It's Just Hair

My daughter was bald as a cue ball until she was almost two. And then a mass of curls sprung from her head almost overnight. By the time she was 3 1/2, she had curly hair half way down her back. There was SO MUCH of it that styling it was a pain. Then last winter, she decided she wanted it shorter, so we cut it to shoulder length. But that wasn't enough for this adventurous girl, so last summer, she got a bob cut.

The night before the first day of school, I was blow drying her adorable bob and noticed a quarter sized bald spot not the back of her head. It was covered by her masses of hair, but it was odd. We saw the pediatrician and he confirmed what my internet research had proposed - she had an alopecia areata. Likely a reaction to some kind of virus or infection, it would likely go away on its own over time.

Only...it didn't. Instead, it got BIGGER. And then a second one appeared. And then they grew into one big patch on the back of her head.

And then another formed on the side of her head.

We had booked an appointment with a dermatologist in January. We went, and we learned that this was treatable, but that the type of alopecia areata she had was autoimmune related and could potentially recur. We started treating the spots.

There was some re-growth, particularly on the large patch on the back of her head. But also, after our bout with the flu in late January/early February, more new spots formed.

Now, when I look at my daughter's head, once covered in masses of golden hair, I see patches of scalp. And it tears me in two every time.

She's braver than I am. She does generally like to cover the patches when she's in public, but she'll show them and talk about them to anyone who is curious. She names them. She tells me that if she loses all her hair, she'll just get a really cool wig.

We're attacking the situation both with western medicine and with holistic approaches. We'll see how it goes.

I realize that alopecia is hardly the worst thing we could be dealing with. She's healthy (well, we're pretty sure - she had a ton of tests done at Children's last week that will hopefully confirm this). It's just hair. But at the same time, she's a six year old girl. She shouldn't be losing her hair.

We were recently added to a group of Alopecia families. It's hugely comforting to know that there exists a support network of families who've walked this road and know what we're dealing with. And that there is a group of kids like E, so that she can know there's nothing "wrong" or "weird" about her - something that hasn't yet occurred to her, but that undoubtedly will.

So, my magic girl, the one who is so strong and brave, has something pretty challenging to deal with. If anyone is up to it, it's this girl. Me, on the other hand...we'll see.