Comment by Natalie on July 15, 2010 at 3:21pm

Hi Tamara! Thanks for the friend add :) I'm sorry to hear that you are having such a rough time with your hair :( Hang in there! You are not alone in this journey :)

Comment by Karen Grevious on July 15, 2010 at 6:33pm

Your stylist was way wrong. Maybe time for a hairpiece. I finally gave up the battle and just shaved it all off.

Comment by KATHLEEN B. on July 15, 2010 at 10:04pm

Hi Tamara... took a look at your pics..You`re super pretty... it looks like you still got a lot of hair on your head which is a good thing : )... The location of your spots can be a bit tricky...and I can totally understand and empathize with the frustration, sweat and tears to style and hide those spots... For a full year to year and half I used a combination of clip in hair extentions, a topper and cute stylish hats and fabric hairbands to hid my hair loss... After looking at your pics.. i would recommend... clip in Real European Hair extensions for the top ( you can buy them at Sallys Beauty Supply for $ 120).. I would clip 1 or 2 wefts in the front of your head.. then cover the hair clips under a cute cloth/silk hairband.... that way the extenstions are covered... and u can use the extra hair to pull over the bad spots.. I used this trick for awhile.. it worked for me.. and i still felt cute : ).... its kinda of a cheap band aid solution... U might also think of purchasing a topper... They can be a little pricey... There`s actually a lot of great products/ topper style clip in bangs that might help to...Hope that help... : )

Comment by Rachel on July 16, 2010 at 2:13am

Hey this was the same thing fir me, oct 09 I had one small spot on back of head, now it's the size of my palm and I have 2 others on the top, with one of those on my parting. I'm having to come up with ingenious ways to tie my hair up -,involves black mane spray and hair spray! I also got a top piece which covers up scalp but gives me more volume and blends in with my long hair, I'd recommend this, it's been a lifesaver for me.

Comment by Tamara on July 16, 2010 at 6:54am

Thank you all so much! I will have to look into all of this. The trying to hid this huge spot in the middle with my hair is not helping. I notcied my hair is getting really greasy in that one spot too because I am constantly running my hands through it trying to hid it. I feel so stupid complaining about these spots when some of you have lost all of it and are so happy and OK with it. Hopefully I can get to that point sometime soon!

Comment by Rachel on July 16, 2010 at 6:59am

Seriously get some mane spray - it's like hairspray bit thicker and can be used to hide light and obvious patches of skin. Message me for more details x

Comment by Jenna4 on July 16, 2010 at 9:59am

HI Tamara, your pics look exactly the way my alopecia progressed. When I couldn't hide the spots anymore, I visited my local wig shop for advise on toppers or a full wig. I decided to go with a full wig that looked a lot like my own hair. I cut my hair to my shoulders to make the wig more comfortable then came into work on a Monday sporting my "new do". If anyone suspects it's a wig, they haven't said a word about it. After a few weeks of wearing the wig and more hair falling out, I decided that my real hair wasn't doing my any good and decided to shave it off. It was the best thing I could have done - so liberating! and no more constant worrying over how much hair was falling out daily.
This is a wonderful site and you will find everyone is so nice and supportive.

Good luck!

Comment by Tamara on July 16, 2010 at 10:04am

HI Jenna. I actually just looked at your pictures and it does remind me of my own. I just got my hair cut, its just a little below my shoulders now, but before it was passed the middle of my back. I think Im going to look into toppers and see how they look on me. If my hair keeps progressing like it does, I will end up shaving it off. Did you head ever tingle at all where your hair fell out? Ive noticed the passed few days its tingled a lot in the spot on the back of my head where Im missing the most hair. Definitely no pain or anything, just a weird tingling sensation. I was wondering if thats normal or not...

Comment by Jenna4 on July 16, 2010 at 11:10am

Hi Tamara -- yes, my head tingled, turned pink and was itchy in the areas wehre I lost the hair. From the research I've done, that is where the inflammation is occuring and the hair follicles are basically under attack. Now that my hair has started growing back, I have large areas of pink and have noticed the spots are coming back again. :( This morning, I had a itchy spot and sure enough, the scalp is pink in that area. I have an appointment with my dermotologist on Tuesday and will discuss my treatment options. I had success with Prednisone, but don't want to stay on it just to have hair. What's more important?
Have you gone to see a dermotologist yet? If not and you want to explore treatments, don't wait too long. According to my dermo, the longer you wait, the harder it is to stop the attack on the hair follicles and reverse the effects.
Good luck and feel free to email me if you have any questions or just need to talk!

Comment by Elith Williams on July 17, 2010 at 12:18pm

Hi Tamara,
Thanks for the friend add. I see we're in the same area. I'm 7 miles from Gainesville. I totally understand what you're going through. I wish I had this site when I started experiencing symptoms. I felt so alone and didn't know what to do. Definitely go to a dermatologist and discuss options. I couldn't deal with my hair falling out in patches, so I shaved it all off (that was my way of taking control). At first, I used to wrap my head with fabrics to coordinate with my outfits and then I started using wigs. I was sure that everyone was looking at me and seeing that I was bald, but even some of my closest friends had no idea. They thought that I was just being a fashionista. This disease tends to make you very self-conscious. Just don't lose yourself along with your hair.

I'm here if you need to talk. Good luck.

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