Is Alopecia Areata And Pattern Baldness The SAME Thing?

[teds]

Hi everyone- I’ve got thick, lustrous hair. Always have and THOUGHT I always would. I recently (some time in the last 7 weeks) developed a patch of alopecia areata. About the size of a 20c piece/a quarter etc.

Now- I know the world is falling apart but I haven’t really been THAT affected. I mean, life has changed.. I spend more time at home. But I’m still working (where I see people and have social interaction etc), I’m not financially stressed, I’m pretty okay and I don’t really have any fear around how this is all playing out. And yet... apparently this is often due to “severe stress”... diet wise, I’ve had a bit more time to prep food and get in my liver, seafoods, etc etc. I thought I was doing okay actually..

I’ve definitely read through a few parts on the forum about baldness.. some people have asked about alopecia areata and they’ve been directed to Danny’s book.. but it seems to refer to male/female pattern baldness.. is this what is happening to me? It doesn’t feel like the same thing but maybe??

Can anyone shed light on if there’s a difference?

I take progest-e daily and I also take aspirin fairly frequently. Other than that I take energin and MG sporadically- I wish I remembered more often!

Many thanks.

 

[alephx]

What’s your diet like?

 

[mrchibbs]

I am firmly in Danny's camp with respect to hair loss. I believe the evidence is indisputable that hair loss is caused by the accumulation of stress, in both sexes, and it doesn't have anything to do with genes.

For instance, women with decreased thyroid and low progesterone (often called PCOS) have MPB, just like men of the same age. And we all
lose hair throughout our lives. Young babies have high prolactin and often they have MPB too.

However, alopecia universalis and aerata are sufficiently different to be classified differently. They're a good example of "auto-immune" disease, whatever that means. You're probably just missing something. Possibly sunlight or nutrition. If you work from home, spend time at home, you may be completely deficient in vitamin D. (It happens regularly to self-employed people, they sometimes have zero vitamin D at all).

I would try that first. Get some sun on your scalp, take vitamin D orally, maybe apply it topically on your scalp:

Successful Treatment of Alopecia Areata with Topical Calcipotriol