Losing my beard - Alopecia barbae

Hey everyone,

So, after about 10 years of rocking a solid beard, I’ve suddenly hit a snag—literally. A coin-sized bald spot popped up on my chin where nothing is growing anymore (it's been about two months now). This has never happened to me before, and honestly, I'm a bit lost on what to do next.

I've been falling down a rabbit hole online, and it looks like it might be "Alopecia barbae." From what I can gather, things like stress are cited as causes, though there isn't much concrete info out there. Apparently, this kind of thing can just show up out of nowhere, stay forever, or potentially clear up on its own after a while.

I wanted to see if anyone here has dealt with something similar? What should my next moves be—should I be looking into specific treatments, or just... accept my fate? If there's any way to fix this, I'd really prefer to avoid shaving the whole thing off—my beard has basically become my trademark over the years.

Thanks in advance, and please help a guy out! 😉

Dennis Baker3 said:Hey everyone,

After maintaining a consistent beard for about ten years, I've suddenly noticed a coin-sized patch where the hair simply stopped growing over the last two months. This has never happened to me before, and I am honestly at a loss as to how to handle it.

From what I have gathered through my online research, this sounds like Alopecia barbae, which apparently stems from factors like stress, though the specific causes remain somewhat vague. It seems this condition can manifest unpredictably, potentially becoming permanent or resolving itself naturally after some time.

I am curious to know if anyone else has dealt with something similar and what practical steps you took, whether it involved using specific topical treatments or just learning to live with it. If there is any way to fix this, I would love to avoid shaving my beard entirely, as it has become my signature look over the years.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide! 😉

I am actually dealing with the exact same issue myself. It first appeared for me last spring, and while many suggest stress is the culprit—which certainly fits my situation—it was quite frustrating. I tried several creams prescribed by my primary care physician, but nothing seemed to make a difference. Eventually, I had to have a problematic tooth extracted just before the holidays, as I suspected there might be a connection, and I started applying an Alpicort lotion recommended by a dermatologist. After more than six months of diligent daily application, I am finally seeing fine hairs beginning to sprout in that area again. My advice would be to get your dental health checked out first, and then definitely give that lotion a try.

Justin Patel6 said:I’m dealing with the exact same thing. It flared up for me last spring—and honestly, people keep telling me it’s stress, which, given how crazy my life was, probably isn't wrong. I tried all those creams my primary care doctor prescribed, but absolutely nothing worked. Then, right before New Year's, I had to get a bad tooth pulled because apparently, dental issues can trigger this stuff too. Since then, I’ve been using Alpicort lotion—my dermatologist suggested it—and after more than six months of daily use, I'm actually seeing tiny hairs starting to grow back in that spot! Seriously, check your teeth first, and definitely give that lotion a shot.

Hmm, my teeth are fine for now, so I doubt that's the culprit, but I'll definitely keep an eye on it just in case. And yeah, I'm definitely going to try that lotion.

Thanks for the tips 🙂

Alright, so it’s been almost exactly a year since I first noticed my beard hair starting to fall out, so I figured it was finally time to weigh in:

- The hair has slowly started filling back in those patchy spots. At first, it was just these pathetic little gray hairs, but then darker ones started showing up too. It’s not quite at 100% yet—not quite back to how it used to be—but I’d say it’s around 80% and definitely trending upward.

- I went to the dentist and my teeth were perfectly fine, but I did see a doctor for something else entirely—totally unrelated to the beard issue. Turns out, my throat and nasal swabs, plus some stool samples, showed I was dealing with Candida in my throat, Streptococcus in my nose, and Helicobacter in my gut. Honestly? I didn't have any real symptoms, but according to the lab results, I was basically a walking petri dish of infections. Anyway, I’ve cleared all of that up now, so there's a decent chance those bugs were actually what triggered the hair loss in the first place.

So, there you go, folks... Hopefully, this helps someone out there. Take care!