I recently found a bald spot! I need some advice :(

[egoddess]

Hi LHC'ers,

This is my first time posting, however, I've been lurking on these forums for quite a number of days now and everything I've read has been totally life changing for me! So first of all: thanks guys!

About a week and a half ago I was inspecting my hair and noticed an area, about the size of an Australian 5 cent coin, on my head that was completely void of hair.The rest of my hair is normal (pretty thick) it's just that one spot that looks so oddly bald and the scalp is very pink. Needless to say, I had a mini panic attack and cried for about an hour :(, but resolved to see the doctor the next morning.

My doctor basically took a quick look at it and told me I most likely had a fungal infection, and told me to go buy a basic anti-fungal cream and use it on any spots that are itchy. So that's basically what I have been doing since then.

I guess this all started when I decided to start washing my hair every second day, start exercising daily, and letting my hair air-dry. I'd go for a jog after work (during extremely hot Australian summer heat) come back home and take a cool shower, I'd wash and condition one day, then just condition the next. I also started to leave my hair to air dry naturally, but it would still sweat after the shower as the temperature here is pretty hot at the moment and I don't have an air conditioner. My scalp started to get very itchy during this time and i was shedding ALOT. Logically, I suppose this is when all the fungus/germs/whatever started breeding on my scalp?

Since then I've switched back to my daily hair washing routine and the shedding has normalised (usually 15-20 hairs a day) and the itchiness has completely stopped. My hair is still pretty thick (10cm circumference), but that blaringly obvious bald spot has made me very self conscious and I've started pinning my fringe back over it, even though it's covered by my side part.

I'm just blow drying my scalp now on a medium heat and leaving the ends wet, but I'm so disappointed that I can't cut blow drying completely out of my routine.

I'd really like to know if anyone else has experienced this before? I really want to stop blow drying my hair but i'm too scared too let it air dry incase I get the fungal infection (if that's what it even was) again. Is blow drying just the scalp still going to damage my hair? Do you guys even think it was a fungal infection or could I be going bald? I'm so upset!! :(

Thanks for reading, and sorry for the essay!

[freckles]

Hi,
I don't have any information or experience on fungal infections, I'm afraid. But I wanted to come and offer some support.
I found a bald patch when I was 13. It's about the size of a British 10p coin. I don't do Australian coinage so I'm not sure how that compares to yours. I was MORTIFIED, though. There was nothing else weird about the skin, and I was far too embarrassed to tell anyone, especially a doctor. I did some internet reading and that just suggested to me that it was localised alopecia, and might grow back in a couple of years.
Well, it's never grown back. On the plus side, it's also never gotten any bigger. I've become slightly more confident about it. I'm able to tell my family, my boyfriend, and close friends, and my hairdresser. I still can't let my hair get too greasy because then the hair will go 'piecy' and the bald spot can be seen. Every time I do my hair I do a 'bald spot check' to make sure it's not on display, and sometimes get a friend to do it too. It can be tough and make me feel like a bit of a freak, so try not to stress too much about the blowdrying. It might not be optimal for your hair, but sometimes you have to do whatever you can to feel a bit more confident in yourself.

big big hugs. I hope it clears up, but honestly, if it doesn't, it's not the end of the world. I have a permanent bald spot and I'm still damn pretty ;) My boyfriend thinks so too, and my friends who know about it never even give it a second thought. Like every other thing people are self-conscious about regarding their body, it probably matters more to you than it does to anyone else!

Honestly my biggest problem right now is that I really want a full fringe (bangs) and I can't get them because the parting would be on my bald spot :p And after 7 years of this damn bald spot, I'm comfortable to have that rant to anyone who will listen! :lol:

:hug:

[Tabitha]

Hi there!

Take a deep breath and don't panic. :grouphug:

The little bald spot could be there for a variety of reasons but I'll tell you my own experience.

I had a little bald patch appear last summer, all of a sudden as I was washing my fringe (bangs) a whole lot of hairs all came out together.

Long story short my doctor told me it was alopecia areata and that it could be due to stress (I had recently had my handbag stolen, and was having housing-related problems too). She said she would refer me to a dermatologist if it didn't get better within a couple of months and said they might do local steroid injections but that this didn't always work.

Fortunately after a few months it did start to fill in again. (If you want to read more/see a photo, here's the thread I started (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=11051) - like you, I panicked and got quite upset).

However, this may not be what you're experiencing since I had no itching and the skin was very white (and shiny! not even downy hair there).

I don't personally believe that blowdryers, used sensibly, are evil, especially if you use a gentle setting.

[Anje]

If the doctor thinks it's fungal, it might be what's commonly called ringworm, which is the same thing as athlete's foot. Your shower habits might have contributed if your scalp's always damp, but more likely a fungus that happens to be all over happened to get to your scalp. It happens, and following the doctor's treatment is a good way to go. Heck, I managed to get a small spot of it on my stomach once, and I can guarantee you that it's not an overly damp place!

I don't think you necessarily have to keep blowdrying your roots, once the infection's cleared up. But you might want to try to let your hair airdry loose, so it dries quicker. Disinfecting your combs would probably make a bigger difference, so you don't reinfect yourself.

[Arctic]

Hi LHC'ers,

This is my first time posting, however, I've been lurking on these forums for quite a number of days now and everything I've read has been totally life changing for me! So first of all: thanks guys!

About a week and a half ago I was inspecting my hair and noticed an area, about the size of an Australian 5 cent coin, on my head that was completely void of hair.The rest of my hair is normal (pretty thick) it's just that one spot that looks so oddly bald and the scalp is very pink. Needless to say, I had a mini panic attack and cried for about an hour :(, but resolved to see the doctor the next morning.

My doctor basically took a quick look at it and told me I most likely had a fungal infection, and told me to go buy a basic anti-fungal cream and use it on any spots that are itchy. So that's basically what I have been doing since then.

I guess this all started when I decided to start washing my hair every second day, start exercising daily, and letting my hair air-dry. I'd go for a jog after work (during extremely hot Australian summer heat) come back home and take a cool shower, I'd wash and condition one day, then just condition the next. I also started to leave my hair to air dry naturally, but it would still sweat after the shower as the temperature here is pretty hot at the moment and I don't have an air conditioner. My scalp started to get very itchy during this time and i was shedding ALOT. Logically, I suppose this is when all the fungus/germs/whatever started breeding on my scalp?

Since then I've switched back to my daily hair washing routine and the shedding has normalised (usually 15-20 hairs a day) and the itchiness has completely stopped. My hair is still pretty thick (10cm circumference), but that blaringly obvious bald spot has made me very self conscious and I've started pinning my fringe back over it, even though it's covered by my side part.

I'm just blow drying my scalp now on a medium heat and leaving the ends wet, but I'm so disappointed that I can't cut blow drying completely out of my routine.

I'd really like to know if anyone else has experienced this before? I really want to stop blow drying my hair but i'm too scared too let it air dry incase I get the fungal infection (if that's what it even was) again. Is blow drying just the scalp still going to damage my hair? Do you guys even think it was a fungal infection or could I be going bald? I'm so upset!! :(

Thanks for reading, and sorry for the essay!

I don't have any concretic advice but I offer my sympathy to you :flower: I currently have also an almost bald spot due to trichotillomania (hair pulling) and I also paniced when I saw it first time (and second, lol!). I also have experience a considerable hair loss once in my life in my early twenties, that left me with visible scalp and very thin hair -- but it did grow back! And you know, I can't remember a single person mentioning it to me or asking about it, people, if they noticed, didn't show it at all. Only the friends and family I had talked about it with said sometimes something and offered suggestions, but it was all in a encouraging and sympathetic.

When I came to LHC and started to experiment with different methods of haircare, my scalp frieked out. I have sensitive, oily scalp and acneprone skin. Oiling made my scalp breakout (even if I oiled just the ends, oil travels up the hair shafts). Some oils were worst than others. I have found olive oil and shea butter the best ones for me, but I am very careful with even them and mostly use them as pre-shampoo treatment. This way I have noticed my scalp doesn't get irritated.

I need to avoid putting conditioner near my scalp, it irritates it and gives me dandruff (which is fungal activity).

CO-washing made my scalp a mess for a looong time, it started to break out and was itchy and I lost more hair than usual. It took a long time for it to come back to normal after quitting CO.

My scalp needs shampoo, sulfate shampoo. Undiluted. :eyebrows: Yeah it's a rebel here in LHC! I have been able to stretch my washing to every other day, any more than that, I start to get itchiness and scalp acne.

One thing I have noticed to be THE BEST thing for my scalp, has been aloe vera mixed with some calming essentital oils. I have used both aloe juice and gel, both work, gel is easier to apply. I think lavender EO has proved itself to be best for calming my scalp, I also use rosemary and occasionally tea tree oils. I mix them in my hand after wash and apply when my hair is still wet. I gently massage the mix in my scalp and don't rinse out. This has made my scalp so happy and I haven't had any dandruff problems after I started it over year ago! My scalp has never been happier!

I think it's okay for you to dry your scalp hair with low setting after wash, you hair is very thick and the natural drying probably takes you hours, so I can see that contributing to the fungal infection.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[loyaboya]

I also have alopecia areata and it was initially misdiagnosed as a fungal infection. You should know if you don't see regrowth in 2 weeks or so. If it is alopecia, I do think the most likely culprit may be stress. Ever since I've been diagnosed I've refused to get seriously stressed and I've focused more on having a healthy diet. I really think those things have helped the most. So... no magic pill but there is still hope :) I had several little spots earlier this year (penny to quarter sized) and they are all growing back.

Good luck!

[Delila]

Years and years ago, my dad's hairdresser persuaded him to try a shampoo better than the Breck he'd been using, and the diffuse thinness that he'd thought was inevitable got much better. He did have a thinner spot, but it was much thicker than it had been, and stayed that way until more recent years. (He's 80 now, I'm assuming some thinning is normative for our family, considering what I know of other people's hair types)

[egoddess]

Oh my gosh thanks so much for the replies and encouragement! Hugs to you all!!

I guess I forgot to mention I have been overly stressed recently as well... I just found out my dad has prostate cancer and by nature I am a very emotional person so I didn't handle it well at first. I'm doing alot better now and visit him every weekend - and to be honest for a 79 year old man you wouldn't even be able to tell anything was wrong with him, he's still full of enegry!

My hairloss could have been the result of an infection, or stress or both. I'll just wait and see, but hopefully it all grows back... but if it doesn't I guess it's not the end of the world, I just have to focus on happy things, which is what I've been trying to do.

Again, thanks!

[piratejenny23]

hi,
2 things came to mind (aside from nutrition etc)

Castor oil really seems to help stimulate hair follicles, as well as keep new hair from falling out. i have been applying to my eyelash lines for a couple of months, and not only are my lashes much longer but i have extra rows of lashes sprouting out!

Sulfur treatments are an oil-fashioned baldness remedy, popular worldwide. I don't know if you can get this specific product, but Shapley's MTG is an amazing product that often cures mysterious, stubborn skin problems that don't respond to various medications and that doctors can't figure out. If MTG is not available in your area, you may be able to make your own concoction--sulfur powder is usually not too difficult to buy.

(oooh i wonder how castor oil & sulfur would work together? that could be an amazing combo!)

Sorry to hear about your distress. Good luck with that hair growing back :)

[Autumnberry]

I'm so sorry that you are going through this thing! I like to use a sulfate shampoo on my scalp (with my ends coated with conditioner) at least once a week to give my scalp a good clean. My scalp is always very oily. I know someone with an oily scalp who completely eliminated sulfate shampoos and lost a 2 cm circle of hair a couple of months later. They were using some natural shampoos which contained large amounts of sugars. They used fungal (and hydrocortisone) treatments, and all the hair grew back after about six weeks. I would guess that it was a fungal infection, but I can't be sure. Give it a month or so, do the doctor's fungal treatment, and don't worry, it will come back!

[Vivien']

Hi ! Sorry to hear about that. I found one almost one year ago (due to alopecia areata) and it was quite big. The doctor told me to wait and eventually it will regrow. After some months, I saw it grow bigger. Then, I found a recipe of essential oils which I applied every on the spot.
Now, it's mostly regrown. I really cannot say if it is because of the oils, but I have a result. The area is still thin, but I expect it to become thicker in the next months.

Conclusion : if it's alopecia areata, just be patient, and try essential oils treatment (I give the composition below). Good luck !

Essential oils treatment
cedarwood (2 drops), 
lavender (3 drops), 
rosemary (3 drops) 
thyme (2 drops), carrier oil mix of jojoba oil (1/2 teaspoon) and grapeseed oil (4 teaspoons)

[egoddess]

Essential oils treatment
cedarwood (2 drops), 
lavender (3 drops), 
rosemary (3 drops) 
thyme (2 drops), carrier oil mix of jojoba oil (1/2 teaspoon) and grapeseed oil (4 teaspoons)

Thanks! I'll definitely be trying that! I've wanted to try oiling my scalp ever since I discovered these forums, and I've noticed the essential oils you listed are mentioned quite a bit in the oiling recipes.

Autumnberry my scalp/skin is VERY oily too. If I wash my hair in the morning, by night time my fringe will already be well oiled - It's very disappointing but at least we don't get dandruff ;) I will have to keep in mind your comments about sulphate... I recently bought a brand of shampoo and conditioner that has no silicones and no sulphate but this may not be good for my scalp!

[Barbie Diamond]

This may sound paranoid, but before getting my hands anywhere close to my hair, I always was my hands especially after touching some other part of my body from my waist to my feet (even in the shower) or my shoes or anything in a bathroom or any garbage or any animimal.

The scalp is the perfect breeding ground for many bad things.

[Gvnagitlvgei]

I'm experimenting with the MTG now but the smell. It truly is like burnt bacon. I'm wondering if there is an essential oil I can add to mask it somewhat. But my scalp is rather scaly (yeah, gross) in the crown area and I constantly scratch it, leading to broken and thinned hair. It sucks. So I'm trying the MTG to get rid of the skin problem that was probably caused by a relaxer application initially. It does feel like something is in my scalp, though...rather warm and massaged-feeling. I hope I get 3-5 days change and up towards 3 inches in a month lol. Well, it is possible with me to get that...it's just very cold where I live now. I hate crown area thinning.