Not ringworm.. just alopecia...

[Alana2000]

For those who have been supporting me throughout my ringworm journey might be interested to know that my family doctor has said its not ringworm at all, that I have Alopecia (sp?).

So I'm not really happy, if it get really bad I may have to sign off here and join another support group, I am hopeful it will grow back in a years time. I'm just sort of in a funk about this, but I'll get over it, I've had short hair before, so a bald head would be strange at first, but I might grow to love it. Failing that, who knows?

[AmyJorgensen]

Very sorry to hear your news. I wish you the best of luck with it. I suppose worst case scenario...use it as an excuse to get some really beautiful tattoos on your head.

[Mary <><]

I am so sorry to hear this. I know nothing about this condition, but do they think they can control it somehow? Off to google it. (((Big Hugs)))

[plainjanegirl]

Does it help to have a diagnosis of what is wrong? I am gonna try to get into a dermatologist soon about mine. Did they give you anything or recommend anything to help?

[SimplyLonghair]

What type of alopecia? There is scaring alopecia, diffuse alopecia, alopecia areata and others. Many are associated with autoimmune disorders. Celiac disease is associated with alopecia going gluten free has helped some people. Good luck in your search. :grouphug:

[susiemw]

[quote=Alana2000;528891]For those who have been supporting me throughout my ringworm journey might be interested to know that my family doctor has said its not ringworm at all, that I have Alopecia (sp?).

[quote]

I'm sorry you're going through this.
Did your doctor tell you what type of alopecia you have?
Having alopecia (and there are many types) doesn't mean you are going to go bald.

If your doctor hasn't referred you to a specialist yet, I would recommend this. Most family docs aren't going to be experienced enough at diagnosing the different types of alopecia. You need a specific diagnosis so that you can get the appropriate treatment.

i sure hope you get answers quickly.

HUGS!!

Susan

[Kleis]

I (have) had alopecia areata for years, not associated with autoimmune disorders, eating disorders or any disorders except for stress management. Are you losing patches, or is it alopecia totalis (all your head hair) or alopecia universalis (all your body hair)?

If it's areata, then do your best to just relax and wait it out. I treated mine medically for a while with cortisone shots and Rogaine, neither of which did any good. I also treated it more holistically, with various stimulating oils. I'm not sure if those helped, but it made *me* feel good to do something. But the best thing? Find some eye shadow a shade darker than your hair, color in the patches, and wait for it to grow back. It takes at least a month for peach fuzz to come in, but if you have areata, it will come back.

Good luck! I've managed to avoid an outbreak for four years now. There was a point when I had seven patches missing from above my forehead. Looked like I had mange. :lol:

[Furiana]

You could do henna designs on your scalp! It gives new meaning to henna head! :lol:

[Darkhorse1]

Finding out the kind of alopecia is the best to start treatment. My mom had this as a result of systemic lupus. She is now on two different medications and has hair growth in the sparse sections. She did not lose all her hair. Please don't be discouraged!! My heart goes out to you--you live in my neck of the woods too :)

[Alun]

I had this problem in my beard. The doctor gave me antifungal cream, saying it might not be fungal but it couldn't hurt. The beard all grew back eventually, but the regrowth was white, and of course was in circular patches surrounded by dark hairs. I now have more white hairs in my beard, so it's hard to say if much of this ever turned dark again.

I'm not sure how encouraging that is? I guess if your bald patches grow out white there's always hair dye.

BTW: Alopaecia or alopecia is latin for hair loss. Medical jargon for "I don't know why you have hair loss".

[pdy2kn6]

i'm really sorry to hear about that, fingers crossed it will grow stronger and healthier soon. What exactly is alopecia btw? i have a rough idea of it is but not full...

[LutraLutra]

:grouphug: Alana2000 hope things improve for you soon. :)

[mellie]

My DH had this a few years ago. He lost patches on his head and his chin. I know he got some injections, and since it's all grown back beautifully.

When he wakes up, I'll ask him what the injections were. Please don't fret! After DH's injections, the hair grew back very quickly and looked just as it did before!

[marialena]

My ex husband had exactly the same problem for a period of time. He had bald patches in his head and the doctor told him that it was alopecia caused by stress. He gave him some magnesium pills and vitamins and he told him to avoid to get stressed for any reason. He did exactly what the doctor advised him, ( in fact he left everything back and went for holidays!) and after two months his hair grow back normally.
I have heard from other people too,that had the same problem, that if you don't have any autoimmune disorder, alopecia is usually caused by stress.
I think that it would be good to check out your health in first place. If everything is alright ( and I am sure that are alright otherwise you would have told us here something, but you didn't ) I advice you to relax, sleep well, eat healthy and stop worrying for everything.
Contrary to the believes our hair can saw our mood. My aunt for example became from a brunette a white haired lady in just one night when my uncle died.
So relax and you'll see. Everything will gonna be alright.
And as Gabriel Garcia Marquez wrote in a book.
There is nothing that you can cure if happiness can't do it.

[mellie]

It was stress for my DH as well!

[Tabitha]

I can understand how upset and worried you may be feeling - last summer I had a small patch of what turned out to be stress-related alopecia areata, and it did start to grow back after a few months without the need for a dermatology referral, to my immense relief.

:grouphug: I hope you start getting regrowth very soon!

[mellie]

OK, I asked DH and here's what he did:

-went to the dermatologist
-got steroid injections - these worked well and in a few weeks the hair started growing back normally
-they also gave him a topical cream, but he said that didn't work at all

[Forever_Sophie]

I'm so sorry to hear this. Best wishes to you, and lots of hugs!

[KajiKodomo]

So sorry to hear this! I hope that everything works out for you!

[enfys]

Hopefully if it's down do stress you really can grow it all back just as well as before. I don't know a lot about apolecia, really only what I learnt from Gail Porter (a presenter who lost her hair through it) but there are so many different types that they can't all have the same endng.

Maybe just the relief now of knowing what you are dealing with, and you will little doubt become an expert through reading up on this condition, will help a lot.

And we will all support you whatever the outcome!

[Nynaeve]

For those who have been supporting me throughout my ringworm journey might be interested to know that my family doctor has said its not ringworm at all, that I have Alopecia (sp?).

So I'm not really happy, if it get really bad I may have to sign off here and join another support group, I am hopeful it will grow back in a years time. I'm just sort of in a funk about this, but I'll get over it, I've had short hair before, so a bald head would be strange at first, but I might grow to love it. Failing that, who knows?

I'm so sorry to hear that you are going through this. I hope it clears up soon.

Did your doctor tell you why it is occurring, or does he/she not know yet?

Have you gotten your thyroid checked, and your blood checked for an iron deficiency? Sometimes the answer can be a simple issue like those, and I hope you have a simple solution. :flower:

[Alana2000]

Hello Friends, after searching the web, I believe I have alopecia areata, since I still have a lot of hair, So I am hopefull it will not progress into Alopecia areata totalis, or Alopecia areata universalis.

My doctor did mention that she thought she saw some blond hairs starting to come in, so I guess thats good. I just hope its real hair and not just fuzz, it sucks because I have noticed my circumfrance has really gone down, and now I know why.

All in all I am taking this very well. I do think it is stress, I think mentally I handle stress sort of ok, but my body takes the pounding for it. I guess thats what happens when you let things build up and never let things get out!

Thanks for the support, you guys are very nice. I might post a picture this week just so you all can see what I am taking about.

[marialena]

Would you like to talk about the things that are stressing you? If you share a problem this stops looking so big. It doesn't matter if it seems for you silly or inappropriate to talk about. Sometimes everyday issues, things that we think that if we tell to somebody he/she laugh about them can be very stressful.

I think that it would be better to talk about than think of them. And you'll she that you are not the only one who might has some problems and is a huge relief to know that there are many other people in this world that feel unable to manage these perhaps "small" problems.

But even the real "big" problems can have a solution if you start talking about them.
I don't know if you realize it, but you have talk here about the results of your thoughts. Would you like to discuss about them?

[Alana2000]

Quite honestly, its stress of my own making.

[marialena]

All stresses are somehow our own making.But can make equally sad our lives. If you need to talk to someone about everything that makes you stressed and sad I would be glad to hear you ( I mean read you here of with pm). And please try to relax and think positively dear. :)

[Anje]

I think Marialena might be on to something. It might help you to deal with stress a bit to talk to a counselor. (Lots have sliding fee scales, if there's any issue there.) They might be able to help you find an effective way to cope with stress, might validate that you have every reason to feel stressed and that it's not because of any fault of your own, might just give you a "safe" place to get a bit emotional and release some tension, and might help give you permission to take some time out for yourself. It depends on what you need.

[neon-dream]

You're in my thoughts, and I hope you feel better soon.
:grouphug: :blossom:

[Alana2000]

Thanks again for all the support. I might take your suggestions, and seek some counsel. I just concider myself a rather private person, but that may contribute to the stress.

Who knows, I think I am a relaxed person, like a mentioned before, I "feel" ok mentally, not suicidal/homicidal or anything, but my body gets depressed and angry, its really odd.

I don't like digging up past hurts, but my phycial shell, just reacts, and this new manifestation, the aloepica, is a visual reminder that well, I's gots some issues!! I should be ok though, but maybe a bit lonely. I'm scared to have real life friends.

[Tangles]

Even when people do lose all their hair, it usually grows back (Princess Caroline of Monaco comes to mind). I am sure you're scared, but arming yourself with information and speaking with the appropriate specialists will minimize fear. We're all thinking of you.

[marialena]

Thanks again for all the support. I might take your suggestions, and seek some counsel. I just concider myself a rather private person, but that may contribute to the stress.

Who knows, I think I am a relaxed person, like a mentioned before, I "feel" ok mentally, not suicidal/homicidal or anything, but my body gets depressed and angry, its really odd.

I don't like digging up past hurts, but my phycial shell, just reacts, and this new manifestation, the aloepica, is a visual reminder that well, I's gots some issues!! I should be ok though, but maybe a bit lonely. I'm scared to have real life friends.

Is is completely different thing to have stress and completely different thing to be suicidal. If you have stress that doesn't mean that you are going to kill yourself.

I think you just said the reason of your stress. You scared to have real life friends. And that can be logical if you had friends in the past, that didn't behave well to you or betrayed you.

But it seems that you are feeling lonely, you are lonely, and you're thinking alone..
But is not every person the same with another ( so you can hope that you will find and some persons that can and will be good friends for you) and on the other hand friends is something very important in our lives.

Friendship is the way to share your experiences and so a way to evaluate better the every day problems that may occur. Friendship is basically communication.

If you say that you afraid to have real life friends, you say in fact that you afraid to communicate with people. But if you don't communicate everything that happens in your life it will stay just for you. That seems nice if we talking about nice things that happen in our lives, but what about the sad things of our life?

What you afraid mostly and you don't try new friendships? That you are going to feel sad if you loose someone that you thought is was a friend, or that your "friends" will judge you, for your life style or your mistakes?

In all cases I have to tell you that.
You have always the right to change your opinion, to make mistakes, to be or not to be friend with someone, you have every right to be yourself without afraid the others judges and without judging strictly your self .

In fact if you don't "play" you will never know if the game was good for you.

Instead of trying to find counseling it would be better to get out to the real world and try to find some friends who would like you for the person that you are and that will be available to hear from you, about you, your life, your old and new mistakes, your fears and your expectations from life.

And believe me you will feel much better.
:)

[Alana2000]

Thanks for the suggestions on friendships.

[SimplyLonghair]

Just always know that we are here for you. :grouphug: I work with someone that has alopecia universalis totalis, she lost it all after her DD was born. It isn't the end of the world. No matter what. In most cases it does grow back. :)

[hennared]

Alana -

I have been experiencing hair loss for about a year now (more diffuse than yours, but I lost a LOT of hair). I find a lot of support on this site:

http://www.womenshairlossproject.com

there is a board there one can sign up on. It might not be 'right' for you - some of the women there have major hair loss, and that can be frightening to read about! - but everyone I've conversed with in writing there has been wonderful and so supportive. It has helped me to not feel alone. I've learned some things there about potential causes and such.

I wish you good growing!

[Alana2000]

HI Everyone, just made an album on my profile for all to see whats up with my head. I was kind of shocked by them, the camera makes it look worse then it is I think, Ah well, it makes for an interesting discussion doesn't it?

[ravenreed]

Okay, I will be honest. I can see why the hair loss worries you. I hope it grows back quickly! I have a half dollar sized bald spot from surgery many years ago, but it is on the side and as long as I am careful, it doesn't really show.

About stress and physical symptoms... my mom is one of the most low key people I know. However, she is not good at dealing with stress when it happens and everything turns into physical symptoms with her. She gets physically ill, especially since she is often kind of unaware of her underlying emotional state. I don't know if this is the case for you, but if it is, counseling might offer some help.

[StarShine]

Hi Alana :)

I'm sorry you're going through this and very sorry you're feeling lonely. I have problems and fears of making real life friends as well, and my hair falls out when I get stressed. Heck, we even have the same hair type and almost color, weird.

I'm not sure what you've done to help your hair loss, I haven't read your back story. Have you tried using essential oils or other natural remedies? I've had a lot of success with EOs. You can make your own, or buy a premixed product like Moonchasers oil blend, but I'm not sure if she still sells it. More info here http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/herbsvitaminsek/a/Alopecia.htm

I've also had good results from a product called Folligen made by SkinBiology.com and from taking hair growth vitamins. Skinbiology.com has a forum with a section on hair and you can talk directly to the doctor who makes their products. You might find some good info and support there.

I hope that helps a bit. Take care.