Conditions
Alopecia
When presenter Gail Porter lost much of her hair because of alopecia she refused to wear a hat or wig, deciding instead to maintain a public profile and raise awareness of the condition. Alopecia is an autoimmune hair loss disease that affects 1 in 100 people, and can strike men, women or children of any age. The onset of hair loss is often sudden, random and recurrent, and can lead to either patchy or complete loss of hair on the scalp or body. The notoriously familiar male/female pattern baldness is another form of the condition. There is no single cause – it can be hereditary or genetic, the result of trauma or stress, or even medication. However, people who have had eczema, asthma or a thyroid disease are more prone to the condition. There is no known cure or proven therapy to induce hair re-growth, but there are various treatments available. Hair loss isn’t damaging to health, but it can prove challenging.
+++UPDATE+++
In the episode first broadcast on 13th May 2009, an over the counter product called Minoxidil was recommended for Caroline’s treatment – which is sold under the product name of ‘Regaine for Men’.
Always seek advice from your doctor, as people suffer with different types of alopecia and different treatments are available, although not always effective.
Watch the Live from the Clinic interactive case video on alopecia >
If your child is suffering from alopecia, read the special kids guide to the condition.
Watch 12 year old Lauren get a weft fitted in the Clinic Consultation: Alopecia video.
Comments and Questions
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Please note: Unfortunately Channel 4 cannot respond to individual inquiries. If you have any concerns, you can check out NHS Choices, but ultimately it is always best to check with a health professional.
Iam 37 and go the hairdressers every 6 weeks,when i went 3 weeks ago she told me i had a bald patch and suggested i see my doctor, i did and he sent me for blood tests that have come back clear. I have not been stressed and there seems no explaination to why this has happened. I have another appointment at the doctors in 2 days so i do not know whats going to happen. The patch is now larger and luckily it is on the back of my head half way down so i can hide it with hair fromover the top but if the loss continues it will be noticable. Im self concious about this and hope the doctor can help.
hello im 23 male n iv got a problem the last year or so my hair has been fallin out of my head n nw u can start to notiest it more If I go n touch my hair it falls out a get like a inchy feeling sometimes on my head n im startin to go bald it lacking my confordence im feeling stressed because of it .what can. I do to stop it falling out and regrow my hair again
Hi I'm a 27 year old lady, I have suffered with alopecia since I was 12 years old. I have learnt to deal with it but still have down days when I get new patches. I normally have 2 to 3 patches, they always grow back but then a new patch will appear... It is something I have learned to cover when I can and I have a great support network around me with my family and friends who will all ways help me through the bad days. I would love to know if there is anything I can do to say good bye to this forever as it has provident me in the past from living the life I wanted and still today when the wind blows my hair I panic and hold my head. Any news, treatment or help would be most appropriated.
Hi, I've had alopecia for 11 months I've tried creams, and the shots atleast 7 months ago but nothing is working. I recently started school so everyone stares, and laughs but I can't take it anymore. My dermatologist told me it came from stress but when all of this happened I wasn't stressed at the slightest so I got blood work done, and I don't have a autoimmune disease either. Why will my hair not grow back I've tried everything so I'm wondering if this will never stop or does Gos just want me to kill myself.
I was the same, i've tried creams and everything. I'm 16 years old and I've had it since i was 14. The doctor told me it was stress but i couldn't understand why because i wasn't stressed about anything. It still gets me down sometimes but I figure the best thing you can do is get on with it. If people liked you for you then they wouldn't care if you had alopecia or not
Iam a 45year old male with male pattern baldness(most on top of head.I would like to try REGAINE FOAM,but i suffer from high blood pressure(take 5mg of lisinipril daily).Iam a non-smoker,but is it safe to use/try
Hi my name is Josslyn, I wanted to ask about my various conditions I have alopecia areata had it for 6 months I ve lost about 70% and still coming out I also have excess hair on my face and body, IBS, frequent kidney infections as well, I ve had all the blood test done seen two dermatologists they will not give me treatment for my hair loss as it is growing back very slowly, My hair is coming out in clumps all the time and i can't help but feel there is a connection with my other conditions but I can't get my doctor to look into why or try and help me figure out why I have all these problems at 26
My hair started falling out in october last year, first as with many other people it was a teeny patch, within 6 weeks this had quadrupled in size and the rest of my hair was thinnig dramtically. By end of January this year only about 10% of my hair left, invested in a wig and it's really helped my confidence, looks natural to those who didn't know me before and people have been really supportive at work as so much hair had gone it was obviously a wig. Had all the blood tests, no medical causes and so far remaining hair still falling out. Trying not to worry about it spreading to eyebrows etc in case that makes it worse. has also led to me paying for counselling as GP very useless about how low i felt as a result, said i was moderately depressed and sent me away with a website to look at and no instruction to return. It's helping but really can't help wondering why this has happened. Will try iron tablets after reaing other posts , but really recommend a wig as a way of being able to look in the mirror
im 17, i was diognosed with alopecia last noverember, when i first got it i thought it was the end of the world i cried every night about it. when it first come i went straight to my doctor it started of only a small patch the doctor gave me steriod cream to apply to it twice a day, it did nothing. i went back to my doctor and the only advice he could give me was 'time, you will have to wait as there is no cure' as a month went on, the patch got worst another one came next to it and after a while it all joined into one big one at the back of my head, then i got another little patch at the front of my head, it slowly got bigger i cant have my hair down but luckily i can cover all my patches by putting it up just about, around this time i spoke to a trichologist, she gave me so much advise, mainly just the little things that have helped so much. start taking zinc tables, do not drink tea or coffee after taking this tablet as the stuff in them distroys the tablet. i now take zinc and iron tablets every night before i go bed. my hair isnt back but recently i have had re growth on the patch at the back, it has fine hair on it like baby hair. i think it is a sign of improvment and i may be geting somewhere. only thing i would advise it stop stressing about it all i did was stress and it got worse, take zinc and iron its meant to be good for it,and CHILL OUT.
I too have been taking zinc supplements, ginkgo biloba to help blood supply to my scalp, horsetail herb three times a day(contains silica) purposefully not stressing, so doing things that relax me and I am seeing re-growth. I have also been taking Chinese herbal remedies. I am feeling more positive than I have done since I noticed the first patch in January. Hope his might offer some considerations because for me so far so good.
I am a 25 year old female and a year ago I noticed a small bald patch just behind my right ear. I was absolutely devastated, and thought I would be going bald. I have thich long dark hair, which I usually feel very proud of. I immediately called the health care center, but the nurse would not take me seriously and I had to struggle to get a doctors appointment. When I finally got to the doctor, he took me seriously. He asked me alot of questions, had my blood tested and refered me to a dermatologist. By the time I got to the dermatologist the spot had increased by approximately 50% to its original size, and was about 2 inch diameter. The dermatologist told me I had alopecia areata, and that the spot still might grow, and I might develop more spots, and that there was no cure for it. The spot grew slightly more over the summer, but by fall it had stopped growing. By Christmas my mother noticed some fine hair growing out, and now, a year after I first noticed the spot, the hair has started growing on nearly the whole spot. I am so happy that the hair seem to be of the same colour and quality as the rest of my hair! I feel really sorry for all of you who has been hit worse than me. Some of the stories I've read here made me cry. I got my only spot in a lucky place, where I could hide it, and it has grown back quite fast. I was never afraid of telling my friends and family, and they have supported me through it! My thoughts go out to all of you who feel ashamed and have your daily life affected by this disease.
hi i start loosing may hair when i was 20 .now im 30 i still constanly loosing my hair at the front of my scalp.when im touching my scalp its sensitive i cant tide my hair up its unconfitible pain feels like sameone pulling my hair.please help me
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