When I joined this site:
Taken away self confidence.
I fell totally unattractive now.
Definitely struggling with depression due to this.

Now:
Much more self confident.
More able to look beyond the external.
More peace than I've EVER had with myself and who I am.

I first discovered hair loss as a teen over 20 years ago - just one bald patch on the back of my head about the size of a silver dollar. Over the years, the alopecia areata has come & gone in phases. During the worst shedding times, I've had cortisone injections to the bald areas which have caused the hair to grow back, but even during times when I didn't get the injections, the hair did eventually grow back. I've lived without eyebrows and wouldn't inject in that sensitive area, then they grew back on their own. The hair loss is currently at its worst ever - general thinning throughout the top, large bald patches the size of your fist on the back, sides, and top. I've always had a large forehead, but my hairline has receded even more, with definite bald patches above the ear but below the temple that can no longer be "hidden". I have had 2 rounds of cortisone injections this spring which were somewhat successful - growth is occurring in some areas treated, but not in others. This is the first time I've had an area fail to respond to the cortisone at all. I've also had a high hairline at the back of my head for most of those years - preventing me from wearing a ponytail when I did have longer hair.

Why couldn't it be other body hair - like the legs, underarms, bikini line, nose..? Come on! It's so ludicrous to be shaving (or otherwise removing) hair from those areas while crying about not having hair! Male pattern baldness runs in my family and even my husband has it. There are no other women in my family that suffer from this and I try to keep a sense of humor and ask if this is my punishment for growing up a tomboy! Those are the good days. I now have to wear a baseball cap to prevent sunburn on my scalp - being very fair skinned, I'm accustomed to the sunscreen ritual, but always enjoyed the golden red hilights the sun gave my hair. I did not enjoy the first red scalp I suffered not too long ago!

Dec. '08 update:
I have such little hair left that I shaved my head a few months ago and have a wig I've been wearing. I've gotten to the point where I have gone out in public bald & beautiful and it's been fine! There have been a few who assumed I had chemo, but that's been easy to deal with as well. One woman is a cancer survivor and shared with me that she wished she was able to "go bald" when she was and was such an encouragement. This whole experience has definitely given me more peace and confidence than I ever imagined. It's definitely been a journey and there are times when I'm most comfortable in my wig without people knowing, but I'm happy to say there are also times where I'm happy to be bald!