Alopecia Areata

jessef593

So not exactly your typical post on here, but considering so many people request this site I would imagine at least a few will be able to give some insight.

So I've had alopecia since I was about 17, brought on by a life changing event. Since then it's come and gone, some points have been worse than others, but I always found a way to deal. Recently though, I've experience another life changing event and it is worse than it's ever been. I haven't been able to go out in public without something covering my head. I had to start wearing hats in my gym due to the increasing number of people that would point, stare, and laugh.

So my question is, how has everyone else dealt with it and has anyone seen any success in shaving your head and just saying to hell with it? It's hard since I used to have an awesome head of hair. Also has anyone seen success through treatments? I received cortisol injects for over a year but it always came back.

usmcmp

One of my friends in the Marine Corps developed alopecia after boot camp. At first she was devastated at the thinning of her hair and she invested in some wigs. After a year she shaved the rest off and just went with it. Now she has absolutely no hair anywhere, but when she was pregnant the hormones made her start growing a bit of fuzz. The doctors mentioned a company that was working to isolate the part of the hormone to create a treatment.

I say shaving it off isn't a bad idea. Plenty of girls like the bald look.

GaleHawkins

I have only known one woman and that was back in the 50's so I guess it is rare. In that era going around bald was not that well accepted for a woman but today it is the rage especially with guys locally.

htimpaired

OP, you're a male, right? (your profile pictures make me think you are). Be grateful for that, it's much more acceptable for a man to shave his head than a woman. My mother has alopecia-age related, and is humiliated by the look of her hair. And she hates her wig. My husband is losing his hair, but he's got a nice shaped head, so he can rock the bald look. I've seen video of those cortisone treatments, looks painful! I'm sorry you're dealing with this, but I don't see anything wrong with shaving it :-)

Keladelphia

Fortunately I can't say i've dealt with it personally but my mom has had alopecia come and go several times (usually driven by major stress). It's definitely caused her a great deal of misery and i've always hoped I don't carry a genetic component that makes it more likely to happen. She never found treatments (injections etc.) to be very effective. I'm sure you'll be just as handsome if you decide to shave it all off OP

hzl22

Shave it off rock the bald look and take control of it.. It'll give u more confidence and you'll look great

Sabine_Stroehm

My husband has had it. He just shaved.

jessef593

Alright pretty much settled on shaving it off. Awesome, thanks for the replies everyone. And yeah I'm a male. So it could be worse. I will admit that the injections weren't the most enjoyable time, but everything's worth a shot.

jessef593

Well I shaved it. But unfortunately the patches are just as apparent due to the stubble. Which apparently gets better with a tan, so 2-4 days of the sun and we'll see

OyGeeBiv

jessef593 wrote: »

Well I shaved it. But unfortunately the patches are just as apparent due to the stubble. Which apparently gets better with a tan, so 2-4 days of the sun and we'll see

Don't rush it and get a sunburn! That skin that's been covered by hair most of your life isn't used to sun exposure.

MABMomma

I have alopecia areata! I'm not excited about it however, it's nice to meet someone else struggling with it. My first patch occurred 3 years ago (also after a life changing event). I had dreadlocks at the time & cut them off. I went through with the cortisol injections for a few months & stopped due to the development of soft spots near the injection area. With little to no treatment, the hair grew back fully.


About a month ago I noticed the hair was missing in the exact same spot; it's also the same dimensions as the previous patch (bizarre!). I was told by my dermatologist not to expect any hair growth for the next three months.


The weird thing about this re-occurrence is that when I was treating my body like crap, my hair flourished. Now that I'm exercising 7x a week & adhering to a "clean" diet, the alopecia is back. I've decided that I'd rather be a fit, bald chick than a fat one.


Also, it's easy for others to say "just shave it!" but it's a hard thing to let go of. As a woman, I was treated so differently without my hair. I had a guy try & hook me up with his ex wife because he assumed I was a lesbian. People can be a holes once you eliminate something that's considered "normal". It sucks at first but you really learn how to be comfortable in your own skin.

Best of luck to you!

jessef593

MABMomma wrote: »

I have alopecia areata! I'm not excited about it however, it's nice to meet someone else struggling with it. My first patch occurred 3 years ago (also after a life changing event). I had dreadlocks at the time & cut them off. I went through with the cortisol injections for a few months & stopped due to the development of soft spots near the injection area. With little to no treatment, the hair grew back fully.


About a month ago I noticed the hair was missing in the exact same spot; it's also the same dimensions as the previous patch (bizarre!). I was told by my dermatologist not to expect any hair growth for the next three months.


The weird thing about this re-occurrence is that when I was treating my body like crap, my hair flourished. Now that I'm exercising 7x a week & adhering to a "clean" diet, the alopecia is back. I've decided that I'd rather be a fit, bald chick than a fat one.


Also, it's easy for others to say "just shave it!" but it's a hard thing to let go of. As a woman, I was treated so differently without my hair. I had a guy try & hook me up with his ex wife because he assumed I was a lesbian. People can be a holes once you eliminate something that's considered "normal". It sucks at first but you really learn how to be comfortable in your own skin.

Best of luck to you!

I've noticed the same thing. I think it's due to the stressed placed on our bodies from the physical exercise. I'm amazed a female said screw it and also shaved her head!

NA1979

I've been a baldie for a while now, I used to be self conscious when it first happened many years ago, I used to think people are staring etc, but in reality I was just being self conscious and most people don't really care, hair is over rated anyway lol!

MABMomma

jessef593 wrote: »

I've noticed the same thing. I think it's due to the stressed placed on our bodies from the physical exercise. I'm amazed a female said screw it and also shaved her head!

I'm a pretty ballsy chick. I've been bald twice in my adult life. Once to start my locs & another with the alopecia. During both times I worked my *kitten* off & was in the best shape of my life. It's amazing what you focus on when men aren't hitting on you as much.

kcn2bluesky

Hey Everyone! I also have alopecia, and wear wigs 24x7 except to sleep. I love my wigs! I used to change them up quite a bit, wearing different styles and colors throughout the week. Now I pretty much stick with one style and closely-related colors/highlighting for work and mix things up on the weekend.

The biggest struggle for me initially was what to wear on my head for workouts. I tried pretty scarves, hats, scarves + hats, and eventually just settled on wearing an older wig that isn't suitable for daily wear anymore.

I shave my head down to less than 1/4" and prefer it that way. Keeps my head so much cooler! Although I don't envision myself going outside without a wig on, I have reached a point where I am confident and comfortable with myself.

I'd love to have you guys & gals as friends here on MFP!