Hair Loss
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I have female pattern baldness.....for many years (decades!!!) I have had skin problems - and I regularly attend a skin clinic at hospital.
I tried dietary supplements - and my diet is healthier than most.....I only use a prescription shampoo...I tried various prescribed lotions-and-potions for the scalp....and last year I was informed that my hair is never going to grow back, I needed to learn to live with it.
I was covering my head EVERY time I left my flat. I had a variety of hats...knitted ones for winter...straw ones for summer...and scarves too....ANYTHING to cover up the bald patch that just seemed to be growing bigger every time I looked in the mirror....and only a woman knows the shame you can feel (apologies to any men out there...but it is so much more embarrassing for a woman!)- my lovely Mum knows how often I sat and wept.
A few months ago I bit the bullet...I contacted a wig-supplier!...She came to visit me and brought a supply of wigs and hair-pieces with her...I was almost in tears when she left - I had a full head of hair for the first time in decades! A lovely choppy-bob in soft reddish brown that makes me feel FEMININE!!!!
Tending for the wig is simplicity itself...The wig-lady provided me with a spray that you lightly spray on whilst the wig is on its plastic stand..and then brush through lightly....a matter of a couple of minutes!.
I wish I had done it sooner...a week or so ago I asked for a second visit and bought a second wig...short crop dark brown with gold highlights.
My own hair was always short...but last week I went for a REALLY short crop - so that my own hair isn't going to poke out from under the shorter wig. (Although it doesn't look too bad if it does because my own hair is a similar dark brown)
As for the wig flying off in the wind...unlikely!...My variety of hats flew off on occasion - my wig has only been in danger once - and that was when I caught my glasses chain in the back and pulled the wig askew.
I only wish I had braved-the-wig so many years earlier...I go out and about with no hat!....I have been asked if I have had my hair coloured or been to a new hairdresser....very few people make the initial assumption that it is a wig!
I would recommend that - at least for the first wig - you actually see a wig-consultant - try on various styles and colours...and they will show you how to put them on correctly.0 -
Have you changed your parting? That will at least cover the balder bits while they recover. You should get your thyroid and B12 checked - and make sure these are at the optimum level, not just in the normal range. If you can try washing your hair less than every day and avoid harsh chemicals like sulphates, petrochemicals, and drying alcohols. Also avoid silicones in any conditioner you use as they weigh your hair down and won't be removed by non SLS shampoos. I eat liver regularly (made into homemade burgers with beef mince to hide the taste), take liver capsules and biotin tablets and only comb my hair with a wide toothed comb. I don't blow dry, colour, or straighten my hair anymore (I've embraced the curly girl method) and do lots of yoga to destress. My huge bald patch that covers the whole of the front of my head has now reduced to a 10p size with a few fine hairs growing back in. It's been nearly 2 years but regrowth started after a couple of months."I cannot make my days longer so I strive to make them better." Paul Theroux0
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My mother called me this evening. Much wailing of "it's so sad" didn't make me feel better, just annoyed. It's MY hair.
Because I've been losing my hair for years, I guess part of me tried to ignore that. It's not as tough to deal with as the diagnosis of diabetes was. It's more than likely that the hair loss is linked to metformin or diabetes so in some ways it's just one more thing on the diabetes list. It's annoying and sad but for me it's not the end of the world.
Wigs may be great for others, but I'm not feeling it for wigs. My mother is the stereotypical Tory-voting animal-loving veggie Home Counties Telegraph reader and when she mentioned wigs and got a negative reaction from me, I could hear the anxiety in her voice. Always always she wants Conventional. A wig, her friends wouldn't notice if they met me. then afterwards, next time they spoke she would spill beans on the wig and get sympathy for herself as Concerned Mother. I would just get Awkward Silences thereafter.
My husband on the other hand, has been great. Much more than I would have expected. Snuggling and hugs galore. He said if I didn't want a wig, I didn't have to have one and that I'd never been conventional and that I have to do what I'm happy with.
My hair was always fine, but glossy as silk. I have never blow-dried it. My hair has been permed exactly once (practice session by friend) and dyed three times (black twice and red once). I stopped using conditioner, in favour of a bit of coconut oil or argan oil in my hair when needed. I've never used straighteners or hair tongs on it. It has been cut regularly either by hairdresser or by my mother or chopped about by me. I'm not too shabby at it either. Have had people compliment me on my new haircut.
I don't feel that I've lost my femininity because I'm more than a bit of a tomboy and although I loved messing about with my hair, I love messing about with clothes and have a thing for hats. If I was girly, I would probably be taking this much harder.
I did flip my parting that night but I was already feeling that I could no longer do what I wanted with my hair and that dead straight combover wasn't going to make me happy. That's why I took the scissors to it next morning.0 -
So, I have lots of research to do, re: tweaking my diet, supplements, remedies, alternative therapies. I will get my mother involved in that as one of her friends is a herbalist.
The Great Cover Up.. the chemo hats and hijab caps have started arriving.
The chemo hat from Anna Bandana in Devon looked OK on the model but the shape does seem to scream cancer victim and since I'm not I don't want any awkward conversations in supermarkets. So will probably keep those in the hall in case someone turns up unexpectedly.
The hijab caps from Inayah were cheap. They tie at the back, which feels a bit too The Handmaid's Tale to me. The pull on caps (bones) from Modanisa in Turkey arrived really quickly and much better quality and shaped although just pull ons.
No scarves yet because still need to work out the right size.0 -
Just a quick update..
Bought my first scarf ! Blue and red hearts on a white background, £7 in the Help for Heroes sale. Feel a bit wobbly, don't really know why.
BIG HUGE thank you to everyone on this thread sharing their stories, here's hoping it helps support us and any lurkers. xx0 -
Wigs, scarves hats - yes to all! I've recently been diagnosed with skin cancer patches on my crown, exactly where my hair is so horrendously thin. During my first examination for this, and before diagnosis, the dermatologist said I had male pattern baldness and recommended the mens minoxidil - the 5% one, even though I'm female (mid 60s). She said it was really the only thing that could stop the loss but couldn't make it grow back. I have very fair, fine and greying hair which looks even worse, especially from a distance! (I know, I'm far too over-sensitive about it!)
I did think I'd try it until I got the diagnosis but obviously won't now. However while it was bad enough going out and about with such thin hair it's going to be worse with a whopping scar (well, it'll probably be about 2 inches long but whopping to me!!! And the hair won't grow back) - the biopsy scar is noticeable enough when you have so little hair to cover it.
The cancer was caused by sun damage and while I wear a sun hat for sunbathing, beaches, walking etc, I certainly don't for 10 minutes weeding, popping to the shops, hanging washing etc.
So I'm following this thread with great interest, I don't normally wear hats other than that, but will be looking around now. I'm also seriously going to consider a partial wig.
Soooooo, the moral of this tale for those of us with thin hair is, wear a hat on every occasion, even a 30 second pop to the bin. I always thought I was invincible until this!
DS0 -
MrsStepford wrote: »
My husband on the other hand, has been great. Much more than I would have expected. Snuggling and hugs galore. He said if I didn't want a wig, I didn't have to have one and that I'd never been conventional and that I have to do what I'm happy with.
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That's really lovely and just how it should be
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I have to say that it just never occurred to me to cover my head to avoid burning my scalp. I am always very particular about sunglasses in daylight March - September and wearing sunscreen on exposed skin. But looking back, I spent a lot of my childhood on ponies with a riding hat on and being a tomboy, often wore a baseball cap.
More later..0 -
MrsStepford wrote: »I have to say that it just never occurred to me to cover my head to avoid burning my scalp. I am always very particular about sunglasses in daylight March - September and wearing sunscreen on exposed skin. But looking back, I spent a lot of my childhood on ponies with a riding hat on and being a tomboy, often wore a baseball cap.
More later..
My husband is bald so he has to protect his scalp from sun damage - he has lots of hats.
You mentioned earlier on about breathable hats. He has a lightweight summer one made from woven paper (his is trilby-shaped). It is sturdy and will cope with a little bit of rain.
Just asked him and he said his Tilley hat ( much more expensive) is also very breathable. It is a hat guaranteed for life - if it ever wears out they will replace it for you. It is a much more casual hat, but great for walking in etc. He has the Tilley Outback.0 -
Prinzessilein,
It's lovely that you feel so happy and FEMININE with your 'new hair'.
I find hair loss soul destroying. I'm on the verge of having to wear a hat at ALL times.
However, your post has inspired me.
May I ask if your wig is synthetic or natural?
If it's synthetic does it look natural?
Are wigs expensive?
Thank you for your uplifting post0
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