William Collier Design Hair Loss Treatment Blog - Alopecia

National Alopecia Aerata Foundation Want's YOUR STORY!

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 17:45:00 -0400

Hi Everyone,

I had a consultation today with a young women who noticed her first bald-patch a year ago, she finally decided she wanted to do something about it and came into our Salon to learn about the various options available to her. She was so surprised to hear about the large number of women we work with on a daily basis who are living with Alopecia. She had been feeling alone and stressed about her situation and was comforted to see photo's of our clients who were beaming with joy because of their new hair additions. She left our salon with a solution that works wonderfully for her and information on NAAF to provide an on-going support system as she goes forward.

I can tell you from first-hand experience that sharing your story can make a huge difference in someone's life - even if you never meet them or know it - you can help bring light into someone's life. Please consider sharing your story with NAAF.

If you're one of our clients, and you feel inspired, we'd love to post your personal testimonial on our website to help other's find the perfect solution that can help them live fuller lives.

As always, I welcome your comments and questions.

Warm Regards,

Judi Collier

Share Your Inspirational Story

Do you have a story to share about your experience with alopecia areata? We welcome your feelings and thoughts about how you have come to terms with being a parent of a child with alopecia areata, being an adult with alopecia areata or being a young person with alopecia areata. Once we receive and review your submission, we will let you now if and when it will be posted here.

Please email your story as an attachment in WORD, to mail@naaf.org.
Subject line should read: NAAF Inspirational Story for website

Please include your name (and age, if desired). If you have them, please include 1 or 2 photos in jpeg file format.

http://www.naaf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=stories_photos_tell

Give Courage to Someone with Alopecia this Holiday Season!

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:59:00 -0400

For most children the holidays bring feelings of excitement and wonder. For 11-year-old Michael, however, the 2008 holiday season brought him sadness and fear; he returned from holiday break with undeniable hair loss.

“I feel sad, mad and angry when kids call me names and tease me. I have been called bald eagle, light bulb & Mr. Clean.”

-Michael

“Thank you for opening your hearts to me and my son Michael. It has been very encouraging to see kids growing up, living and coping with this disease with such courage and a sense of well being.”

Michael’s mother, Danette

Every donation counts! Our programs need your support

Help us be the miracle to individuals with alopecia areata this holiday season.

Each day children and adults worldwide are diagnosed with alopecia areata. In a moment their lives suddenly change and they are searching desperately for answers and for others who understand. More than anything, however, they need to know that there is hope.

Because of supporters like you the National Alopecia Areata Foundation can help individuals like Michael. NAAF is the first responder to those in crisis; NAAF is their link to the alopecia areata community; NAAF is the reason research is bringing us closer to a cure.

Your investment today will provide hope to someone in need. It doesn’t take much to make a difference:

$25 can go toward educating someone just diagnosed about this disease and finding others with it
$50 can aid in creating resources to help a child educate a potential bully
$100 can assist with providing a young adult with the funds to help purchase that perfect hair
$500 can help in allowing a researcher to go one step further toward looking for the missing link

I hope we can count on your support!

Vicki Kalabokes, President & CEO

P.S. Tell a friend about this campaign and help us provide more miracles to kids like Michael.

Alopecia - Causes & Solutions

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:58:00 -0400

Hi Everyone,

I've included some general information about Alopecia and it's causes from Wikipedia - feel free to click on the link to go directly to the Wikipedia website. Here at William Collier Design we offer multiple options for those living with hair-loss - we specialize in providing custom full-head prosthetics (wigs) and hairpieces that look so natural they are virtually undetectable. We are always here to answer your questions & we offer free complimentary consultations to those who desire more information on the hair loss solutions we offer.

Please don't hesitate to call us (1-877-457-2322) or email us info@williamcollierdesign.com with any questions or comments.

Judi Collier

Alopecia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alopecia or hair loss is the medical description of the loss of hair from the head or body, sometimes to the extent of baldness. Unlike the common aesthetic depilation of body hair, alopecia tends to be involuntary and unwelcome, e.g., androgenic alopecia. However, it may also be caused by a psychological compulsion to pull out one's own hair (trichotillomania) or the unforeseen consequences of voluntary hairstyling routines (mechanical "traction alopecia" from excessively tight ponytails or braids, or burns to the scalp from caustic hair relaxer solutions or hot hair irons).

In some cases, alopecia is an indication of an underlying medical concern, such as iron deficiencyWhen hair loss occurs in only one section, it is known as alopecia areata. Alopecia universalis is when complete hair loss on the body occurs, similar to how hair loss associated with chemotherapy sometimes affects the entire body.

Epidemiology

^{The condition affects 0.1%–0.2% of humans, occurring in both males and females, though far more females than males.} ^{Alopecia areata occurs in people who are apparently healthy and have no skin disorder.}^{Initial presentation most commonly occurs in the late}^teenage^{years, early childhood, or young adulthood, but can happen with people of all ages. As it has happened before.}

^Types

^{The most common type of alopecia areata involves hair loss in one or more round spots on the scalp.}

^{Hair may also be lost more diffusely over the whole scalp, in which case the condition is called diffuse alopecia areata.}

^{Alopecia areata monolocularis describes baldness in only one spot. It may occur anywhere on the head.}
^{Alopecia areata multilocularis refers to multiple areas of hair loss.}
^{The disease may be limited only to the beard, in which case it is called Alopecia areata barbae.}
^{If the patient loses all the hair on his/her scalp, the disease is then called}^{Alopecia areata totalis}^.
^{If all body hair, including}^{pubic hair}^{, is lost, the diagnosis then becomes}^{Alopecia areata universalis}^.

^{Alopecia areata totalis and universalis are rare.}

^Causes

^{Alopecia areata is noncommunicable, or not}^contagious^.^{It occurs more frequently in people who have affected family members, suggesting that}^heredity^{may be a factor,}^{and at least one of the genes involved has been mapped to chromosome 8.}^{In addition, it is slightly more likely to occur in people who have relatives with}^{autoimmune diseases}^.

^{The condition is thought to be an}^{autoimmune disorder}^{in which the body attacks its own}^{hair follicles}^{and suppresses or stops hair growth.}^{There is evidence that}^{T cell}^lymphocytes^{cluster around these follicles, causing inflammation and subsequent hair loss. An unknown environmental trigger such as}^{emotional stress}^{or a}^pathogen^{is thought to combine with hereditary factors to cause the condition.}^{There are a few recorded cases of babies being born with}^congenital^{alopecia areata; however, these are not cases of autoimmune disease because an infant is born without a fully developed immune system.}

^Diagnosis

^{Alopecia areata}

^{First symptoms are small, soft, bald patches which can take just about any shape but are most usually round.}^{It most often affects the scalp and beard but may occur on any hair-bearing part of the body.}^{There may be different skin areas with hair loss and regrowth in the same body at the same time. It may also go into remission for a time, or permanently.}

^{The area of hair loss may tingle or be very slightly painful.}

^{The hair tends to fall out over a short period of time, with the loss commonly occurring more on one side of the scalp than the other.}

^{Another presentation of the condition are exclamation point hairs. Exclamation point hairs are hairs that become narrower along the length of the strand closer to the base, producing a characteristic "exclamation point" appearance.}

^{One diagnostic technique applied by medical professionals is to gently tug at a handful of hair along the edge of a patch with less strength than would be required to pull out healthy hair. In healthy hair, no hair should fall out or ripped hair should be distributed evenly across the tugged portion of the scalp. In cases of alopecia areata hair will tend to pull out easier along the edge of the patch where the follicles are already being attacked by the body's immune system than away from the patch where they are still healthy. Professionals usually remind patients that the hair that is pulled out would eventually fall naturally. The test is conducted only once to identify the condition and rule out a simple localized hair loss condition.}

^Treatment

^{About 50% of patients' hair will regrow in one year without any treatment.}^{If the affected region is small, it is reasonable to observe the progression of the illness as the problem often spontaneously regresses and the hair grows back. In 90% of cases, the hair will, ultimately, grow back. In the other 10%, only some or no hair will regrow.}

^{In cases where there is severe hair loss, there has been limited success treating alopecia areata with}^clobetasol^or^fluocinonide^{, steroid injections, or cream. Steroid injections are commonly used in sites where there are small areas of hair loss on the head or especially where eyebrow hair has been lost. Some other medications used are}^minoxidil^{, irritants (anthralin or topical coal tar), and topical immunotherapy}^cyclosporine^{, each of which are sometimes used in different combinations.}

^{Oral corticosteroids decrease the hair loss, but only for the period during which they are taken, and these drugs have}^{adverse side effects}^.

^{For small patches on the beard or head it is possible to suppress with topical tacrolimus ointments like Protopic. Symptoms may remain suppressed until aggravated by stress or other factors. Treatment with tacrolimus is recommended only for short periods of time due to}^{adverse side effects}^.[^{citation needed}^]

^{Initial stages may be kept from increasing by applying topical}^{corticosteroids}^{. However, topical corticosteroids frequently fail to enter the skin deeply enough to affect the hair bulbs, which are the treatment target.}

^{In terms of adapting to the disease rather than treating in an effort to cure, there are also many options available. Wigs are often used by those with Alopecia, particularly Alopecia Totalis, in which hair is entirely lost from the scalp. Wigs are available at many levels of development and technology, including wigs with suction mechanisms to keep it firmly attached to the scalp. Most of the wigs available are so well made that it is impossible without close investigation to tell whether they are a person's actual hair, or a wig.}

^Prognosis

^{In most cases that begin with a small number of patches of hair loss, hair grows back after a few months to a year.}^{In cases with a greater number of patches, hair can either grow back or progress to alopecia totalis or, in rare cases, universalis.}

^{Effects of alopecia areata are mainly psychological (loss of self image due to hair loss). However, patients also tend to have a slightly higher incidence of}^asthma^,^allergies^,^atopic^{dermal ailments, and even}^{hypothyroidism}^{. Loss of hair also means that the scalp}^burns^{more easily in the sun. Loss of nasal hair increases severity of}^{hay fever}^{and similar allergic conditions. Patients may also have aberrant nail formation because}^keratin^{forms both hair and nails.}

^{Hair may grow back and then fall out again later.}^{Episodes of alopecia areata before puberty predispose chronic recurrence of the condition.}^{Pitting of the fingernails can hint at a more severe or prolonged course.[}^{citation needed}^]

^{Psychosocial issues}

^{Alopecia can certainly be the cause of psychological}^stress^{. Because hair loss can lead to significant appearance changes, individuals may experience}^{social phobia}^,^anxiety^{, and}^depression^{. Some psychologists have even gone as far as to describe the feelings of loss and depression felt at the onset of the disease as being similar to those felt by people afflicted with terminal illness. In severe cases where the chance of hair regrowth is slim, individuals need to adapt to the condition, rather than look for a cure}

If Your Hair Falls Out, Keep Dancing!"...new book by LeslieAnn Butler

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:18:00 -0400

Hi Everyone,

This book was highly recommended to me - I haven't had a chance to read it myself but I would love to hear your feedback on it - please feel free to post your thoughts!

I have never had to experience what it would be like to live as a women witnout hair in our culture - a culture that prizes outer beauty above all else - but I meet women experiencing hair loss every day in my salon and I am continually awed by the grace & strength these women show on their journey to finding a solution that works for them. All of us at William Collier Design are honored to share a supporting role on their life journey and I am ALL for anything that promotes the truth that, as women - carrying the spark of the divine feminine within us - we are all perfect and beautiful....just as we are.

I hope this book promotes that feeling - as always I look forward to your feedback!

Judi Collier

NAAF Marketplace Book Wins Two National Book of the Year Awards

"If Your Hair Falls Out, Keep Dancing!", by LeslieAnn Butler, a book that one reviewer describes as “Sex and the City meets alopecia" and another as “Helpful, hopeful, funny and fabulous!” has been honored with the prestigious national Book of the Year Award by ForeWord Magazine. The book, which continues to sell all over the world, previously received another national first place award for the ReaderViews Reviewers Choice Award for Best Body/Health Book of 2009.

Illustrated with twenty-three of LeslieAnn's paintings, "If Your Hair Falls Out, Keep Dancing!" is filled with tips on how to discuss alopecia areata with family and friends, available treatments, doctors, dating, makeup, wigs, and perhaps most important, attitude. Written with warmth and humor, this book helps women realize that they can enjoy and celebrate life with alopecia areata and go after their dreams knowing they're not alone. You can purchase the book at the NAAF Alopecia Areata Marketplace where 10% of your purchase dollars go towards NAAF. Visit the marketplace here.

Support the National Alopecia Areata Foundation's Annual Auction!

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:11:00 -0400

Hi Everyone,

We are huge supporters of NAAF and think they do amazing work in the world - if you have the ability to support them with their auction this September we urge you to give as generously as you are able.

Judi Collier

Auction for Awareness of Alopecia Areata

In September, Alopecia Areata Awareness Month, NAAF will be holding the inaugural Auction for Awareness of Alopecia Areata. In honor of children, women and men with the autoimmune skin disease, this online auction, with the help of eBay and Missionfish, will raise funds to enhance programming in the areas of research, support and awareness.

Please join us in celebrating awareness month by helping to make this auction a success. The more auction items that are donated, the bigger impact the auction will have on the lives of individuals with alopecia areata.

The online auction will take place over ten days, September 21-30, 2009. All NAAF family members are encouraged to donate or solicit items to be auctioned. Auction items will be accepted until September 1, 2009. Ideas for what to donate or what items to solicit for, as well as how to submit items to NAAF can be found in theAuction for Awareness Donor Handbook. And once you have the perfect item to donate to the Auction, please complete the Auction Donation Form and email a high resolution picture of the item to lisa@naaf.org.

Of course, everyone can also participate in the bidding and can engage friends, families and community members in the bidding as well!

Thank you so much in helping to make this inaugural event a success. Families across the globe will thank you for your generosity.

Alopecia Areata Seattle Area Support Group Meeting in April

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:06:00 -0400

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to get the word out that the next Alopecia Areata Seattle Area support group is coming up in April. It will be held at Virginia Mason Medical Center in the Lindemann Bldg, rooms C & D on APRIL 3rd, 2009 at 7:00pm

Please read the attached flyer for more specific information - here is an excerpt;

"The support group is an ideal place to come and talk with others about living with alopecia areata. It is the place to gain knowledge from those who have had years of experience. As we learn about our alopecia areata, we become more aware of how it affects us. We all need time for positive and careful thought to progress towards acceptance and feeling good about ourselves. Attend our support group to listen and bring some of your valuable experience and knowledge to share with others."

As always we welcome your comments and questions, feel free to call or email us anytime to schedule a complimentary consultation for more information on regarding your particular, individual needs.

Judi Collier