Alopecia World
It's Hair Loss Support At Its Best™
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Kate
- Female
- San Antonio, TX
- United States
- Blog Posts (7)
- Discussions (6)
- Events
- Groups (4)
- Photos (15)
- Photo Albums (3)
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Kate's Groups
Kate's Discussions
How much time to tan a newly bald head?
Started this discussion. Last reply by Kate Sep 11, 2010. 6 Replies 0 Favorites
So, how long does it usually take for a freshly shaved head to develop a bit of color and blend into the face and neck?Obviously it is important to take precautions against the sun with sunscreen,…Continue
So, does a shaved head itch as hair grows in?
Started this discussion. Last reply by Carol Aug 22, 2010. 3 Replies 0 Favorites
I have diffused thinning all over, but still have lots of hair, especially around the back of my head. I have started to think about buzzing or shaving my hair someday, but I must know, does a shaved…Continue
Introducing myself, and interested in stories of your hair loss
Started this discussion. Last reply by Rose Marie' Aug 11, 2010. 4 Replies 0 Favorites
Hi new friends to be. I wanted to write and introduce myself in hopes of making some new acquaintances and finding some support. I am not 100% sure this is the right place to post. Afterall I am new…Continue
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Latest Activity
Kate replied to Kate's discussion 'Introducing myself, and interested in stories of your hair loss.' in the group Female Pattern Baldness
I just wanted to stop in and comment on my own post from 18 months ago, and say what an absolute assistance this site has been over the past year and a half. Access to a community of people who experience similar challenges and emotions - and who…
JOANNE SMITH replied to Kate's discussion 'Introducing myself, and interested in stories of your hair loss.' in the group Female Pattern Baldness
Welcome Kate - It is very difficult to talk to people about this for sure.It is a million times easier to talk to people with hair loss themselves and as you can see there are plently of us. I also have AGA since I was 23years old when I was told…
Kate commented on Alopecia World's group 'Female Pattern Baldness'
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…
Kate commented on Lili's blog post 'Change hurts. Birth was painful too.'
Think about it maybe not as weak, but vulnerable. You are allowed to be emotional sometimes, to go through the grieving and confusion and anger that can come with such an unfair physical transition. Of course, you strive not to be this way all the…
Kate replied to Nancy King's discussion 'Female pattern hair loss'
I am raising my hands as well! I've been fearful about hair loss for almost 10 years, but really had my androgenic alopecia (female pattern hair loss) diagnosed about 14 months ago. As I searched for support and answers during that time, what I…
Kate commented on Lili's blog post 'Change hurts. Birth was painful too.'
What an insightful introduction blog post. Welcome Lili. I really think that this community will help you move through all of the emotions you are feeling. Sometimes what is most helpful is knowing you are not alone, and I assure you after reading…
Marie replied to Kate's discussion 'Introducing myself, and interested in stories of your hair loss.' in the group Female Pattern Baldness
Hi. Thanks for sharing. Sharing and support are what we are all about at Alopecia World. Everyone ages differently, and for many women Androgenic Alopecia is just one of those things that come as they get older. Although it changes how a person…
Alison favorited Kate's blog post 'The economics of hair'
Kate commented on Julie G's blog post 'Sweating issue'
I don't wear a wig, but I do know what it's like to sweat profusely in public. I am a good sweater, and I live in San Antonio where it is blazing hot all of the time. A few years ago my husband and I ran into a dude downtown with a towel…
Kate commented on Julie G's group 'Androgenic Alopecia'
Ladies - nice to see you here. I hope we can be engaged in this group and in the Female Pattern Baldness group. Same condition, different names, and I prefer androgenic alopecia to the former. :)
I wanted to share a quick story. I was at the…
Profile Information
- Relationship Status:
- Married
- About Me:
- I am new to this diagnosis and to participating in forums, and I still feel a bit shy about being open with my feeling about hair loss, but otherwise I am a happy and generally upbeat person. I love to cook, eat, and sew vintage dresses. I work in fundraising. I am married to a wonderful man and together we travel and explore. More than a great head of hair, someday I would like a dog, a house with a cozy kitchen, lots of vintage clothing, and time to bake every day.
My hair loss story began when I was 21. I studied abroad in Ireland, where I boldly got a very short haircut (think Felicity) with my curly locks. Well, being abroad was lonely for me and by the time it was over I had developed my first and only severe bout of depression in my life. With the sadness, I started worrying about my short haircut because I could see my scalp and worried my hair was thinning. But... of course everyone (including myself) thought this fixation on thinning hair was a byproduct of my depression and anxiety.
Well, the anxiety and depression self corrected after a few months back home, but the fear about my thinning hair has never entirely dissipated. During times of stress I always ended up at the bathroom mirror inspecting my hairline, and I swear finding evidence of thinning locks. However, my loved ones and boyfriend/now husband always saw my concern as a remnant of that sad period of my life and assured me I was stone cold crazy to worry. "You're fine" they would say. "You have plenty of hair" was the common response. And so I would put the worry to rest, temporarily. But this summer a hairdresser in my hometown was styling my hair for the first time in four or five years, and she gently asked me if I had noticed the change in hair texture on the top and sides of my head. My heart sunk, and upon further inspection with a hand mirror I realized that indeed, my hair is thinning all over and especially on top. Yikes!
Now, 7 years after my official worries about thin hair, I have been officially diagnosed with androgenic alopecia (the dreaded female pattern baldness!) by two dermatologists, and the loss is visible even to those who always denied my worries. In some ways it is a bit of a relief to hear the diagnosis, as now I know I was not crazy with anxiety all these years (and if I had to choose between a chemical imbalance in my brain or a chemical imbalance in my hair follicles, I choose the follicles every time!).
I am in the first months of the official diagnosis and just starting to come to terms with the full realization that my head of head is a temporal state. I find myself wavering between feeling comfortable and confident in my ability to handle this situation with grace, and absolutely sick to my stomach and stricken with fear about the ways this condition might affect my life and my relationships and my overall happiness.
As I mentioned, I feel shy and a bit uncomfortable with this right now, but I look forward to easing myself into the forum and the FPB group. I plan on learning from others' experiences, sharing my own, and hopefully becoming more and more confident in my own strength, beauty, and worth with or without hair.
"Hair is terribly personal, a tangle of mysterious prejudices."
~Shana Alexander
- Do you have alopecia?
- Female pattern baldness
- Are you age 18 or older?
- Yes - I am 18 or older
Kate's Photos
Kate's Blog
Will I look like a bald man?
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 11:30am 3 Comments 0 Favorites
Without hair, will I look masculine? I have androgenic alopecia, or female pattern baldness. So, I still have a decent amount of hair all over my head. I have retained a normal hairline. However my hair is thinning on the top, the upper sides, and the top back. I have about twice as much hair on the back ring of my head as on the top.…
Continue The economics of hair
Posted on December 3, 2010 at 1:00pm 11 Comments 1 Favorite
Have you thought about the costs of maintaining hair? I have been maintaining a head of hair all my life, without complaint either, because good hair is a fabulous asset and always seemed worth the effort. But recently, with diminishing hair, I have been exploring the upsides of being hairless. One big upside, money savings! The economics of maintaining hair are appealing when you plot it all out. Take for example my hair maintenance routine (if I was being maximally careful... of course… Continue
The value of a support network, and "It gets better"
Posted on October 22, 2010 at 10:30pm 0 Comments 0 Favorites
Last week was National Coming Out Day (on October 11). I work on a University campus, and since campuses are known for social outreach it was a well documented and discussed event. For those of you that don't know, National Coming Out Day is an awareness day focusing on discussion about the coming out process for Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgendered and Question individuals, especially teenagers and youth.
In reaction to the tragic bullying-induced suicides of recent, this year there… Continue
In reaction to the tragic bullying-induced suicides of recent, this year there… Continue
Oh geez, I am getting a haircut
Posted on August 26, 2010 at 6:48pm 3 Comments 0 Favorites
Oh geez. I am a bit of a nervous, indecisive wreck right now. I am getting a haircut on Saturday, my first since my doctor's visits confirmed my female pattern hair loss earlier this summer. Also, and more importantly than the doctor's diagnosis, this is my first haircut since I started obsessively analyzing my head with a hand mirror and identifying every thin spot. And to make matters more unsettling, I am working with a new stylist, and I have no idea of her qualifications for working with… Continue
Comment Wall (11 comments)
- At 1:46pm on July 29, 2011,
Marie said…
- Initially, I handled the whole thing by getting my hair cut short and using hair spray. I also went the Dermmatch route for a time and had exactly the same problems with it as you describe. I fussed and obsessed and got depressed. The final straw came, however, when I realized that I no longer had an actual hair STYLE -- I just did whatever was necessary t0 make the thinning less noticable. As a self-described fashionista, that is totally not my MO! So, I oppted for a brand new fashion accesory -- wigs!
- At 1:32pm on July 29, 2011,
Marie said…
- It was weird to see your photos because you hair looks exactly like my natural hair used to look: the color, density, and curl were so familiar. Of course, now, I'm a straight-haired blond!
- At 9:48pm on December 14, 2010,
Nesha B. said… Thank you for adding me! I really need someone to converse with about this. I will definately keep you updated on my fpb and if I can find anything that helps!
Nesha
- At 3:48pm on November 29, 2010,
Virginia said… - I loved reading your blogs. Sorry I didn't add you sooner I haven't been on here for a few months.
- At 11:46am on September 30, 2010,
Lois said… - oops...me again... ;)
you ok now that haircut day has passed? everything go well?
and p.s. ~ i'm jealous you live in alamo city...breckenridge park is a wonderful playground! :)
- At 12:14am on September 30, 2010,
Lois said…
- Happy BirthDay, Kate and hope it's a happy one and you ride your fantastic bike in this autumn like dreamy weather...I'm north of ya and enjoying it immensely...cheerz!
- At 5:11pm on September 2, 2010,
Christy Ingram said… - Kate, Thanks so much for adding me....you are my first AW friend!I really can identify with you, being in my first months of my official diagnoses FPB or Androgenetic Alopecia...It has been one heck of a many years long roller coaster ride, especially the past few months. I am still learning how to do stuff on here...I'm so looking forward to the support on here, and hope I can return it!!!
- At 3:26pm on August 27, 2010,
Lauren said… - im so sorry kate...i think i called you karen in the message i just sent you lol but that was the name of the woman who left a comment right above yours
- At 11:53am on August 23, 2010,
Kirsteen Forrest said… - Hiya Kate!! Welcome to this wonderful site!!! Thank you for your lovely words and I hope that one day you can find peace with your self too. I took me a while but I got there eventually and you will . Love Kirsteen x x
- At 6:10pm on August 8, 2010,
LeslieAnn Butler said…
- Hello and welcome, Kate!
How are you today?
LeslieAnn
Latest Activity
cati commented on Tanya's group 'Vancouver Alopecia Support Group'
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