This is alopecia, isn't it?

[TotallyUnexpectedSun]

My DC (19) has a sudden hair loss at the back of their head. It is devastating and shocking, in equal measures.
No family history.
We don't know what to do. Waiting to see GP, assuming it is going to be a long wait for a dermatologist.
Are there any homeopathic treatments that could stop it continuing? Any lifestyle or dietary changes that would promote hair growth?
We are desperate for it to be contained . If only it doesn't get any worse. I cry and pray.

Thank you @CharlotteBog .

I am so sorry to hear. Wishing you all the best at managing this condition.

No , I am only sharing my thoughts here. This is still very new, and raw.

Good point though - thank you .
By the time he's back home, I'll be all smiley and cheerful.

Thank you - this is good to know, and it does give me hope.
I have a friend at work who today told me the same.

As others have said, certainly looks like alopecia. I had my first bout of it when I was 7, it seemed to be a delayed reaction to my granny dying suddenly and unexpectedly. Most of it grew back but I have a permanent patch behind my ear and at the nape of my neck that never grows. Strangely I also have patches of body hair that do not grow and a gap in my eyebrow.

For me, no treatment or diet change has ever worked, I’ve just had to wait and hope it grows back. Stress or trauma is a trigger for me but the alopecia doesn’t appear until some time later.

I hope your son is doing ok whilst he experiences this, it’s a difficult thing to go through.

Thank you I had to stop typing as my bus arrived. Just to say, I totally get how upsetting this is, I was devastated, I also have very dark hair / pale skin so it really showed. My DCs were about 10 and 8 and I didn't want them to see how upset I was but it really affected me, I remember crying my eyes out in the loos at work. But actually fewer people noticed than I thought would, even though I lost about a third of it at the worst point as luckily it was not on the crown but at the back like your DS. The camouflage cream really helped me regain my confidence, it was like a giant tube of mascara that you could dab onto the bare patches. and let hair hang over (I grew mine, it was fairly short when it started).

I developed it 16 years ago during my final year of university. It’s remained as Alopecia Areata (localised patches of hair loss) and never progressed to full hair loss. This is the most common type so chance are this is what your son has.

Mine is pretty much always active, I have a few patches now, over the years, you tend to forget they are there, sometimes the only time I find out is when I have a tuft of hair sticking out where it shouldn’t be!

I had a referral in the early days and tried steroid gels, but the consultant told me that there isn’t really anything that can fix it, as it’s autoimmune (I have a few other autoimmune disorders, ones that are more irritating than life threatening). I find it’s usually triggered after a period of prolonged stress so good advice is to try and find a way to manage that when it occurs. I have a relative who used to have it, but they aren’t affected anymore, its progression is very difficult to predict.

Please try not to worry too much, get a referral to help understand more what options are available now, chances are it will pass or it will recur occasionally and never progress past what it is now.

@EternallyDelighted thank you again. Thank you for understanding.
I am so glad to hear your hair loss is contained, and it's not spreading.
I hope with all my heart that we have the same here.
Oh the tears .. what with the big rain this morning , and the tears rolling down my face, I am not sure how I managed to drive and arrive safely to work. But I am ok now - thanks to this chat , and all the lovely people, including you - who shared their stories, and advice.
The camouflage cream sounds really good - thank you, we'll get that .

Thank you @SarahB88 for sharing your experience, and for your good wishes.
Likewise, I hope yours remains contained, and never comes back again.

Thank you so much @RedBulb for your comforting message.
I feel so much more hopeful now, after reading the thread - especially knowing there are people out there like you, with some positive experiences and outcomes.
Thank you.

@TotallyUnexpectedSun I meant to tell you that I have androgenic alopecia and telogen effluvium. I read everything I could and learned that hair growth is so slow that by the time you discover that what you’re using doesn’t work (and most of it doesn’t), the condition has worsened dramatically. There is no point mucking around with supplements unless the condition is caused by an obvious nutrient deficiency (eating disorder/chemotherapy/recent coeliac diagnosis, etc) and the only known effective treatment is medical. It took a while, but but you wouldn’t know I had alopecia now. My hair is thin but my head is covered.

@Fraaahnces thank you. Important point - and I believe it to be true.

Mine actually totally grew back over about 18 months and 15 years later it's never happened again, but it could, I don't worry about it now but I did for a few years. Everyone is different, I had great support from a thread on here, I'd only just found MN then.

Mine has waxed and waned but while I have remained consistent with my medication it has stayed at bay. I know I have been lucky to find someone willing to take it seriously and treat it. I’ll never have the luxurious mane of my youth, but I have hair. That’s something!

Thank you so much @Fraaahnces .
I remain hopeful that the treatment will start soon, and be a success.

Hi, I've been down an alopecia rabbit hole today. It runs in my family in the severe form, my dad, my aunty and myself all have it and thought I saw a patch on my son's head but actually it's where he had an accident a month or so ago. I pray too that my children don't develop it because it is a hard condition to learn to live with, but once you've learned to live with it then it's not so bad, there are positives. I recommend alopecia UK as a source of support, they're brilliant. I'd get his iron levels checked, ignore if the doctor says there's no link, there might not be but low iron in a young man would be unusual and supplements would help him. Otherwise try the steroid treatments as they can make things better. I had my first patches at 4 years old and then fine for 10 years but it's an unusual case. There are so many people with alopecia around, it's so hard but he's not alone.

I'd try an iron test and steroid treatments, a GP can prescribe lotion but otherwise there's no cure I'm afraid. Chances are it'll grow back but awful as it seems acceptance is the best treatment by far, alongside medical advice. If any diet, lifestyle or supplement would help then millions of other people would (and have) have tried it. Local support groups would help but also knowing that millions of people live with alopecia and it really isn't that hard to live with once you accept it. I'd recommend your son reads some of the positive stories and podcasts out there, there are some amazing role models and it might be a community he doesn't want to be part of but they'll make it easy for him. There are new treatments and research, some of which are very exciting but with serious potential risks. Chances are it'll grow back but it's nothing you or he has done, it's just bad genetic luck. Stay strong and look after yourself

Bless his heart. He looks like a handsome lad even from the back 😂!

Yes it does look quite like alopecia. Get him seen asap - private dermatology appointments can be fairly reasonably priced. Saves the wait.

Hope he gets sorted poor lad. Such a horrible age to have conditions affecting hair/face.

@TotallyUnexpectedSun how is your son now? X

Hello @insomniac1 .
thank you. He is much better - it didn’t get worse than it was on the picture.
Thankfully one side has healed, but he isn’t out of the woods yet. We don’t know if he’ll ever be .
I pray that he heals completely, that is my biggest wish.