My story

Where have my eyebrows gone?

I first noticed my eyebrows were disappearing around 2015, when I was 44 years old. After a bit of Googling I eventually went to the doctor, thinking I might have a thyroid deficiency. All tests came back clear so I ignored it, with some dismay, and cracked on with life.

5 years later I was back at a (different) doctor to check a mole. Since that first visit I had spent several months travelling, covered in sun cream, and with my family had now moved country. We were renovating a house and my job was super stressful. By now my eyebrows had practically disappeared, as had the hair on my arms and legs. I had always had fine hair so had put that down to ageing and/or perimenopause.

The doctor dismissed my mole question, but zoomed in on my hairline, which was receding, with prickly, inflamed follicles, and immediately suggested it might be frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA). A visit to a dermatologist confirmed this. I declined a biopsy as my scalp was already so impacted but looking at the photographs on DermNet, the diagnosis seemed pretty conclusive. At its worst, I would say my hairline (which was unfortunately already high) has receded about 2cm.

The impact of sunscreen

The doctor prescribed some topical steroid treatment (Clobetasol) to reduce the inflammation, but I believe the difference really came from stopping using standard sun cream, or moisturisers with SPF, on my face.

I changed to a mineral sunscreen and the symptoms stopped.

Occasionally, now, in moments of stress, my hairline prickles, but the extreme inflammation has never really returned, and the hairline recession seems to have stabilised.

FFA is not life-limiting but like all alopecia it is life-impacting. Frustratingly, research seems to be limited. I have set up this site to help draw attention to it, to help connect other sufferers, and to research possible triggers and explanations that might help people understand the condition earlier in its progression than I was able to.

If you have, or believe you might have, frontal fibrosing alopecia, feel free to subscribe for occasional updates, as it would be nice to share, and I would love to raise awareness amongst the medical community and beauty industry.

Kate