I was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata about a year ago. For those of you who don't know what it is, it's patchy hair loss. Round patches fall out leaving the bald spots completely smooth. This is a picture of it I found off google.
![](https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi272.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fjj190%2FBradyWady7%2Falopecia.jpg&hash=86db24e813e9e8baacea8f34080ad3e9b0421130)
However, there is no cure. It's an autoimmune disease in which the immune system turns on itself and attacks hair follicles. It's supposed to grow back within 6 months to a year. If not, it can be treated with steroid injections into the scalp on each bald spot, which usually gives 100% hair growth back.
I've had the same bald spot in the front of my head, right on the hairline for about 4-5 years. It used to not be that bad, but when I started getting injections, my bald spot got bigger and bigger. I thought it was just because of the disease, but I heard a rumor that hair growth can be stunted by the steroids because your scalp can become dependent on the coritsone and not manufacture hair for itself. So, 4 years ago it was just a balding line about an inch long. Now it's a circle right in the center of my hair line, bigger than a quarter.
I'm very self conscious about this, hence my love for hats. I had an appointment for consulting about hair transplants. My doctor was cool. I'm a good candidate for transplants because my hair hasn't grown back for 4 years. But he said it's a possibility that I could have Lupus (which is dumb...because that's genetic and no one in my family has it) because I had a patch of hair loss and my cheeks are pink? So now, I have to get a blood test and scalp biopsy done. Considering the follicular transplants take about 6 months to grow anyway, this prolongs the process even more
![Sad :(](https://www.susans.org/Smileys/susans/sad.gif)
I know I'm making a big deal out of this but it's very embarrassing, esp. because I want to keep my hair very short but that huge bald spot shows if I do that. So, what I was thinking, was getting a new hair do until I get transplants. What do you think of this kind of look? Will it make me look feminine? Any other hair dos yall could think of? (pictures please?)
![](https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi272.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fjj190%2FBradyWady7%2Fhair1.jpg&hash=760d754d4eeda470c84fdb09b07b5f6272c84729)
![](https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi272.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fjj190%2FBradyWady7%2Fhair2.jpg&hash=582e2e6e93f1be4386807981614f1633c576ea24)
![](https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi272.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fjj190%2FBradyWady7%2Fhair4.jpg&hash=84b76cf2ee31215e24f19aaa5284123c9da95a94)
![](https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi272.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fjj190%2FBradyWady7%2Fhair5.jpg&hash=95f26e06a9fa25c292e6ad76a61abad07589e20e)
Also, does anyone else suffer from alopecia areata?