Today is April 19th, 2009. It was just about 3 months ago when I noticed a dime sized bald patch in my beard on the left side of my face. I Googled "facial hair loss" or something like that and found a forum with post after post from guys with the same thing. I was a little freaked out.

Over the next couple of weeks that patch started to get bigger and it spread. I came to grips with the fact that I would need to be clean-shaven until either ALL my facial hair stops growing, or, God willing, it starts to grow back.

I should point out that I have been shaving my head (not to the skin) for almost 3 years now. I did this in a vain attempt to conceal my receding hair line. I shave it myself, once a week. A little over a month ago I noticed a tiny little bald patch (about the size of an aspirin) on the back of my head. I thought perhaps it was the result of a blemish, or blocked pore, and didn't think much about it. The next week when it was time to shave my head again it was obvious that this was not from a blemish, the patch had gotten bigger. Son of a..... yeah my worst fears were starting to come true. Losing my facial hair is one thing. But starting to get bald patches on my scalp, not cool.

I went to my GP last week and he recognized how much facial hair (more than half) has stopped growing since I saw him for a physical 2 months ago. When I showed him my bald patch on my head he said he would line me up with an appointment with a Dermatologist. So tomorrow I will find out when my appointment is and we'll see what the next steps are.

I feel like such a loser for feeling sorry for myself. I know I am a guy, I can shave my head, I get it. Even when I shave with a blade (for the 1st time yesterday) I can still see that patch...which means when it gets bigger, or more patches appear, there is no hiding it.

In the short time that I have been on this site I have read stories from other members that break my heart. Especially all of the female members: you are truly brave and courageous.

I'm in pretty good shape at the moment but I am afraid of what lies ahead. A friend that trains at the same gym as me (Craig S.) told me about this site and now I am a part of it. If I can do anything I would like to increase the public's awareness of this condition. But for now I hope I can support others on this site and learn how to live life without worrying about Alopecia.