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Aggressive AU
Hi all,my 19yr old son came back from holiday with his pals last august.he had a small thinning patch on the back of his head,as if a barber had slipped with a pair of clippers.within a week he was totally bald.which progressed to au in a month.he has just came off a 3 month course of predisnolone to which he had no response,he is soon to start dcp,he has dealt with it very well although he has his bad days.my question is.has anyone had their alopecia come on so quickly and aggressively.he never had any signs of alopecia in the past.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Scott on
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Hi David
I'm sorry to hear your son is having to go through this. My AU first started with a few bald patches that gradually increased in size over a 9 month period. None of these got so big they ever joined up though. Then, suddenly, I started experiencing diffuse hair shedding and all my hair was gone within a two month period. That was 8 years ago and I've had no regrowth in this period.
However, in November I took a course of oral prednisolone to treat eczema. I took 40mg a day for 12 days (20mg in morning, 20mg in evening) followed by 20mg a day for 3 days (as you can't just stop taking oral steroids all at once). After a month I noticed my beard area and eyebrows had started to sprout hair. I even had a few eyelashes coming through. I now take 5mg a day to keep the eczema under control. The amount of hair regrowth is now significantly lower than before but I'm holding onto what I've got .... though I would not describe this as cosmetically acceptable as you can hardly see my fine eyebrows. I do wonder if perhaps the regrowth would have continued if I'd kept up the same 40mg daily dosage.
What daily dosage of prednisolone was your son prescribed ?
Was the daily dose divided into equal parts to take evenly throughout the day ?
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Permalink Reply by David on
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Hello scott,my son was started on 40mg pred and ruduced dose over the weeks.the last week he was down to 5mg then came off them all together.his derm instructed him to take them all in the morning as they could cause insomnia if taken too late.he did have a few sleepless nights but nothing major.no side effects either but a week after he stopped the pred he was ill for a week.sore throat,cold sores,conjunctivitis,temperature,headache,couldn't concentrate.it all just hit him all at once.maybe withdrawal from the pred????.not sure if the higher dose over a prolonged period would have been effective though,.anyway thanks for the reply.very much appreciated.
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Hi David
My dermatologist prescribed the same tapering course of steriods during my patchy alopecia days. It didn't help. When taking the oral steriods in November I did split the dosage up equally during the day. I do wonder if this makes a difference as the levels of steriod in the blood are kept more 'balanced'.
Coming off steriods can be unpleasant. My eczema came back with a vengence after I finished the course.
My recent regrowth has re-ignited my interest in the various treatments for alopeca which suppress the bodies immune system. As such I'm going to talk to my dermatoligist about the treatment as outlined in the following study (abstract available only):Alopecia Universalis treated with Oral Cyclosporine A and Prednisolone
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My only problem with pred is what long term use can do to him,i have read some real horror stories about people becoming dependent on them as well as long term health problems.we didn't want him to have that treatment in the first place but after all he's an adult and would try anything to have his hair back.he's going to give the dcp a go.it has a decent success rate so who knows.please let me know how you fair if you have the pred/cyclo treatment.i will do likewise.again,thanks for replying and all the very best of luck to you for the future....
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look into squaric acid(SADBE). its very similar to dcp. I am of a similar age as your son and have 80% of my hair back and eyebrows. I have none as of 4 weeks ago. It does take a few months to work but be patient. Redness, itchiness, dermatitis is common but its all manageable. I think it would personally be a better route to pursue than the prednisone. Anyways, wishing u the best and let me know if u have any questions.
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Hi Jason
Squaric acid (SADBE) would seem a far less risky option when compared to suppressing the entire immune system with cyclosporine/prednisolone.
Were you AU (complete loss of all body hair, inc. eyelashes) before trying SADBE ?
Is your hair only growing back in the areas you have applied SADBE, or are you also seeing regrowth in areas you have not applied SADBE ?
Thanks
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Hi Scott,
I had AT but very close to AU. It has only been growing back on where I have been applying it. I only apply it to my scalp and eyebrows. My brows are fully back and my head is getting there. I am maintaining a healthy stress free lifestyle as well. Low inflammatory diet. I believe the other hair will grow eventually but I don't mind if it does or doesn't grow back. The SADBE has been very manageable for me, some it is hard to handle. I have not had any adverse reactions besides redness and occasional itchiness. It took a while to start working but it comes back at a decent rate once the hair starts to grow. There are a few stubborn spots but I know those will fill in at some point. Let me know if you have any questions, more than happy to help. I really think if you are patient, it is worth a shot. Believe in the process and believe that it will work. I know the feeling of feeling helpless and having no answers. I'm here to help so ask away and best of luck to you.
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Hi Jason
Great stuff. Thanks for the feedback.
I do have some more questions.
As your scalp hair becomes longer does it become difficult to get the SADBE into contact with the scalp ?
If possible, would you be able to post-up a couple of discrete photos which show your eyebrow & scalp areas only. It would be very helpful to see how irritated one can expect the treated areas to become. Of course I understand if you would prefer not to.
Cheers,
Scott
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Hi Scott,
No problem at all. Happy to help. As of the first week in January 2014, I did not have any eyebrows but now they are pretty much 100% back. I don't worry about getting it directly on my skin because once the hair breaks through the top of my scalp, it's in its growth cycle. In other words, it doesn't stay dormant. All I do is apply it to my whole head and rub it over the place that has hair. I don't worry about getting it right onto the scalp. There are some areas that are stubborn like I mentioned and still don't have hair but the majority of my scalp does have hair now. It is very fuzzy. Send me an email and I will send you a picture. My email is Jparker1178@yahoo.com. As far as the reaction goes, some people experience it worse than others. Personally, I receive little to no reaction. My eyebrows became red and sometimes affected my skin which made it dry and scaly. It itched occasionally. Also, it is common to receive rashes on other parts of your body when applying SADBE because it affects the entire immune system. Personally, I have a rash on my left arm about 12 inches, it is a mild dermatitis. I used the cream that the dermatologist gave me and it went away within a day. It does reappear sometimes but like I said, it's nothing crazy and its not permanent. I have seen great success with SADBE and I am confident within 2-3 months, I will have a full head of hair again. I think it is wise to begin a healthy life style when applying the SADBE. I don't know that for sure but I feel like it makes a big difference. I follow the paleo diet, exercise often, and I no longer stress out the way that I use to. Joel Osteen has some great videos that have made me feel really optimistic about losing all of my hair.
Any other questions fire them away, I want you to have as much background as you can before deciding if it is the right treatment for you. I know exactly how you feel because I Was there not too long ago. Talk soon.
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Hi Jason
Thanks for the great write up. It’s good to know this treatment is working for you. It gives me (and I’m sure others) hope of having a head of hair again, or at the very least eyebrows. A face needs eyebrows .... if only to help convey expression.
Keep us posted.
Thanks,
Scott
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