Comments on: New to Website, But Not To Hair Loss – Joanne’s Story

By: Stine

Stine — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 09:25:29 +0000

Tamara, I feel you. I am only 21 and have androgenic alopecia most likely. I live in constant fear that I will be forever alone and curse nature every day for bringing this upon me, especially THIS early. I ask God every day that if he had to give me hair loss, why can’t he wait until I’m at least 40 and married. No man will want me now 🙁

By: Tamara Lee

Tamara Lee — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 15:05:17 +0000

I am so happy that I have been able to find this website. But also deeply saddened about my conidition, because I feel like its no hope. I have recently been diagnosed with scarring alopecia, and I am 32 years old. I am in the process of different treatments, and I still have a nice amount of hair, but in the front my hair is barely hanging on and , and I have thinning at the top of my head and patches appearing. I keep trying to deal myself that it could be much worse, but Im losing hope. I was always the female that could wear my hair long or short. I recently decided to go natural last year, after years of relaxers. My issue is I am single with no kids, and worried that I will not be accepted my a man with this condition, not to mention I want my hair back!!!! Im in tears while I type this because I dont understand whats happening. I am healthy in all area that I know of, but just wish there was a solution.

By: Julie

Julie — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 22:56:46 +0000

Hi Ladies,
I stumbled across this website when I clicked on a hair loss link advertised on Facebook. I am new to my hair loss journey as I was just recently diagnosed with Lichen Planopilaris (scarring alopecia). I am not only faced with permanent hair loss but it is also quite painful.
I am trying to tell myself and my loved ones that it is only hair, I am lucky that I don’t have a disease that is going to kill me….some days I believe it but other days I am devastated and in a panic. I am going through good days and bad. On the good days I believe that maybe I’ll be lucky and my health will improve before all my hair falls out and on the bad days I feel so ugly and disgusting and hopeless.
My biggest worry is how my husband is going to feel about me when I am bald. We have only been married a year and a half. I was healthy and beautiful the day he married me and within a month my health took a nose dive. Of course he is a wonderful man, says he will love me anyway.
I hope I will be able to find comfort in this website. Reading what others are going through will make me realize that I am not the only one going through this nightmare but also it is a little frightening to know how devastating it is for others as I am sure it will be for me.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 09:12:17 +0000

Dear Joanne (and all),

I can’t explain what it feels like to read your testimony, I was diagnosed with Rhumatoid Athritis 4 years ago, I’ve been steadily loosing my hear since and even more so with my latest treatment. I’m “luckky” enough that the shedding is even all over, but I’ll be looking into wig options after the holiday season as I’m hoping to make the wig transition before the hair loss is too visible. I’m having a very hard time getting my head sorted about this, but I’m hoping that already having the wig sorted will help as dealing with RA, single mum, full time work, it’s already enough for me. Thank you so much for wirtting your story, best of luck 🙂

By: Mira

Mira — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 09:52:05 +0000

PS Did I mention the trauma of going to the hairdressers? I moved to a new city a few months ago and went for the first time today. Everyone was so kind and tactful that I seriously overtipped!

By: Mira

Mira — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 09:41:40 +0000

Joanne and everyone else, Thanks for your stories! I’ve returned to this site after many years and it is total therapy to be able to read everyone’s stories and share the emotional rollercoaster that is hair loss.
Regi, I too am in my late thirties and my hair loss has accelerated since the birth of my little girl. I feel I cannnot hide it any more and need to go down the path of wearing hair. I saw some great wigs a few months ago but was told that I would need to cut my hair very short in order to get a good fit and still haven’t been able to bring myself to do that as that will be the final farewell to my bio hair ( I like that term, as opposed to ‘real’ hair which implies that a wig/any other solution is not!). A recent photo taken on a sunny day with my family has prompted me to pull my head out of the sand, re discover this site, and also seriously begin the research on getting a good wig ( I live in South Asia so would probably look for places in Europe). I need to accept that a decent wig is going to look way better than my current combover! It is ridiculous for a grown woman to wear a hair clip just to keep a few strands in place!
When I look back on the last 18 years of my life, I can’t say I haven’t enjoyed them, they’ve been good, but there has always been a constant fear/doubt/paranioa about how my hair looks. Looking at someone’s eyes when they chat with you to see if they are looking at your scalp, terror at a sharp gust of wind, casing out a restaurant in order to avoid the seat with the most overhead lighting, sitting in the shade on a sunny day, feeling like an idiot wearing a head scarf while swimming in the sea and panicking at the wave that’s gonna knock it off, etc etc. I know you will understand. If I am lucky enough to have another 38 years of life, I’d like to enjoy them fully without worrying about the presence/absence of some Keratin on my head.
Much love to everyone on this site, you’ve helped to keep me centred today!

By: Lace

Lace — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 04:04:21 +0000

Just a quick reply to Regi above: you mentioned that you were on antidepressants. They can cause hair loss. Have you spoken about your hair loss to your pdoc?

By: Regi

Regi — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 23:58:36 +0000

Hi,
I just found this site and after reading all your stories I feel like I’ve finally found a place where I can share my fears. When I was 20 my hair started to thin and ever since I have had a very obvious part (at least to me). So I’ve been living with this for 18 years and felt like it was ok, as long as it wouldn’t get any worse I could manage. Now 4 months ago I started school again full time, I’m taking care of 2 kids and my husband is working long hours. I want to become a teacher but I’m already afraid that my future students are going to call me “baldy” or other names. I’ve been losing hair left and right and my doctor told me it was the stress, but I’m caught in a Catch22. Each hair that falls out (and there is a lot) pushes me down another spiral of panic and anxiety and I can hardly function anymore, so the stress is unmanageable. Everybody I tell says “oh, it’s not bad…” but I can see it. I can almost feel the hairs seperating from my scalp and it’s EVERYWHERE. I’m already on antidepressants, but I just want to curl up in bed and forget about the world. I’m afraid it’s really affecting all aspects of my life. Will it ever get better? I don’t know. I would like to look into getting a wig, but where can you get one that doesn’t look too fake? I live in Ohio and would be willing to drive anywhere for a good one.

By: DevastatedMe

DevastatedMe — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 17:38:51 +0000

Joanne – I loved reading your post! I applaud you for writing to Y, the wonderful WHLP Admin, and telling your story. I love seeing new people find this website!!! This was literally my life-line. I googled hair loss until my eyes popped out. This is THE only site that I could feel comfortable sharing, sobbing, showing, and seeing my way through HL. I have learned soooo much about HL and moving on, and could not have even gotten out of the fetal position if it wasn’t for this site.

Not to say that I’m cured… There is no cure to my HL, but emotionally, I’m totally rebuilding, and physically, I’ll get there too. This site had given me a sisterhood like no other. I can’t tell any of my “organic” friends or family about my HL. I feel ostracized, an outcast, defective, a woman that can’t grow her own hair. How Freaking Depressing!!!! But, I can tell my “virtual” sisters and friends about everything!! And, I can even meet up with people in my city with the same affliction. This site IS the best for me.

Welcome to the network, post all of your questions!!! There is sooooo much knowledge on here, that I feel like we all need the Dr. abbreviation before our names . Dr. Living Your Life, Dr. AGA, Dr. Supplemental Hair, Dr. Moving on, Dr. Happy, Dr. Acceptance, and you get my drift!!!

Let’s move forward together!

By: Beth S.

Beth S. — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 15:28:34 +0000

We can all relate to Joane’s story. I especially identified with the husband’s reaction as my husband keeps telling me that my hair loss is “all in my mind” even though I can barely cover my scalp anymore and that I look “perfectly fine”. I think this occurs for two reasons, and one is that men truly don’t notice certain things like a mess in the kitchen, or a new lipstick, hairstyle, outfit, etc. It is funny though, that they can spot a new scratch or dent you made in the car from a mile away! I call this phenomenon “male pattern blindness: — LOL! The second reason may be that your spouse may just be at a loss as to how to respond to your despair, after all it is not something he can fix, so he tells you that you still “look fine” and I really believe that to him, you probably do! I know it is sometimes infuriating, but we should at least be grateful that they are not the shallow creatures we sometimes think they are!

And speaking of shallow, the best thing for me about this site, is realizing that my emotions surrounding hair loss seem to be both normal and universal. I also have chastised myself for being so “superficial” as like you said, its not like you’ve lost an arm or a leg, yet apparently I am no more vain than anyone else — it is devastating for all of us.