hi, im 24 years old and i've been suffering with alopecia for about 4 months. it first started with a bald patch the size of a 50 pence piece. i went to the doc who diagnosed it as a fungal infection, she assured me it would grow back. it didnt, it just got bigger. i saw a different doc who diagnosed me with alopecia areata, he ran some blood tests on me, everything was clear apart from i was lacking in vitamin D and vitamin B12. I am now on tablets for this. my doc told told me my hair loss could be due to my B12 deficiency and maybe the tablets i had to take would stop it falling out. its been six weeks now and my hair is coming out even more! i only have to run my hand through my hair and i have about 10 - 15 strands on my hand. my bald patch is at the back of my head and its about 3 inches wide and 2 inches high but is not noticeable if my hair is down or if i tie it to the side in a bun. i am grateful that its not as noticeable as some peoples but its causing me a huge amount of distress. i have always had very thick, long hair since i was young but now its very thin and flimsy! my doctor refused to give me anything for it, just told me to keep an eye on it but its got considerably bigger than when he first saw it. im going back to the doctors this week, should i demand to see a specialist or should i ask for cream or any other medication for it? im at my wits end at the moment, this has really knocked my confidence and i didnt have a lot to begin with! i think about it 80% of the time that im awake and when im lying in bed at night, my mind is racing which makes it difficult to sleep. my parents have been very supportive, but i think i would like to speak with a fellow sufferer who knows what im going through, how i feel, and could maybe give me some advice on how to cope with this condition. thank you x
Hi, I know what you are going through. My hairdresser noticed a small bald patch, the size of a 10p about 5 weeks ago, it is now about 4" by 3" and getting bigger every day. Like you I am finding it hard to sleep as I am worrying about pulling more out. I went to the doctor who made me an appointment to see a specialist, which is 2 weeks today. Hopefully they will help. People say try not to worry about it, how we supposed to do that? I also have long thick hair and luckily it is not noticable at the moment if my hair is down but I am constantly concious of it when out in public. I am nervous of washing, brushing or drying my hair at the moment.
Fingers crossed we get the help we need. I will post again when I have seen the specialist or before just to keep in touch x
Hi Alexandra, sorry to hear about your hair problem. I too a while ago went through a balding crisis, I didn't realise a balding patch was materialising coz it was on the back of my head. I also went to my docs, they checked to make sure I didn't have a skin problem (and I didn't), so it must have been down to stress (which I had been going through for a while with family problems). I was told, it may or may not grow back, they didn't know, this wasn't very helpful to hear from a male doctor who had a large thick wad of hair of his own.....and told him this. So, I took matters into my own hands, as I haven't had this sort of problem before (now in my forties), and bought Rosemary shampoo and conditioner from local health shop (brilliant properties in it), also rinsed hair adding few drops of Tea Tree oil in water (in case it was fungal) and MOST IMPORTANTLY......RELAXED!!!!!!!!!! After a couple of weeks I felt new growth of hair coming through, patchy at first, but was REALLY RELIEVED to see my hair STARTING TO GROW BACK.
I would suggest you ask to be referred to a specialist anyway as that always takes time ......in meantime, try do what I've done and then notice any difference after a couple of weeks.....and especially think about what could be causing you be anxious or thinking negatively as this can suddenly shed more hairs than normal.
I am interested in knowing know how you got on.
Regards, Shan
You have done very well 
to get to :
"........everything was clear apart from i was lacking in vitamin D and vitamin B12. I am now on tablets for this. my doc told told me my hair loss could be due to my B12 deficiency ......"
Next step must be to find out why you are low on D & B12. ( A healthy person of your age would not normally be low on these & so should not need tablets )
Low on D ..... not enough sunlight ? ( do you live up north ? )
Low on B12 ... Your body should be able to store enough B12 for many months of need so you may have been low on this for some time. Possible reasons would include PA, coeliac.
Tell them you would like to know the cause rather than just treating your symptoms
Good Luck !!! !!!
Perhaps you have already encountered :
Vit D :
patient.info/health/vitamin-d-deficiency-including-osteomalacia-and-rickets
Vit B12 :
patient.info/Search.asp?searchTerm=%22vitamin+b12+deficiency%22&x=16&y=8
( sorry the above link does not seem to convert into a clickable link - you could copy & past it )
Emis moderator comment: Just searching Patient for vitamin b12 deficiency will give the ablove link.
Hi, thanks for replying guys! Bobble, I sent you a messsge with my email address in. Thank you cheery-one for your advice, I shall definitely look into getting that shampoo you mentioned! Rex carr, apparently, according to my doctor, no I dont get enough sunlight! I dont understand this because I am outdoors more often than I am in! I do live in Wales though, I dont know if thats worde than living up north lol. But I think I have been lacking in B12 for a while as I dont eat any red meat which id full of vitamin B12. I'm getting more blood tests in the new year and if my B12 tablets havent git my condition under control I will be tested for pernicious anaemia. Thank you for your input on this though. Sorry if I've made any spelling mistakes. I'm using my phone and my screen is rather small! X
I posted a couple of links above but forgot that such things need to be approved ( good idea methinks )
Dont know how deep you want to go into this by yourself.....if you are interested try putting
"coelaic_disease symptoms site:coeliac.ie"
into a google search box for a few links on coeliac symptoms
Also there is a bit on PA on this site ( i.e. patient.info ) if you go to the 'conditions' tab
Well I went to see a specialist who confirmed it was alopecia, says a shock can cause it.....I can't think of anything that has shocked me recently! The good news is little hair has started to grow back. My hair is brown but the hair coming through is jet black, I was born with jet black hair and he says this can happen and it should change in time.
The bad news was that as I have already had a patch it is more likely to come back again somewhere else.
He prescribed me some steroid cream, although he did admit it probably doesn't help! although it may take away the itching and burning of another patch.
The other advice he gave me was not to plait, tie up or pull the hair in anyway and not to have hair coloured.
Seems it is just something we have to live with as there is no cure and just keep checking for further patches and fingers crossed one day they find a cure x
Think back now....has there been anything happening in your life or around you in other's lives that has been a stressful or anxious time?
Thanks for everyones advice! My B12 deficiency is from not eating red meat according to my doc! Bobble,.glad to hear your hair is starting to grow back! I read somewhere that the hair growing back will be a different colour. I'm still putting pressure on my doc to refer me to a specialist! I have also read that onion juice can stimulate hair re-growth!
Cheery-one, I've been having problems with my partner for a few months which has caused me to be stressed and anxious sometimes for days on end! I know stress doesnt help with this condition but everyone gets stressed, and its so hard to stop worrying about things 
x
P.S.......my bald patch did grow back after a while..... hair roots have a regular cycle and you will probably find it is growing back thicker than it was before....LOOK this UP and you WILL FIND WHAT YOU'RE SEARCHING FOR x
This is to Bobble.......
"He prescribed me some steroid cream, although he did admit it probably doesn't help! although it may take away the itching and burning of another patch."
.........just a thought......have you come into contact with any animals.....or anyone who has animals?
Regards
Sharon
Alexandra, I have also heard the onion juice theory but not heard of anyone trying it but will try anything, there is also tablets that are supposed to help from the health shop called sea kelp. Although specialist I saw said it will grow back in time and people who are using these things think they are working!
Cheery one, I can't think of anything that has shocked me and I don't normally get stressed, usually to laid back but I suppose I have been anxious and stressed since hair started falling out
Bev x
Cheery one, There is a dog, a parrot and a budgie where I work and live (live at work) but have always been round animals. Is there some connection?
Bev x
Bev, it is very common to catch ringworm....which is a fungal infection....has any of the animals around you had any probs with their skins within last few months?
Hi Alexandra
Just thought I would post as I'm a 23 year old girl who has been suffering on and off with alopecia for about 5 years, so I know how it feels and how scary and worrying it can be!
Mine started as one patch at the back of my head about the size of a 50p, and it gradually got bigger and more patches started developing. My doc put it down to stress and after about a year it did all grow back (thank god), but I've had this on and off like I said for 5 years now.
More recently, I changed from my very stressful job in a bank to a very relaxed job and literally as soon as I changed my job, my hair grew back! The worst thing you can do is worry about your hair because as cruel as it is, this will only make it worse. Be assured though that mine grew back although it did take a while, and I'm sure yours will too!
More recently though I have noticed the hair at the back of my hair (nape of neck) and around my hair almost like receding. I've been back to the docs again and they've sent me for more blood tests but unfortunately, there's nothing they can do. I'm confused though because I'm not stressed and I'm so worried that this is going to spread across my whole scalp and I'll end up bald. I have googled this type of hair loss and is called 'ophiasis', a form of alopecia areata. Has anyone else suffered with this? I'd love to hear from anyone going through a similar thing, just for a bit of peace of mind I'm not the only one! I'm hoping my hair will grow back like the last few times but I've never had hair loss in this way before where it almost recedes!
Thanks x
Hi Vanessa, I'm wondering......do you have long hair and tie it back?
Shan.
Hi Cheery-one
Thanks for replying I do have long hair but I never have worn it up. I did read about traction alopecia but I've never worn it up at all so I'm sure it can't be that.
Vanessa x
Hi Vanessa
Have you done anything different recently? Put any products onto your face,skin, scalp? Been scratching at the area?
Shan
Hi Shan
Nothing too different that I can think of! I do get eczema frequently though so my skin can get irritated easily, and I have used different shampoos. Sometimes the area can feel a bit tender so maybe it could be some sort of allergic reaction?
If my blood test comes back clear I might try changing to a simple shampoo and seeing if that helps.
Vanessa x