Vitiligo and hairloss

Hi. I have had vitiligo since I was 21. It started as just one tiny spot. I spread to an area around my mouth and cheek. When I became pregnant at 22 it stopped spreading and has not started again. BUT i have had hairloss. I have long hair. sometimes it doesnt fall as much but it has started to fall alot. it is worse at the front. I think I will go bald there soon. I have been to the doctor. there is a link between vitiligo and hairloss. it doesnt happen to all people though. If you wanna talk email me. I know the feeling.

[quote:76df17b7ad=\"Anonymous\"]Hello. I am 21 and earlier this year was diagnosed with vitiligo. It has continued to spread on my hands and around my hips and more recently at the corners of my mouth. I was wondering if any one has suffered from hairloss with vitiligo? I was given Lamisil at first as the doctor thought it could be pityriasis versicolor, which it was not. The whole coming to terms with it has been both depressing and stressful so I'm putting it down to maybe just being due to stress. There has never been any early hairloss in the family and I don't think it's genetic as it ties in exactly with the time the vitiligo started to get worse. I've been told by the dermatologist that there is no connection between vitiligo and hairloss but I've heard of some one els who also had the same.

I have started using Protopic cream in the hope that it may stop the vitiligo spreading.

I'm grateful for any advice you may have.

All the best[/quote:76df17b7ad]

I'm 22 years old and have had vitiligo since the age of seven. I've never had hairloss associated with the condition itself but if I find myself getting very stressed about it, I do have some hairloss. The most significant difference in my hair was white hair where I have spots on my head. Hope that helps a bit!

Hi All

I know that Vitiligo gets wrose when your stressed. Maybethe stressing is causing alophecia and its a domino effect?

Hi. Both my parent have Vitiligo and recently iv started to get small white patches on my back, which i can only assume so far that it is the same. A couple of months ago i noticed my hair was easily damaged and i lost more when i was washing it or brushing it, which i thought was quite wierd since im only 18 and it doesnt run in my family either! But since you've mentioned it, it would make sense if the two were linked! Have you found anything to slow it or even stop it?

Cheers

K

I have suffered vit for 20 years my hands are 100% complete vit with other patches to my genicles, feet , and elbows ect. And I had lost 50% of my hair not in patches but in thinning.. I have started taking vitamin B12 and my hair is thickening up.. But also I am getting a strange sensation to my hands like an elastic band flicking against them and then at least 62 little brown freakles have appeared like by some Miricle my pigment is returning I haven't a clue what's going on.. But don't want to get excited to soon only to be disappointed.. I hate my life with vitiligo yet really I feel so selfish that there is much worse suffering in the world than a few white patches :-)

Interesting reading these comments. I have had vitiligo since I was 21. I am now in my 60's and have managed to live wih it quite well and not get too down about it. I think this is mainly because I'm an artist and have devised various camouflage coping remedies. However, I have noticed recently that my hair is getting thin on top. I do know that if i was bald the skin on my scalp would probably be devoid of pigment. I'm trying not to panic and massaging with Kerastase initialiste serum and have bought some coloured fibres that stick to the hair via static. I don't think I'm anaemic or have an underactive thyroid (two common causes) so I'm wondering if there's a link with vitiligo.

Hi to all, I'm a mum of 2. william 9 and Sienna 6. Last sept I noticed a lack of colour to my daughters left eye lid. Vitiligo. I was devasted (understatement) I really was naive because I thought older people get it not children.

I'm British but we live in Rome. We are seeing Doctor Giovanni Leone.

He has managed to "cure" both eyelids with photo therapy.

I'm very happy but I know there's a long road ahead. .......

What else can I do???

Very sad mum

To start, I am a female.  I had a small white patch for years and kived in thew sun.  I tanned naturally and never needed sunscreen because I didn't burn unless at the beginning of summer I spent too long in the sun and water.  A couple of years ago I started to notice another white area and from there it just spread everywhere.  I don't tan anymore, I burn very easily, I have to wear sunscreen and be very careful.  I can live with all that, but then my hair started to thin, especially in the front. I was even losing my eyebrows and the hair on my skin and what was left was turning translucent.  I started taking hair vitamins (over the counter) along with flax (good for hair and skin).  It stopped the hair loss, some of my eyebrows have come back though I have to put some color on them to be seen, but there are there again.  My hair has thickened, but much slower in the front, I don't know why, but I notice a difference.  I color my hair to not look bald.  Since the vitamins benefit in other ways, I don't mind taking them.  I am 62, so if I can turn it around at my age and gender, it wouldn't hurt to try.  Good luck!