As for your question about swimming, there are actually wigs made just for that, made by "Amy's Presence." http://www.worldhairinstitute.com/amyspresence_gallery.shtml?menuname=mymenu2

Hi Marianne!

Thanks for asking about my book, If Your Hair Falls Out, Keep Dancing!

It's full of stories and struggles of my own and those of other women and children who have experienced hair loss of all types, written with a positive attitude and a lot of humor. If Your Hair Falls Out, Keep Dancing! has won two national awards, including the prestigious Book of the Year from Foreward Magazine which heads the family that includes People Magazine. It’s filled with tips on parenting kids with alopecia, how to tell your family and friends, dating, available treatments, doctors, makeup, wigs, and most important, attitude. The message is that you can enjoy and even celebrate your life with alopecia areata, go after your dreams, and know you’re not alone.My book is not only for women with alopecia, but for their families and friends who would like a greater understanding of the condition, as well as women who are facing other types of life challenges.
You can read more on my page, and there are links to interviews and my author web pages. There are more reader reviews on Amazon...just google "If Your Hair Falls Out, Keep Dancing!"

If you decide to get it, let me know how you like it!