and never has another incident...or am I going to wake up tomorrow with another spot
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Comment by Tallgirl on July 10, 2012 at 12:23am
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Replace every noun below (road, love, etc.) with the word "hair," and you will have the answer we all know...for now:
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Comment by Gigi on July 10, 2012 at 8:10am
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I don't know much from personal experience being new like yourself but have done some reading. Rogaine definitely can make your scalp feel itchy and does make your hair look oily or 'tacky' as my dermatologist described it. This is why they recommend putting it on at night and washing out in the morning. I have no idea about tar shampoo, but I have been using one with tea tree oil but it does not seem to do much. Then again it has only been about a month and that isn't really enough time to know.
You are lucky to have access to wigs and hair pieces so close to you! I also do not want to wear one but have heard that by protecting your hair with the wig it can enable your natural hair more time to heal, less styling and all that and you can put more topical treatments on in the day without worrying what it looks like. I am going to a wig specialist today and am going to go over some options with them so maybe they can shed some more light on that opinion.
I hope you are doing ok, I know I am definitely not most of the time, but hoping it gets better each day!
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Comment by Tamika Joseph on July 11, 2012 at 1:43am
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welcom to the family.
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Comment by shimmyshimmyya on July 11, 2012 at 11:52pm
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Hi Sandy,
That's one of the weird things about alopecia. One day you have hair, the next day it's gone. When I first got it, I don't remember seeing hair anywhere. I'm currently have an episode now and woke up one day in April with two big spots on both sides of my head. Still, I never saw clumps but it is shedding, which it didn't so the first time around. This disease sucks.
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Comment by Louis on July 14, 2012 at 1:32pm
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Hi Sandy,
Welcome to Alopecia World, this is a great place to connect and gather info. The people on here are more than willing to help, from my experience. I have to agree with what shimmyshimmyya said. Every case of Alopecia seems to be as unique as the person with it and the unpredictability seems to be the hardest part to deal with! Nobody can tell you what it's gonna do next; grow back, more patches, get thin, regrow white hairs, etc. It seems like it just has a mind of it's own. I can relate to your sudden onset of Alopecia as I am 32 and never had any symptoms till "BAM"... a head full of bald spots! Luckily, I feel I can pull off a shaved head but would do almost anything to have a fade again! I also considered rogaine but decided against since it can have serious side effects and if you discontinue, so will regrowth (what I've heard). I have never heard of tar shampoo but I am trying a tea tree shampoo with biotin additives and it seems to eleviate any itching, burning or sensetivity from my scalp. At least try a shampoo with NO; Parabens, SLS and Phthalates...This is what they suggested to me at the Nutra store. Maybe look up the connection to Alopecia and food sensetivity or inflammatory foods, I found it interesting! Good luck and keep us "posted", pun intended! lol
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Comment by Sandy on July 16, 2012 at 8:59pm
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Hi Louis, Thank you for your support! I saw a doctor today on a different matter, who took a moment to check out my bald spot ( which seems to be getting bigger). He said I should take more zinc and selenium...and dhea to pump up my hormones He said I may even need more estrogen....Scary stuff, not enough hormones will shrink your body your bones, dry up your skin etc, but too much estogen therapy will kill you. The question is about quality of life...do I want to take my chances w estrogen and all the possible side effects...or take nothing and continue down the alopecia path?
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