Alopecia Areata: Understanding and Coping with Hair Loss

by Wendy Thompson MA, Jerry Shapiro MD

Overview

The physical and psychological aspects of alopecia areata

Alopecia areata is an unpredictable disorder that affects more than two and a half million men, women, and children in the United States and Canada. Causing patchy hair loss on the scalp and sometimes elsewhere on the body, this mysterious, noncontagious condition can be treated but it cannot yet be cured. Alopecia Areata: Understanding and Coping with Hair Loss is a sensitive yet straightforward guide to the diagnosis and treatment of this poorly understood disease. With great compassion, the authors explain how hair loss can profoundly affect a person's quality of life. They discuss what it means to be diagnosed with alopecia areata, and provide medically reliable information on the latest research, diagnosis, and treatment options.

Thompson and Shapiro also offer practical strategies for living with alopecia areata, which can go in and out of remission without any apparent reason. They discuss the physical and psychological adjustments to wearing a hairpiece and give pointers on selecting, securing, and maintaining a wig, whether human hair or synthetic, custom or ready-made. Alopecia Areata includes a chapter devoted to the special needs of children with this condition and concludes with an epilogue that tells the story of a day in the life of a woman with alopecia areata, illustrating the various challenges she faces and the strategies she uses to cope with these challenges.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801864728
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	03/01/2000
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.48(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Wendy Thompson, M.A., is an educational gerontologist and professional writer who has had alopecia areata since she was a child.

Jerry Shapiro, M.D., is director of the Adult Hair Clinic at the Vancouver General Hospital at the University of British Columbia, and Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Dermatology, University of British Columbia.

What People are Saying About This

Vera H. Price

The book is an excellent source of information about the disease and the roller coaster emotional ride that usually accompanies it... A pleasure to read because of its intimate style and humor. It will go a long way in helping those with alopecia areata.

— Vera H. Price, M.D., professor of dermatology, University of California, San Francisco

From the Publisher

The book is an excellent source of information about the disease and the roller coaster emotional ride that usually accompanies it . . . A pleasure to read because of its intimate style and humor. It will go a long way in helping those with alopecia areata.
—Vera H. Price, M.D., professor of dermatology, University of California, San Francisco

Editorial Reviews

'Hair loss' is the common name for this condition, which can affect not only aging males but women and children. This title surveys the condition, new drug therapies, and current research and experimental treatments, providing new insights on a desease which causes hair to fall out.
—Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher

'Hair loss' is the common name for this condition, which can affect not only aging males but women and children. This title surveys the condition, new drug therapies, and current research and experimental treatments, providing new insights on a desease which causes hair to fall out.

Midwest Book Review

Alopecia areata, a disorder that causes hair loss ranging from bald patches to total loss of head and body hair, affects more than 2.5 million people in the United States and Canada. While medically harmless, it can cause intense psychological pain and social problems. This easy-to-read, helpful, and straightforward guide provides in-depth information on the diagnosis, treatment, and cosmetic concerns of alopecia areata. Thompson, an educational gerontolgist and professional writer, has had this condition since childhood, and much of this book is quite sensitive to the distress often experienced by those with this unpredictable disorder. Coauthor Shapiro is director of the University of British Columbia Hair Clinic at the Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Center. Of special interest is the "Day in the Life" section at the end of the book, which gives the reader an excellent look at the pitfalls of coping with alopecia areata. There are a few assertions that could have borne more explanation, and the humor sometimes falls flat, but this does not detract from the book's usefulness. An excellent resource for all health collections.Stacey Hathaway, Fordham Health Sciences Lib., Wright State Univ., Dayton, Ohio

Library Journal

Drawing from accounts by his father and other former crew members as well as documentary records, Sasgen offers a dramatic account of the US submarine in the Pacific during World War II, where she sank more tons of enemy ship than all but one other sub. Includes a few diagrams, but no maps. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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