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Coping and support
By Mayo Clinic staffChances are that the greatest challenge of losing your hair is coping with the change in your appearance. You may be frustrated or upset by other people's reactions or after trying various treatments with little success. If you're having difficulty coping with baldness caused by heredity, a medical condition or medical treatments, you may find some of the following suggestions helpful:
- Learn about the cause of your baldness and treatment options. Be wary of alternative treatments that have no proven track record or may cause dangerous or unpleasant side effects.
- Educate those near to you. Your family and friends can be more sympathetic if they understand the cause of your baldness or your concerns about your looks. You may also learn that they are less concerned about changes in your appearance than you are.
- Consider joining a support group. While support groups aren't for everyone, they can be sources of information and comfort. Talking with people who experience the same challenges or medical conditions and learning how they cope can be reassuring.
- Hair loss and hair restoration. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/common_hairloss.html. Accessed Nov. 14, 2009.
- Alopecia areata. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/common_alopecia.html. Accessed Nov. 14, 2009.
- Messenger AM. Alopecia areata. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 19, 2009.
- Goldstein BG, et al. Androgenetic alopecia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 19, 2009.
- Goldstein BG, et al. Nonscarring hair loss. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 19, 2009.
- Goldstein BG, et al. Patient information: Hair loss in men and women (androgenetic alopecia). http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 19, 2009.
- Hair replacement. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. http://www.plasticsurgery.org/Patients_and_Consumers/Procedures/Cosmetic_Procedures/Hair_Replacement.html. Accessed Nov. 14, 2009.
- Gibson L (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dec. 8, 2009.
- Hordinsky M. Cicatricial alopecia: discoid lupus erythematosus. Dermatologic Therapy. 2008;21:245-248.
- Trueb RM. Chemotherapy-induced alopecia. Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery. 2009;28:11-14.
