Gee, I hope I have a fungus!

I was getting ready for church 10 days ago. After curling all of my hair, I checked in my compact powder mirror to see if I had missed anything in the back. I noticed that my scalp was peeking through my hair and thought, "Huh! Why is that happening?" I lifted my hair to see this.



AAAAH! Okay, tears and more tears later, I did some online research. My biggest fear was that it was alopecia areata defined as an autoimmune disease that causes the body to form antibodies against some hair follicles.

Alopecia Areata 101
Alopecia Areata causes sudden smooth, circular patches of hair loss. The inflammation involved in AA focuses on the roots of hair follicles deep in the skin. As a result there is very little visible at the skin surface. There is no redness and often no pain, although a few people do find their skin itchy or painful to touch in the very early stages of AA development. Usually, though, there is no sensation -- just a patchy shedding of hair.

The hair loss can be quite sudden, developing in a matter of a few days and it may happen anywhere on the scalp. The patch is usually smooth bald skin with nothing obvious to see beyond the absence of hair. Unlike other autoimmune diseases, the target of the inflammatory response in AA, the hair follicles, are not completely destroyed and can re-grow if the inflammation subsides. There are no known cures and in many cases the hair grows back on its own.

The course of the disease varies from person to person. People with just one or two patches of AA often have a full and spontaneous recovery within two years whether or not they receive treatment. However, about 30% of individuals find the condition persists and becomes more extensive, or they have repeated cycles of hair loss and re-growth. Unfortunately, people with more extensive, long-term AA find the treatments currently available do not work well. For these individuals the only practical answer is a wig and lots of emotional support. For some the disease progresses to alopecia totalis (loss of all scalp hair and possibly eyebrows and eyelashes) and rarely alopecia universalis (loss of all scalp and body hair).

Alopecia areata is not contagious. It is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks itself, in this case, the hair follicles. The cause is not known. A person' genetic makeup combined with other factors triggers AA. Nearly 2 in every 100 people will develop AA during their lifetime.

My Status
I saw a doctor a couple of days after discovery. He seems optimistic that my hair loss is due to a fungus. Oh, joy! Most decriptions of fungus-inducing hair loss include scaling, redness, bumpiness, and sometimes oozing. My scalp looks completely healthy, but the doctor says sometimes there are no visible symptoms besides the hair loss. I am treating my hair with an antifungal shampoo. We will reevaluate in about 3-4 weeks. If there has been a worsening or no real improvement, we will biospy the scalp to test for alopecia areata, among other things I guess. The above picture was taken yesterday. If you look closely, you'll see a very small patch of regrowth in the upper left corner. The mystery of where I picked up this possible fungus remains. He doesn't seem to think it will be very contagious to others--no need to burn my hair brushes and linens. I'm still considering that however. I take what precautions I can, mainly frequent handwashing.

Emotionally, I'm doing much better than I was the day of discovery. I was a basket case that day and had to stay home from church. But now I am optimistic that this will be a one-time occurence and will resolve itself relatively soon. I am just glad that I am not experiencing anything life-threatening or debilitating or even painful. The rest of my hair mostly covers the patch although my scalp still peeks through when my hair swings from side to side or even more so when I let my hair go curly. I'm considering buying a hat, although I've never liked how I looked in hats.

Hopefully, all this fungus talk has not grossed you out. I find that it is better for me to be upfront about what I'm experiencing rather than stressing too much about whether others will notice. It is very likely that before long I will have a nice fuzzy patch of hair hiding my bright white scalp and this will be the end of my hair loss. But in the event that things do not improve or worsen, I will be more prepared to deal with it and you won't mistake me for someone undergoing chemotherapy. Here's to remembering the little blessings of life--like hair!