Hair, Skin And Nails

I take biotin in addition to my multivitamin. It is because I have alopecia, which is an autoimmune disease. I will occasionally get round bald spots on my head! When this happens, I have to go to the dermatologist and get scalp injections as the spots will only get larger and not grow hair back with a topical medication.

I was told this sometimes runs in families. One of my favorite cousins had it too. We didn't know of anyone else. In the time before us though women wore more wigs.

Because I take biotin, it is like a hair, skin, and nails vitamin and as I age, my nails are pretty tough. I understand why some older people go to the clinic for their nail treatment. Nails are a project now because of the biotin.

Then I was told to not perm or color my hair as I may go bald and stay bald. They said it happens.

This has only been since around the time I had Bell's Palsy. That was awful and ugly. One friend said to me, "I love you, but I hope I never get that!" Then her husband had a breakout twice, some years later.

Is that what they mean by Karma?

When Bell's Palsy happened to me, there was a sudden paralysis on one side of my face and difficulty in closing my eyelids and smiling. I thought I was having a stroke.

The doctor I went to see was just down the street. He started to talk to me in Finnish, then he went to his typewriter and started to type. When he realized I didn't speak Finnish, he asked me to close my eyes and I could not.

The Doctor prescribed a penicillin shot and told me what I had. He said he didn't know if the penicillin would help either but it does sometimes if it is caught early enough. It was a relief of sorts as it wasn't a stroke but he then told me he didn't know how long it would take to go away.

He also said that it sometimes doesn't go away. It was so ugly. It mostly went away but now I have to draw one eyebrow above my eyebrow and one below it as when I get tired it is noticeable on that side.

In my late 50s, I started to get what appeared to be pimples. Nope, they were rosacea. I was on an antibiotic for 3 months and then put on a topical liquid for maintenance. I thought, didn't I have enough pimples as a teenager? How is this fair?

There are all kinds of foods to avoid with rosacea. My sister has it. We are not bio sisters. She avoids three foods. I don't know what my foods are but I haven't had another break out since I use the topical medication at least a couple times a week.

Now, it is time to thank a couple of people for pushing me to sell Avon and later Mary Kay. Cosmetics, hair products, and nail polish have been my saving grace.

When I sold Mary Kay I saw a few Hollywood makeup artists that helped me to know a few fixes that I would not have known otherwise. I was told how to make changes for young ages, then tips for middle and older aged women too.

Most people are not aware of what I am dealing with when I am dealing with the above conditions. I am thankful for that. I am also more aware of what other women are referring to when they say, women have so much more to do than men will ever know!