My Condition: Alopecia Areata

2 or 3 months ago I noticed that a spot of hair on my chin had turned white. At the time I simply thought I was getting older and did not pay it much attention at all. Then one day, I noticed the white hairs were gone and I had an odd bald spot on my face.

My initial thought was that my kidneys were failing (or had some sort of cancer) and was dying – while that may seem humorous, it was my legitimate fear/thought. Fortunately, I already had a dermatologist appointment scheduled and saw my doctor a few days later. The good news is that I am not dying and this is not a life-threatening diesease.

He looked at it, examined me, and diagnosed me with a disease called Alopecia Areata. It is a condition that causes round patched of hair loss. While only my chin is affected now, it can lead to loss of all scalp and body hair! Anyway, I bring this about to let the world know that I am aware of the bald spot on my chin. According to my doctor is it brought about by stress (thank you very much and I stressing out about trying to relax now ) and he thinks it will be a temporary thing. Anyway, if you have any more questions, here are some highlights and links about Alopecia Areata:

• No fully effective treatments are available.
• Irritating drugs may be applied to hairless areas to cause the hair to regrow (my treatment)
• The cause of alopecia areata is unknown (1/5 of people with this condition have a family history)
• Full recovery of hair is common.
• Google Health’s Breakdown.
• Miss Delaware has it.
• Alopecia Areata according Wikipedia
• eMedicine’s Breakdown