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Permalink Reply by stockers on July 2, 2008 at 11:27am

I did the shots and the nurse injected them as you described. But not seeing signs of slowing of hair falling out. Even in the places where i got the injections. But i had the shots last week and you are saying 3 weeks to stop so i have some time to go. I guess i would say i have about 15% hair loss now. More every day. Like watching the clock tick down.

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Permalink Reply by stockers on July 2, 2008 at 6:42pm

thanks - my next appt is in two weeks so about 4 weeks in between shots. I can try for earlier as new spots seem to be showing up. Not sure if she got them all but i got about 50 shots in my scalp in the first visit. My biggest issue is my hair is dark and the spots really stand out with the white skin on the scalp. Plus i wear my hair short so i can no longer hide the spots. REally looks bad. Plus hair continues to shed without much let up. I have been traveling for work for three days so it will be a good test when my wife sees me tonight - if she gasps then i can assume there has been a good amount of shedding since sunday. So trying not to do something rash - everyone says the hair will grow back but i can't look the way i do. So trying to determine do i just shave it down or go with another alternative.

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Permalink Reply by Lolin on July 3, 2008 at 12:41am

Stop both!! Rogain wont help you keep your hair.It'll will just end up being a costly pain in the butt. Long-term use of steroids can also cause harmful effects on your eyes!! Kenalog has a lot of side affects that you may not be told about by your doctor. Not all are dangerous of course. I did the treatments for about a year and a half. Once a month I went in for shots not knowing much about the kenalog. I was moody and had a hard time sleeping during the treatments.I grew some of my hair back but as soon as I stopped that new growth fell out and all I had to show for all the pain was an extra 40 pounds!!! It took about 8 weeks to notice any growth at all and at that time I had about 35% of loss. If you were meant to not have hair then you wont have hair. You're doing everything you can to keep your hair and I totally get that but the truth is, no matter how hard you try, alopecia is going to do what it wants to do. You'll have a ton of support on here!

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Permalink Reply by Joanne on July 3, 2008 at 1:13am

Stockers - from what I read, no treatment seems to work the same for anyone. I tried the cortisone cream and it increased my BP and heart rate so I didn't go with the shots. Am following a vitamin regime of iron, folic acid, biotin, B-12, and B-6. Derm prescribed anthralin cream and a study showed an increase of growth with combination of it and rogaine. The anthralin does discolor everything and really irritates the scalp. I started in March and in mid May saw regrowth and many of my "holes" that were 1 1/2 inches across started growing fuzz right when I broke my knee. See the photos of new hair growth on my WEB site. Not much on the front sides of my head but this week another big bald spot is filling in with fuzz. Everything I read says the regrowth may stay or may go again and there does not seem to be much sense about timing of when - it just seems to happen. Had been wearing scarves and hats at work but am just leaving it natural right now.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle on July 3, 2008 at 10:08am

I've done the shots, done the creams, done the everything I could possibly do.... Nothing worked for me...ended up going AT for awhile...then I just stopped...stopped everything...and for me, it was weird, but that worked...lol I started slowly getting hair back...I'm now back to AA and just a few small patches that I can cover with my normal hair. Having this since '97 it's been a long road coming...but it's here, and I have normal looking hair again...Patience is key... Not everything works the same for everyone..Keep your chin up, and just be who you are...never loose yourself in your hairloss!!

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Permalink Reply by Trina on July 3, 2008 at 11:36am

Ditch the Rogaine. That mess does not work and if it does then it comes right out. My daughter uses Protopic and Cordron Lotion. Neither of them worked by themselves but together started the process and slowed down the hair fallouts. I also give her a combination of aloe vera juice and a biotin supplement. I did take the kenalog injections and they were not horrible but it does take time to work. The hair did come back and my doctors were very thorough. I am at AU and have not done treatments in years, but if you have AA I would say it is worth a try because normally if it gets to AU then the chances are harder for it to grow back. As long as it is not harmful then I think there is nothing wrong with fighting. Each person is different and success depends on your individual body. Just be prepared because it can be a roller coaster ride full of emotions.

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Permalink Reply by stockers on July 3, 2008 at 1:03pm

so been traveling this week since monday morning. Got home last night. Had not seen my wife for three days. Upon seeing me she was pretty blown away with how much hair i had lost in just three days. Got hair appt on saturday to shave it away.

Quick question - if head is shaved, does the dermatologist still know where to put injections in the scalp? Or should i grow existing hair out for a couple of days prior to the appt?

Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Mandy on July 7, 2008 at 11:36am

Stockers,
I see you have an appointment to shave your head. I say kudos to that. I recently shaved my head (buzzed it down, didn't shave it smooth yet). I would say that if you want to continue to do the shots to leave it just short so the doctor can see what's going on. Just don't shave for a couple days before your appointment or something. I did the injections twice and then decided to stop. I had a little regrowth, but not much and I lost so much so quickly that I couldn't do anything with my hair anymore and needed a wig. So I decided just to shave it off. What's the point in keeping it if you can't do anything with it? Anyways...I decided against the treatment. It's a very personal decision and I don't want to discourage you. Because some people have very good reaction to treatments. Just be sure you keep in mind that treatments don't work for everyone and there is a chance that if you do have regrowth that as soon as you stop treatments it will just fall out again.

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Permalink Reply by stockers on July 7, 2008 at 12:49pm

Thanks Mandy - and a big thanks to everyone else who has offered advice and support. This has been a wild 3 week ride that is for sure.

Shaved my head on Saturday and am getting used to my new look. I have heard i look tough which helps the ego a bit when you are a male. I am amazed to see how many patches of hair loss there were once it was all gone. It was definitely the right decision as i was quickly looking like a junkyard dog with some mange. :)

Quick question - even with the hair gone, my scalp looks a bit patchy as the dark hair folicles are showing through the skin. Anyone have any advice on how to blend it a bit. I hit the tanning salon which has helped darken the scalp so the contrast is not as dramatic. Anyone tried Nair?

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