Some advice please - alopecia areata

HI there Mrs c,

I am also fairly new to this forum and to alopecia as well.  Currently just hiding the ever increasing bald patches too.  I also have a history of autoimmune stuff in the family.  It's always nice to realise that I am not the only one in this situation !

Afraid I'm not an expert yet on the questions you have - I was contemplating the supplements myself and have a docs appoint next week so may ask him then (also wondered about gluten intolerence as this is also in my family).  I am currently applying dermovate lotion each day which I don;t think is really doing anything as hair is still falling out but it's only been a couple of weeks.  After a couple of months, I have been told to try regaine to see if that helps the hair regrow but I'm not holding my breath for any of these chemicals to actually succeed.  Just hoping that my body comes to its' senses one day and realises what it is doing to me!!  I think in essence, what works for one person does not necessarily make a blind bit of difference to another but it cant hurt to try?
In the meantime, it's really helpful to read about other peoples' experiences - it makes me realise that I am not alone.  Just wish there was a support group closer to me as I would really like to meet people who are in the same boat as me.

Hope you get the answers you are looking for
x

Hi all

I'm also new to this the whole forum thing and also alopecia areata that has took over my life for the last year. It's a constant battle with aa and I can say with no doubt it has changed the person I am. I am no longer confident when going out as allways worried what people are thinking. My marriage has recently failed adding to the stress which in turn had an effect on how the alopecia progressed rapidly. The hardest thing is no one seems to give you any answers to how this issue can be controlled if not cured and a lot of people seem dis-interested when you explain that you want some answers. I have a few patches now mainly in the left side of my head and some also on the right side but not as bad. The docs turned me away since I started getting this problem saying its just the way it is it will go away or there is nothing we can do ! That was a year ago. After maybe 10 visits to the docs I have finally persuaded him to refer me to a derm but was also told that the doc was 99% sure that I would be told there was no treatment available for me. Wat a surprise when the derm started me immediately on injections to the back of my head and I now have signs of re-growth !!!! Does my doctor actually care ? Does he actually know what he is talking about ? I'm fully aware alopecia areata is a aggressive problem that is also unpredictable but surely if the problem was dealt with and CONTROLLED rather than being ignored surely my immune system might have been halted from becoming as aggressive as it did and therefore saving me from prolonged stress and heartache this has caused. I will watch this space on how it evolves and re-post in a couple of months. Maybe the docs need to stop thinking about pennies and more about the jobs they signed up to "helping people " whether that means cure or treatment surely anythings worth a go. I'm sure if I was a doc I'd like to be the 1st to cure this pain in the ass problem.

Hi C21

Hi Chris Thank you do much for getting back to me I guess what I'm wanting to know is can you have alopecia areata as well as telogen effluvium? I have 3 patches that are now growing back but I seem to be shedding alot of hair from my head but not getting any more patches and all the she'd hair has a white bulb on the end is this bulb good or bad?I've asked my doctor who just ignores my questions and kicks me back out the door any info would be very helpful thanks Clare

Hi all,

It's been just over a week since I first posted, and reading all of your replies has been really valuable and insightful to see what others experience with Alopecia, as well as very sad to read what you are all going through.

Since I first posted I've gone away and sought alternative therapy. I have seen a nutritionist and bought some recommended supplements, addressed my health and fitness and also made an appointment for a low-level laser treatment on my hairloss patches. Now, I am aware that some or all of these might not work, but I felt I had to try something and that I need to embrace a better lifestyle in general in order to cope with this.

What I've stopped doing is spending a lot of money on cosmetic hair loss products like expensive shampoos and hair growth treatments as I don't feel that they work for me.

Being lucky enough to still have some of my hair, I have been considering going to have it coloured at the hairdresser it as a bit of a pick-me-up but I am not sure if this will be even more damaging to the alopecia so am as yet undecided. Has anyone else suffering from AA had their hair cut and coloured without damaging effects?

To all those of you who have posted, I hope that this forum will bring you the support that you need and that you will find your way of coping with this illness. I will report back when I can to let you know if the laser treatment and/or supplements helped me at all.

Thanks again for your replies and advice.