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Bald patches began at age seven. Cortisone shots directly into the patches worked temporarily. When patches came back around age nine I was treated with: more shots in scalp, Topsyn ointment and also fluorescent light treatments. Eventually all of my hair fell out. By age 15 I was asked to participate in the Minoxidil study. I used it at (what is now considered to be) 100x current market strength. It did not work for me. By age 17 my eyebrows fell out. By age 23 my eyelashes, once lush and long, also fell out. Half of my mons is also bald--the rest is pale blonde and thin. I have transparent hair growth under my armpits and shave it off once every ten days or so. I haven't shaved my legs since I was thirteen. I am now 41 years old, married, and have two children who do not have this disease. I wear a wig, and every day is hell for me because it is not comfortable. I just want my hair to grow back, once and for all, so I can feel normal again. I have never settled and gotten used to this, but I've made the best of it from what I have.

I'm 32 and I've had 4 battles with Alopecia Areata. Every time something major happens I begin to start loosing a patch of hair. First, when I made a huge move across country and left all my family, a spot started. (pretty scary) since it was the first time. The second time, I was in some financial problems, and again it started. The second times, I had deaths in the family a few years apart, and again, the patches came up. It's a horrible feeling to have a full head of hair, and then all the sudden a small little patch starts and you start praying that it stops or doesn't get that big. Currently, I have two huge spots on the back of my head that barely have any fuzz at all. In fact, some of the grey hairs stayed, and the brown didn't. Weird. I'm not on any medications since the other times it grew back fairly quickly (6-9 months), but I think I'm going to find something this time since their much bigger than before.

I am a 50 yr old female having had a radical hysterectomy almost exactly one year ago. I had experienced alopecia areata when I was 10 years old, due to a stressful emotional experience. My parents had divorced. I had steroidal treatments consisting of creams and painful injections in the scalp, which did not help. I regrew my hair on my own, but it did take a year. I had healthy hair up until a few weeks ago when I tried to stop taking my estrogen, (hormone replacement) and also experienced yet another stressful emotional episode. I lost a lot of my hair under my existing hair I went to the dermatologist once again to get the same treatment. It is helping somewhat. I have some growth under my existing hair. Autoimmune disorders are extremely hard to pinpoint. I am trying to now to be more positive and not worry about the small stuff and hopefully my hair loss will not be permanent. My suggestion to others who have experienced areata recently is it will take time to regrow your hair back, try to be patient. I am doing my best and pray every day to be at peace.

My alopecia first started two months before I conceived my son who is now 5 years old. My hair grew faster after I had my son. I used an ointment and herbal oils, which also helped a lot. There were times when I oiled my hair whenever I had to wash, so every two days or so. After giving birth and weaning my son, I got cortisone shots when the hairless patches recurred. Whenever I would have a disagreement with my husband over something, my scalp became itchy, the hairless patches appeared again. Recently when we were at the verge of a divorce, I had four hairless patches. I saw a dermatologist, and he gave me the cortisone shots again, it stimulated the hair growth. He also gave me an ointment that soothes my scalp. I think alopecia areata is mainly related to emotional stress. I am trying to be positive, and have become more close to God by praying regularly. That helps me calm down and release my stress. I hope someone can benefit from this.

I am a 22-year-old woman who has had signs of alopecia areata since the age of 4. I only had it for a year or two, my parents told me, but then it disappeared until high school when I began losing and re-growing one small patch on the front of my head. In my second year of university, I lost so much hair that I had to start wearing a wig. I tried many treatments, but the only thing that worked for me effectively was minoxidil treatment (Rogaine). I encourage everyone with alopecia areata to try an extra-strength solution of Rogaine, which is 5% in strength. After six weeks of using it, I began to grow peach fuzz on most of my balding spots. I had extensive hair loss, so it took me a couple of years before I could go without a wig. Just be patient, and it may come to work for you also.