If you joke about it...it just might happen.

So, with all that is going on in my life...my mom & I, and Jamie & I were joking about, "Oh great, I'm sure now my hair's going to fall out." Well, if you joke about it--it just might happen.

Found another spot this morning.
Greeeeeeeat.

For those that dont know: it's alopecia areata. It's this auto-immune disease that I have where my white blood cells attack my hair follicles, and then my hair falls out.

About alopecia areata:
Here's a picture of alopecia areata. (Note--this is not my head!) but for those that want to know, here's what it can look like:

(It's nauseating to look at--isn't it?...or maybe i'm just sensitive b/c my head could look like that...)

From www.naaf.org (National Alopecia Areata Foundation)

What is Alopecia Areata?

Alopecia areata (al-oh-PEE-shah air-ee-AH-tah) is a highly unpredictable, autoimmune skin disease resulting in the loss of hair on the scalp and elsewhere on the body. This common but very challenging and capricious disease affects approximately 1.7 percent of the population overall, including more than 5 million people in the United States alone. Due to the fact that much of the public is still not familiar with alopecia areata, the disease can have a profound impact on one's life and functional status, both at work and at school.

In alopecia areata, the affected hair follicles are mistakenly attacked by a person's own immune system (white blood cells), resulting in the arrest of the hair growth stage. Alopecia areata usually starts with one or more small, round, smooth bald patches on the scalp and can progress to total scalp hair loss (alopecia totalis) or complete body hair loss (alopecia universalis).

Alopecia areata occurs in males and females of all ages and races; however, onset most often begins in childhood and can be psychologically devastating. Although not life-threatening, alopecia areata is most certainly life-altering, and its sudden onset, recurrent episodes, and unpredictable course have a profound psychological impact on the lives of those disrupted by this disease.

From the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases:
www.niams.nih.gov

Alopecia areata often occurs in people whose family members have other autoimmune diseases, such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, pernicious anemia, or Addison's disease. People who have alopecia areata do not usually have other autoimmune diseases, but they do have a higher occurrence of thyroid disease, atopic eczema, nasal allergies, and asthma.

It is possible, but not likely, for alopecia areata to be inherited. Most children with alopecia areata do not have a parent with the disease, and the vast majority of parents with alopecia areata do not pass it along to their children.

Alopecia areata is not like some genetic diseases in which a child has a 50-50 chance of developing the disease if one parent has it. Scientists believe that there may be a number of genes that predispose certain people to the disease. It is highly unlikely that a child would inherit all of the genes needed to predispose him or her to the disease.