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.
Comments
You can share your experiences and thoughts with other Embarrassing Bodies site-users below. Comments are reviewed before they are published.
Please note: Unfortunately Channel 4 cannot respond to individual inquiries. If you have any concerns, you can check out the Channel 4 Health site or NHS Choices, but ultimately it is always best to check with a health professional.
i have recently been to the doctors because i have a bald patch on the back of my hair, i have the gel and been putting it on when told and they say its from stress. ive been trying to do everything told and i dont feel stressed atall. some small hairs have been growning but its getting bigger and i found another small patch nearer to my forhead. its really getting me down and im scared its just going to get worse and worse.
(This is for my sister)
She is 37yrs of age and suffering from hair loss with very think hair quality. She don't have hair loss in center of head and from from sides. Patches are easily visible at times.
Please suggest us. Shall we use Minoxidil for her?
Thank you
hi im 13 years old i started having alopecia when i was 2 then it grew back and then it came back again when i was eight over the last twelve months it has got worse my gp refered me to the hospital tey put me on a cream and iron tablets and then they said theyre not going to try anything else
thank you !
I am 17 yers old & for about a 2/3 yrs now I've been noticing that quite alot of my hair falls out. I haven't got any bald patches and I'm not bald. I dont straighten or curl my hair, I don't use anything that may damage my hair but alot of my hair still falls out. All I have to do is run my fingers through my hair or brush my hair and loads of hair come out. It doesnt come out in clumps but alot of strands of hair come out. I asked my mum & she says it is normal for hair to fall out but I think the amount that falls out for me is not normal.
Please help me as this is really upsetting for me. And is there anything I can take to stop this happening. Or if you could atleast tell me what this is I would very much appreciate it.
Thank you.
i lost all my hair when i was about 2 it grew back at the age of about 16 but it is very fine thin and i have no hair on the sides can you tell me about any thing i can do to make it grow a bit thicker and on the sides
hi im 22 years old female and iv been losin hair alot n its really thin at the top of my head and in the sun or bright light u can see my scalp alot and its depressing me my hair falls out in chunks i try to have a good diet, im taking vitamins and nothing seems to help my hair from falling please help im coming to point were i just cant take it anymore please help me
Hi am 18 and am suffering from hair loss it puts me down seeing other people with their long beautiful hair i went to the doctors like 5 times but they didnt do nothing at all just told me its normal what can i do because it gets worser every day please help
I am a man in my forties, all my life i have been teesed for the lack of facial, arm and leg hair. Is there any treatment i can take? Although i have a full head of hair.
im 13 i started having alopecia when i was 11 my gp said that it was due to stress and there was nothing i could do about it so we left it and it grown back then last year it happened again on my head, it grown back about 6 months later.Now i have it again i noticed it last week i also suffer from exzma this summer it has been really bad so i have been stressed about it that caused my hair to fall out is there anything i can do?
I have suffered from "male pattern" balding for about 15 years now. I am not totally bald, and it appears to have stopped getting worse, but I have even tried putting eyebrow pencil on my pink, shiny scalp to try and hide it, and I've never admitted that to anyone before!) I have an under-active thyroid and have been through a great deal of stress in my life. Is there anything that really works? I mean lotions and potions are treating the symptoms but not actually getting to the heart of the problem. I am now 64. Shall I just get a wig or is there anything that can help?
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