Alopecia

[richlevy]

My son's alopecia is getting worse. It started a few months ago with alopecia areata when patches of his hair began falling out. It's moving towards alopecia totalis.

At this point Jeff's hair is mostly gone, with long wisps on parts of his head. We've asked him if he wants to get his head shaved, but he has refused. I've even offered to get my head shaved along with him.

He's wearing hats a lot, and trying to hang on to what he has. Coupled with his autism, this is a terribly raw deal for him.

We've been unable to get a diagnosis on the specific cause, but there is a genetic link to alopecia in our family.

We might be trying Minoxidil, but that's a lifetime commitment and I don't know if he could keep up with it.

I'll keep watching the UofP study mentioned in the other thread. Maybe in 5 years there will be a long term solution.