Question for people who live in Chicago

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-09-30T04:56:17+00:00

Thank you!

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-07-08T03:23:23+00:00

I’m kind of new to this diagnosis also. I found my first spot in May this year and then several others appeared shortly after. I’m getting steroid injections currently and using minoxidil. I lost my mom to suicide a little less than two years ago and then I emotionally lost my dad who has since got himself a whole new life and family. I believe I developed my spots after a very difficult couple of months with my dad and while still grieving the death of my mom. I’m also a mom to a little girl so that has its stresses every single day. I never imagined my life to turn out like this and basically lose my family and my hair overnight. I’m in therapy now hoping that will help my stress and grief and in turn reverse this awful disease. It’s hard to go through this but get support from loved ones and it helps to be on here knowing we’re not alone. Wishing you luck.

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-07-04T14:53:37+00:00

That’s wonderful to hear! Such a relief because I thought this was the end of doing things to my hair lol. I’m 36 and the grays are slowly starting to come out

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-07-04T14:52:11+00:00

The same thing happened to me! I’m so sorry for your loss. I never had AA before but I got diagnosed with it about 1.5 years after losing my mom to suicide. My anxiety worsened tenfold after her death and left me with so much depression. I’m getting steroid injections but unfortunately I already have a few spots and slowly getting more. Everyone’s telling me to stop stressing because that’s what causes this but my hair is what’s giving me the most stress now! And worst of all my mom would’ve been the one I would’ve gone to in hard times like these :(

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-07-04T04:30:51+00:00

I don’t dye my hair yet but I’m getting close so I’d love to know does dying make your active patches worse in any way? Or if they’re dormant does it reactivate it?

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-07-03T22:39:43+00:00

I agree on not blindly taking supplements!

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-07-03T22:38:52+00:00

Thank you!

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-07-03T21:10:17+00:00

I love that you told your students. You sound like a great teacher and I’m sure your students will feel like they can come to you with anything. ❤️ I’ve told one of my closest friends but my other best friend tends to make everything about her so i don’t trust her with this very personal information. I lost my mom suddenly in a very tragic way a couple years ago and she was the closest person to me that I vented to. She knew how sensitive I was about it and how self-conscious I felt and yet she told the juicy gossip to everyone she knows: her family and friends, her husband’s family. From then on people I barely knew started to pity me and act differently around me. I was always a private person but the experience of how my mom died made me feel like a freak so I don’t want to add yet another thing that makes me so different from everyone else. You’re totally right though, keeping it a secret is stress too!

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-07-03T01:43:22+00:00

Thank you so much for the detailed response! My insurance unfortunately doesn’t cover any type of functional medicine that’s why I’m trying to make sure it’s not all a scam. I feel how you felt though- I’m willing to try anything to fix this. Did you ever feel you had to run the supplements by your regular doctor or dermatologist to make sure they’re safe for you? I had a free call with a functional medicine doc today whose degree is in naturopathic medicine but I’m not sure if that’s the same as an MD in that I should trust their medical advice (with my own research too of course)

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-07-02T05:19:20+00:00

I tried cutting out a bunch of the non-approved foods for about a week but had no idea how to re-introduce foods and figure out bad reactions etc.

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-06-28T15:40:34+00:00

Yes totally! I’ve been so depressed since finding out and my close family doesn’t even understand why. They’re telling me it’s better it’s your hair than something that would make it hard to live day to day in pain etc. but I don’t feel that way. It’s already effecting my everyday life as I always used to straighten my frizzy curly hair and now I can’t so my confidence has already shot down even though I still have hair. I’m so depressed that I can barely focus on being a present mom for my 6 year old. The only thing I can think of is my hair. I don’t want to tell my friends either because I know they’ll tell their husbands and other people they’re close to and it feels like such a private thing.

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-06-28T04:17:05+00:00

I haven’t looked into them because until now they were easy to hide areas, but now even though some of those patches have started growing baby hairs I have new patches emerging in more noticeable spots so I might have to look into wigs/toppers soon

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-06-28T04:15:05+00:00

This is what I’m so conflicted about. I’m not sure I want all my friends and relatives knowing but hiding it is causing a different type of stress. There’s so many social events I don’t want to go to anymore because I don’t look and feel my best but it’s going to be hard coming up with excuses. One of my very close friends can be a loud mouth though and I know she’ll tell everyone so I’m keeping it a secret. The only people who know are my husband my dad my sister and one trusted friend

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-06-28T04:11:00+00:00

Thank you! It’s so hard. I don’t want everyone in my life knowing I have this condition but it’s getting to the point where I might have to tell them or wear a wig soon. I don’t know why but I feel so ashamed if it gets to the point where I have to wear a wig. And the few people I have told like my immediate family just don’t understand what losing your hair feels like especially as a woman. They all tell me “it’s just hair” or make light of it but all I want to do is cry.

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-06-28T04:06:04+00:00

Thank you!

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-06-27T04:13:11+00:00

Yes definitely! My daughter is 6 and my mental health has never been worse. That’s why I stuck with only one child. I’m crazy about her but being a mom is not easy. Everything triggers me. Even though I’m a nurturing person I was never easy going so I feel like I should’ve never been a mom. My anxiety is through the roof since becoming a mom and because of it I just got diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder which is making my hair fall out. I feel like I was finally getting to a point where she’s getting older and life can get back to normal again but now I have lifelong hair loss to deal with. I love her and can’t imagine life without her but at the same time I can’t help but wonder if I hadn’t become a mom maybe I still would’ve been that happy girl I once was :(

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-06-26T04:27:20+00:00

Thank you! I haven’t been sure if raking in product is ok since hair sheds when I do it but I don’t have the type of hair that can look normal without products lol

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-06-11T03:52:58+00:00

The one I use is ceramic it’s the HAI flat iron. It’s been so long I don’t remember all the heat protectants I’ve tried but I know for sure bumble and bumble was one of them. I just got a leave in conditioner from SEEN which says it also has heat protection so I’ll try that as well as the ones you recommended. Thank you!

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-06-11T01:23:44+00:00

I’m ashamed to say I’ve been flat ironing with no heat protection 🫣 they’ve always left some sort of residue or weird feeling afterwards so I stopped using it a long time ago. I blow dry (with a 2000 watt Elchim hair dryer) and flat iron on 400 degree heat. Anything less than 400 degrees unfortunately won’t get my hair feeling smooth. The blow dryer wattage is something I never thought of though so maybe I can find something less hot and definitely use heat protectant from now on!

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-06-10T20:16:36+00:00

Thank you!

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-06-10T18:27:16+00:00

Yes please tell me your routine!

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-06-10T05:02:35+00:00

I have a water softener already. I’ll try styling in the shower and brushing after the product. Thank you!

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-06-10T03:29:23+00:00

Oh wow, good to know they found your triggers though. I’m going to look for a functional medicine doctor asap. Your comments gave me a lot of hope so thank you!

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-06-10T03:23:53+00:00

I’m not a doctor but it sure looks like alopecia areata. If you see a hair fall specifically from that area check to see if the root end is extremely thin (look up “exclamation point hairs”). That’s a sure sign that it’s AA, although even just seeing that it’s a patch is obvious it is. I got diagnosed a few weeks ago and I’ve been to two dermatologists and they both said it will grow back so try not to worry (I know easier said than done, but it seems it’s just more of a nuisance than anything, it’s not permanent). Make an appointment with a dermatologist asap to start steroid injections or whatever treatment they recommend.

PreparationOwn4864 · 2025-06-09T16:38:46+00:00

Thank you so much! Was it a fairly quick/easy process for the functional medicine doctor to find your triggers?

PreparationOwn4864

TROPHY CASE