Alopecia | Leaving In Silence With Hair Loss

'Alopecia?' you wonder. 'I don't remember ever hearing that disease.' People who are plagued with it may be too embarrassed to tell you. They keep it a secret. I have alopecia (hair loss), so let me tell you something about it.

Try to imagine the shock you would feel if you saw your hair suddenly begin to fall out. 'How could this be happening? It can't be true,' you may say in disbelief. Later, you learn that you are not only one with alopecia. It strikes about I out of every 100 people, and it afflicts both men and women. Unfortunately, treatment of the disease is frequently unsuccessful.

"After all, it's only hair," some people tell me. True. Yet, alopecia affects every part of my life, and adding to the burden, it is difficult to explain it to others.
Why? Because the disease is shrouded in an aura of mystery.

For example, usually when someone names a disease, you immediately have a mental picture of just what that ailment is. Not so with alopecia. Its cause cannot be stated succinctly. And considering the way alopecia strikes quickly and without warning the victim often finds himself unprepared to discuss it. Thus, a person may lose not only hair but dignity.

What Is Alopecia?

Alopecia is a medical problem that we victims have no control over. It is not contagious, and therefore others cannot contract it from us. Victims will not die from it, but the emotional pain of humiliation, frustration, and embarrasment can become a challenging experience.Alopecia should not be confused with ordinary male pattern baldness.Hence, when defining alopecia, some of us prefer the term "hair loss" to that of "baldness."

The term alopecia areata refers to the condition wherein patches of scalp experience hair loss. This is the type I have. If all hair on the head is lost, the disorder is referred to as alopecia totalis. And if the disorder includes loss of all body hair, it is called alopecia universalis. For some sufferers, the disease never progresses beyond alopecia areata. Others experience spontaneous hair regrowth without receiving any treatment. Still others, however, lose eyebrows and eyelashes. This may lead to eye infections because there is no hair to protect the eyes form dust and sweat.

What Causes Alopecia

Medical research indicates that alopecia is probably an autoimmune disorder, that is, an allergic reaction to some part of your own body. Another autoimmune disorder that you may be familiar with is lupus. The immune system of a person with alopecia mistakenly identifies the hair as foreign substance. The immune system responds by sending killer T cells (lymphocytes) to the site. These cluster around the hair follicle and attack and destroy it. For an indefinite period of time, the hair follicle is prevented from producing normal hair growth.

Medical treatment is varied. At best, it takes a long time to get results, and often the results are not what were hoped for. The hair, for example, may regrow, but it may be very fine-textured and light in color. Frustration may come if the alopecia reoccurs and the treatment that worked on time does not work again. So the victim may end up going from doctor to doctor, trying different treatments. Alopecia may then become a financial as well as an emotional burden.

The medical community used to point to stress as the culprit. Remove the stress, they said, and the hair will return. So a victim perhaps wrongly believed that he had caused his own hair loss or, some doctors suggested, that a marriage mate might have created the stress. Now, though, it is understood that stress is not the cause. The alopecia sufferer has no reson to feel guilty or to blame himself for his condition.

Challenges Faced By Alopecia Sufferers

Hair loss alters appearance, and so alopecia sufferers are occasionally classed with certain groups. If a person has no hair, or what others consider to be too little hair, and wears it short as I do, observers may jump to the conclusion that one with alopecia is making a social or political statement.

Finding employment is always a challenge, but it is especially so for those with alopecia. Some potential employers are wary these days because of the fear of AIDS. Since those with alopecia have little or no hair, employers may wonder if they have AIDS. Alopecia, of course, is not the same disorder as AIDS. Others assume that alopecia sufferers are undergoing chemotherapy.

At times thoughtless remarks may be so devastating that we with alopecia fear leaving the shelter of our home. Rash advice from well-wishers can be painful too. They may say: "If I were you, I just wouldn't worry about it. I would just laugh it off." Easier said than done. Since alopecia can change the way we look so radically and with such suddenness, we appreciate it when we are not reminded about our appearance.

Do You Have To Wear A Wig When You're Suffering From Alopecia?

"Why don't you wear a wig?" I would, people may suggest. But most wigs are designed for women who, for fashion reasons, want a change of hairstyle. They are simply not made to be worn over a head that has no hair. Wigs designed especially for alopecia sufferers are usually more costly, and not everyone can afford to buy and properly maintain them.

Women with alopecia are more successful in finding a proper wig than men and children. This is because women have greater choice of hairstyles. Some women, though, prefer to wear attractive scarves instead. Most wigs designed for men, it seems, do not look natural. And then there may be the questions: "When do you wear the wig? All the time? Do you wear it when at home alone in case someone might unexpectedly visit?" So, for a number of reasons, alopecia victims may not wear wigs. On the other hand, the majority of victims experience hair loss in a limited area that can be covered by surrounding hair and have no reason for considering a wig.

How To Cope With The Disease Alopecia

Alopecia victims may occasionally turn inward and become reclusive, feeling bad because of the way others may perceive them. During difficult moments, it is important to have a clear focus on the priorities of life and to remember that it is what we are on the inside that wins the respect of others.

Therefore, I live one day at a time and try not to worry undully about the next so that my problem will not become all-consuming. True, many other people have worse problems. Yet for those who have alopecia, support and understanding from others is often missing. Until a few years ago, they had little opportunity to discuss their feelings with others who suffer from alopecia, but now there is a network of support groups. Through these groups those with alopecia can get the help of qualified and informed doctors, who share medical breakthroughs and expose old myths.

Treatment For Alopecia (Hair Loss) Sufferers

Alopecia can be treated by cortisone injections in an effort to interrupt the attack. Cortisone is a drug that shrinks the swelling in the area of the hair follicle so that it can receive blood and nutrition.

Another treatment is DNCB (dinitrochlorobenzene). This is an acid that is applied directly to the affected area in an attempt to cause an artificial allergic reaction not unlike a bad case of poison ivy in hopes of distracting the lymphocytes. The resultant rash may be extremely painful for some.

The topical use of a drug called minoxidil has also been touted. Although originally developed to treat high blood pressure, as a side effect, this drug was found to cause hair to grow. Yet, as with most treatments for alopecia, the success rate has been disappointingly low. Most of the news coverage has been about its use in treating male pattern baldness, not alopecia.

Over 16 different drugs and treatments are pescribed for alopecia, and each must be used regularly for an indefinite time period. Since it often takes six months to
determine whether a particular drug will be effective, treatment can be time-consuming and frustrating. Thus, at present, there is no real cure for alopecia.