This is such a quiet group of ladies. :) Any chance I can rile you all into some converstaion, about hair or other things...? What are you asking Santa for this Christmas. I am asking for a new yoga mat, and maybe some earrings.

Hey!  I was diagnosed with FPB in July and I have been really quiet about it.  I shaved my hair in October, but it has grown back and is mostly see through at the crown and top.  I have been reading about the laser therapy getting fda approval and I want a laser comb for Christmas.  They are just so expensive.  Anyone else tried it?

I have a question. I am on spironolactone 100mg and am experiencing dry scalp. Its kind of lik small chunks of white skin that flake off near the root of the hair, just small but anoyting and confusing. Has anyone else experienced this and does anyone know how to combat this??

I was on spironolactone for over a year. Its also used as a diuretic or a water pill for those that retain water. It dries everything out! My skin everywhere was so dry. Make sure you drink a lot of water to replace the water the medication flushes out. I had to pee all the time when I was on it. Good luck! It never helped with my hair loss, it actually made things worse for me. The dry skin made the rogaine irritate my scalp and then I got psoriasis on my scalp as well. It also made me feel tired all of the time and being a very active person, it was very difficult. Since stopping both the spiro and rogaine my scalp has cleared up of the dry skin and psoriasis is under control. Good luck!

I am only taking a small amount of spironolactone and it is cause dry scalp for me too. Not as bad as yours because the dose isn't as high, but still. Ugh. In winter it's the last thing you need. Ditto on the bathroom. ROFL. Sometimes I am like "what the heck" I don't take mine for hair loss, I take it for blood pressure. I can't take the other water pills used for BP anymore because they cause me to loose too much potassium...ah drugs. Such a pain. However, I don't do anything with minoxidil or drugs for my hair loss either. I just don't believe they are effective enough to warrant taking them. The medical community has a long way to go on this front.

At this stage I am not sure if the spiro is helpig or not I'm just trying to persist as I want it to so badly. Any other thoughts would be apppreciated :)

Jennah - I know this can be so hard, and I fully know your feeling of just wanting to be able to fix the hair loss so badly. It is painfully frustrating to feel like there are not options to fix this - I am mean, mankind has figured out how to transplants hearts and send folks to the moon - you would think we could make hair grow. But I remind myself all the time that there is currently no easy fix.

I've said this on this forum before, but I think it deserves to be said again... Everyone is different in their decisions, but for me, I am opting to stay away from chemical and medical treatments for my hair loss. After research and paying attention to personal stories offered here at Alopecia World and elsewhere, I am confident that there are no true success stories for treating androgenic alopecia or other types of alopecia. The drugs seem to do more harm and have more side effects than they do positive results.

In my experience the best treatment is finding an alternative to your own hair. For some, that's a beautiful wig, for others its scarves and accessories, and for others its shaving and going without. I think that sticking around this site and getting to know some of the beautiful confident women who have moved through this struggle themselves might be helpful for you. It certainly has been for me.

We are here for you!

I think that with certain meds you really have to see if the proposed gain is worth all of the side effects. I have low blood pressure so the 100mg of spiro really gave me more issues to deal with on top of the hair still falling out. I was on it for 1 1/2 yrs and really didn't see any significant growth or stopping of the shedding. I am the type of person that really wanted to believe that there was a magic pill or shampoo, whatever that would take all of this away!!! Going down that path I only wasted a lot of money, disappointments and heartache when I didn't get the results I wanted. I am now on nothing but vitamins that everyone should take to be healthy and I am using a lazer that I can use in my own home. I feel safer with this because I am not ingesting anything. I don't know if it is working, the shedding is very slowly slowing down but I try not to focus on it, haha. I know that it is easier said then done :) The only problem with meds if u have to be on them forever or once you stop all of the hair you gained falls out along with more!! I mentally can't take that anymore. I wish you the best and hope you get what you want out of it!

SO TRUE!!! I think that putting too much focus on it makes it bigger and can take over your life. I have started exercising very regularly and do yoga. I focus on what makes me feel peace and happiness...my children,our beautiful world, gardening, etc. I still have my bad days where I think life sucks but they are few and far between now that I have taken the focus off my hair and just enjoying life and the joys it can bring. I go to a gym and used to be so worried about what people would think, so I would never go and was a hermit for so long. Now I have a beautifully toned body by going to classes at the gym and I just went skiing last week.The mountains were amazing!!! I want to be the best me I can be with or without hair :)

Hi. I'm new to this site and so far I seem to feel the most connection with this group. I haven't been diagnosed with FPB - I'm simply an old Black woman (heh!). But I do have little bald spots that have gotten worse on the top of my head over the past few years (and yes, lots of stress during that time - divorced and my mom died, etc.). Since I haven't seen a post here since January, I'm wondering if any of you are still visiting, or if you're off happily sporting your new wigs? Would love to hear if anyone tried the malaria drug Doxycycline (although it might be a scarring alopecia drug, which is what I think I have). Pam

HBlady a topper may be a good option - they sell them with clip and there is a topper group on here and the lady who started it is VERY knowledgable about toppers and wigs. Also get a scalp biopsy to confirm your diagnosis - I had two and both were painless and TINY - like one stitch to close. I think Doxy is an anitbotic but I could be wrong -

Hi HBLady - Glad you have joined us. This group has been quiet, but I still stop in from time to time. When I first became aware of my FPB it was a very upsetting time. When I found this site I spent maybe a month super active reading forums and chatting with other members and looking at photos and getting all the info and support I could find. Finding this community really helped me find a peace and comfort with my hair situation. Since that time, I have been less drawn to log in and start discussions, because life feels so much more normal and better now that I know I am not alone (and that is a great thing!). I have a feeling that my participation with the site is something many others go through as well. So, in summary, we are not gone but perhaps many of us are feeling more comfortable with ourselves and therefore less engaged online. That said, you should ALWAYS feel free to start discussions and reach out. That is what we are all here for, even if it's quiet lately. Welcome!

Its been forever since i have logged in and had anything to say mainly because i am still trying to find solutions and move on with my life. i still read the blogs and look at the beautiful pictures that are posted but dont always find the need to log on. this place has helped me to realize there is a life after hairloss but it is still hard at times. hope all is well with everyone :o)

Hi, all. Happy Memorial Day weekend! Thanks to those of you who posted to let me know you're still here. It's a REALLY big comfort knowing others are out there who have similar feelings as mine. So many of my friends tell me they don't see my hair loss and I'm "so beautiful" that it's not an issue. It's just great knowing people here understand the strong feelings and frustrations generated by hair loss. Just got my hair cut Friday and I look a little "butch" now. I have a concert next week and I'm feeling nervous about being in front of people not completely comfortable with my image, but it is what it is. Someone on this site asked me last week how I feel about it, and I realized that I feel a loss of control. I am overweight, but I feel I DO have power over that (eat less, exercise more - see results). Nothing I do gives me any control over my hair loss - that's the worst part of it. Sorry for going on about it, but I guess I needed to spill! Best to you all. Pam

Hi everyone,
I've been away for some time and I just wanted to let my friends in the group know I'm back.
God bless,
Larry

Hi just wondering if anyone here has had any success with Rogaine?

Hi Jennah,
I have been using Rogaine (the men's foam 5%)forabout 4 years. My hair loss got much worse within the past year and I have no idea if the Rogaine is still working. During the first year or 2, I think that it did slow down the hair loss and perhaps resulted in a bit of regrowth.
Renee

thanks Renee. Yes I do think I am getting a little regrowth, but very little at this stage. The other thing I wanted to ask people here is . Do you guys get a lot of itching and any scalp pain. The scalp pain for me comes and goes and I get these sore patches. The itching sometimes is really bad but other times less so. What are other peoples experiences round these two things? and do you do anything to try and combat these issues? I would appreciate any feedback guys :) cheers