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 and Questions
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I've had alopecia since I was 14 mine got to the point where I had a lot of bald patches, I'm now 23 and since those patches grew back that I had when I was younger,I've had 1 bald patch since which was the top of my neck(bottom of my hairline) so easy to hide with my hair down. Mines down to stress but apart from the 2 times I had those patches I've had no others, I was told mine wudnt grow back but they did so chin up, eventually it will grow back. I must admit I do have stages where I get really upset that I might lose a lot of hair again :-( its such a horrible embarrassing illness, I was teased really bad when I was at school. There is nothing crueler than kids!
im 21 i had alopecia at the age of 16 i went to the doctors the ran loads of tests and in the end they said it cld be that was low in iron stress or traction (to much weight on the hair) i wore wigs for a few years to avoid puttin weight on my hair i started a healthy diet that means cutting out all junk food and drinking loads of water and eating fruits also u need to have loads of vitimins also u need hair oil for the scalp and hair to avoid further breaking now it doesnt happen over night and at times u'll feel it aint working but trus me it is it will take time to rebuild ur body and for the hair to restart its cycle just bare with it dont worry about it or anything else has it will make it worse i had about 9 patches all in all the first one was about the size of a 50p coin within weeks the overs popped up and they all grew i was very worried but had faith and experimented with the wigs which helped me deal with the situation
hi im carrie wen i was 11 years old i got alopecia and i had no hair at all my doctor says it wont grow bk and now its hard grown bk full i take chinese herb i take them with every meal after 6 months of the chinese herb my hair started to grow bk and plus you want to try zinc tables and biotin u can get them from holland & barrett tht would help
i am 13 years of age and i have got alopecia and my hair has been like that since i was 10 years old and now i have been to doctors and it isnt a thyroid problem and they cannot find problem and now im getting bullied because its getting worse.and i am really upset :'( (i am overweight)
I am 26 years old and I have had alopecia since I was 12, my hair did grow back between the ages of 17 and 22 but I has now fallen out again in areas. My sister has pretty much lost all her hair too, so I believe that in this case its in our genes. My patches always seem to grow back eventually only for another one to appear, its a very frustrating condition. My advise is to keep as positive as you can to stop it getting worse, we lost both our parents very close to each other and the stress was a massive factor in our hair getting bad.
Is it possible for a 50+ aged woman whose has been told she has male pattern baldness roughly 17 years ago, to use Regaine extra strength for men? After reading the leaflet for the women's Rogaine, it doesnt seem suitable for me.
im the mother of a 13 year old girl whio has a small , bald patch .. im terrified for her ,, has anyone tried the minoxidil ?
Hi girls, I am 21 and developed alopecia when I was 17 - it started with a small bald patch on the top of my head which got bigger, and over the next year I developed more bald patches which all grew until a year later I had no hair at all and also lost my eyebrows and eyelashes. I was on the pill at the time and was told this could be the cause - looking back this was true, so if you are on it - come off!! I know it is so hard to deal with, I have now found a few wigs which I love, and the majority of people I know are aware of it. My hair has been growing back very slowly for years and now is like baby hair all over my head, and my eyebrows and eyelashes are back. If it is just a few patches you want to cover, depending on where they are try the jessica simpson hair extensions, these cover about half your head but you still have natural hair at the front so they look real, otherwise try secrets by hairaisers if you are looking for young style wigs as a lot I found were shorter styles suited to older women. Chin up ladies, let me know if you have any questions xx
iv lost alot of hair on my head in the last year and its getting noticable. is there any thing i can do to stop it from loosing more? or to make it grow more?
I started losing my hair at university and it is about a quarter of what it was. I have done a lot of research and found that in my case -it comes down to STRESS and worrying. I always thought I was a pretty calm person but I worry alot and Ithink that has caused it. There is difference between hair loss (failing out and not being replaced adequately) and Hair thinning (when the hair becomes finer so giving the appearance of less hair). Mine is combination of both. I am taking extra vitamin C and seaweed. Plus I was told by my GP that my low iron count could be a contributing factor, so I am taking extra Iron. In additon, I massage my hair with oil (coconut or onion seed) about once a fortnight (once a week is about ideal). This has stablised it but the moment I get stressed or anxious it starts falling out again.
im a 16 year old girl who has lost all her hair on her head and it has been like this for 3 years. i wear a wig so no one knows xx i would love to know if any one else has the same thing xx thanks
I am 15 and all of my hair has came out It has been like this for 3 years now and I have to wear a wig cause I don't want any one to know I would love to know if any one else has the same
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