Alapecia...Ever heard of it or know of anyone who has it?
By cathiesblogg
@cathiesblogg (753)
United States
4 responses
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
30 Aug 07
I heard of it, but never knew someone who had it. My sister-in-law has thinning hair, and fine hair, and she keeps it cut short. I did see a Tv show about it, and I often wondered whether it was stress that caused it or whether it was inherited. I do hope she got treatment for it.
@clarey (1)
•
22 Nov 08
i noticed about 8weeks ago, when running my fingers through my hair id got a bald patch, i thought it was down to hair colour. but i was that upset i got myself checked out at the doctors who t hen said it was alapecia, at that point i'd never heard of it and found it quite upsetting when the doctor told me what could happen. i'm only 27. the docs told me thast there is no cure for it and thats it was probably caused by stress. m ypartners aunty also has it, but hers goes then a couple of weeks later grows back and starts again some place else. i was told to go to my local herbalists Armstrongs. and try vitimin tabs called hair vit. ive been taking them now for about 2 months and they havent changed a thing. i started with 3 patches underneath and it took me a while to go to my local hairdressers, w hen i finally plucked up the courage to g o they found another 2 very small patches they are coverd at the moment but for how long i don't know. my head and scalp is very flakey and dry and sometimes the patches itch and burn. ive been told that there was fine hairs growing in them but they have gone again and when combing my hair in the sink short pieces of hair fall out like broke off and dry skin falls out like dandruff. a nd if you run your fingers through your hair you can feel short spikey bits all over your head. i'm due to get married nxt august and fine it very stressing wondering if im gonna be bald bty then. could do with a little advice.
@JoyfulOne (6231)
• United States
8 Sep 07
Yes, I've known women who have had it. One gal had it develop just after the birth of her first child, (many, many years ago...25+) and she remained bald for the rest of her life. Another gal developed it at around the age of 40. Both of them wore wigs their whole life because of it. The wigs they got were totally natural looking and you would have never known just by looking at them. My youngest daughter has had alopecial of the eyebrows since she was 13...she is now 28. This year she went and had the eyebrow transplants. (They take hair from other areas and transplant it to the eyebrow areas.) She had it done about 8 months ago, or so, and she is very extremely pleased at the outcome. They are very natural looking, more natural than the eyebrow penciling that she has relied upon for all those years!
I had a one year alopecia myself, but that was from chemotherapy. Yes, it is devastating when the eyebrows and eyelashes, as well as our crown of hair, comes out. Wigs can cover our heads, but the eyebrow and eyelash loss is different to contend with. I was fortunate that mine all grew back in time. Please tell your friend that if this is a permanent alopecia, there are cosmetic surgeons that can do absolute wonders with eyebrow and eyelash transplants. I know it's pricey, but I would have rather lived with wigs and then spent the money on the eyelash transplant (if it was a permanent alopecia.) Wigs are not noticable, eyebrows are moot...yet the loss of eyelashes are one thing that people DO notice. My heart goes out to your girlfriend, I remember and can sympathize with her.
@cathiesblogg (753)
• United States
8 Sep 07
this is some great info on this...I think she did mention having her eye brows tatoo'd on..she has absolutly no hair at all..her wig doesn't look all that bad..she got one that has suction cups inside ..but she said that it really makes her head itch so bad..the last time that I saw her she didn't wear any eye brows or eye lashes..she looked sad..I'm really happy for you and your daughter for the way that both of you handled it..
