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Permalink Reply by jlkramer on January 9, 2014 at 10:27pm

I take Vit D (10 k iu) and Fish Oil (4 grams) qd...they are meant to be anti inflammatory but I'm still bald as a cue ball :) I did grow some eyelashes and 1 & 1/2 eyebrows back while pregnant...waiting to see what happens when I quit nursing - this all started when I quit nursing about 3yrs ago.

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Permalink Reply by Lara (Becca's Mom) on January 10, 2014 at 1:26am

Hi thought I would weigh in on this.  The vitamin and diet changes are things i have considered for my daughter who is 7 and has totalis.  Interesting we went to Maui in May after hearing about someone else in our support group mentioned her daughter began to see hair regrowth after a visit.  we were on Maui 10 days.  When we returned my daughter had eyebrows and some whisps of hair on her little head.  

There was some discussion that perhaps the vitamin D absorption from the sun stimulated the growth.  Hawaii being closer to the equator than California has stronger sun.

Well the hair fell out as soon as fall hit in California.  so now thinking it would be great to come up with a new solution without getting sucked into some snake oil remedy.  

Since my daughter is only 7 I am cautious that if we try anything prescription oriented that there could be long term effects  so we  have learned to live with her condition. she has a wig made from synthetic hair that she says is hot/itchy so most of the time she wears a hat.  Occasionally she goes bald..mostly for sports or swimming.

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Permalink Reply by Noreen Hashmi on January 10, 2014 at 2:06am

I've recently started taking cockles, iron, zinc and vitamin D and Biotin. I've suffered from AU for 5 years with regrowth only once. But I read an article about a women who had AA and she did some research and found that low levels of ferritin caused hair loss. I have had numerous blood tests in the past and they have always come back as normal. So this time I specifically asked them to check my ferritin levels and to my surprise they were low. Normal ferritin level should be above 50 -80 and mine was 29, I also had low zinc and vit D all important for hair growth. The funny thing was that when I called up to get the result for the blood test, the receptionist said everything was normal, because my daily iron levels were fine, but the ferritin was low. This is something that doctors overlook. So now im taking all these vitamins and cockles everyday since December and I've seen a burst of hairgrowth all over even my eyebrows have started coming back. I normally shed the little hairgrowrh I have in winter, but this year its actually growing!

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Permalink Reply by RosemontMar on January 12, 2014 at 8:36pm

This is interesting. I just had my annual physical and am following up tomorrow with my doctor on some stomach issues. I am going to ask her if she tested specifically for a ferritin level when they took blood. It'll be interesting to see if I'm low. Thank you!

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Permalink Reply by femmemuscle on January 10, 2014 at 2:57am

thanks for the replies, ladies.  As many vitamins as a i take, i should rattle whenever i walk.  It took me from 2005 to last year to figure out which and how to take them. Thus it's all trial and error. 

Biotin by itself? just caused some serious acne breakouts, stronger fingernails - no hair growth.

I did hear that American Women are lacking in Vitamin D specifically in less sunny climates.  So, i got on board that bandwagon.  Strangely enough, my skin has improved overall, and my eye brows/lashes stopped "shedding" as much.

Is there a possibility Laura's Mom, that your daughter might be old enough to start taking Vitamin D supplements? You probably might want to run this by her doc. first?

I will say that you have the wonderful advantage of living in CA.  I miss that place.  And the moment i moved here in NM?  I had a major hair setback. It was the 3rd time all of my hair fell out. I've learned over time, that because i travel so much, it was taking it's far more stressful than i realized.

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Permalink Reply by sharon on January 10, 2014 at 4:07am

hi how long did it take before you noticed the vitamins to start working, or should i say how long for hair regrowth.

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Permalink Reply by femmemuscle on January 10, 2014 at 10:22am

it usually takes 6 weeks or longer.  There have been times i've gone to some hair skin and nail reviews, and there are folks that claim that they see/feel results overnight.

i think that's just a bunch of malarkey.

i will say that this might be one of those episodes of hair growing in and falling out.  It's happened so many times. So far, It's stayed it's course.

I'm 53 years of age, and have seen the "fallout" happen 2x a year.  Thus, if it does it again, i won't be disappointed, i'll just keep reaping the benefits of staying healthy at least.

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Permalink Reply by Kim on January 10, 2014 at 3:27am

I agree with Lexi....what works for some, doesnt work for others, and I also believe that alot of it is purely coincidental. If your hair was going to fall out/grow back, thats what its going to do. Ive learnt this the hard way....having pretty much tried every western and alternative treatment out there, including a long list of vitamins, health diets & very costly blood tests.

Nothing stopped the patches from increasing, nothing stopped me losing 90% of the hair on my head. 

As many wise people on this site have said, Alopecia has a mind of its own and the best thing you can do for yourself is find a cover up method that works for you, accept & move on. (dont get me wrong..Im not saying im not still hoping/longing for a cure, but just not in the desperate state I was)

Ive been wearing a wig for 6 months and its changed my life! I can finally stop thinking about the Alopecia and can focus my energy on other wonderful things in life. 6 months prior, I couldnt even bring myself to saying the word WIG. Ive crossed many hurdles & finding a support team on this website was a lifesaver! 

Best of luck all! 

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Permalink Reply by Sharon on January 10, 2014 at 9:10am

hi kim its interesting what you say about the wig, im losing my hair fast and its a nightmare, i sometimes think if id just get a wig i could relax about it all but on the other hand i still have quite some hair, just too many bald spots all over the place to be able to relax, i tie it back, i put makeup on the spots, i never run, go out in the rain or go swimming.  do you have to shave off remaining hair when you get a wig or can you wear it over your own hair?  is it really horrible wearing a wig?  do they move around often on your head, is it noticable?  so many questions.

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Permalink Reply by RosemontMar on January 12, 2014 at 8:49pm

I tried wearing a wig a few years ago. I had enough of my own hair, but was very thin on top of my head. I went to a salon that specializes in wigs for cancer and alopecia patients. I bought an $800 wig that I feel now was totally overpriced. I got no "training" from the woman on how to wear it other than to put my hair in a ponytail and shove it under the wig. Well, I was outside on two different occasions where my wig came off halfway when I ran my fingers thru it and once got stuck in a fence when I bent down to pick up a bunch of leaves (I was raking). Needless to say, I went back to a bonded system for $300 a month for the security it offered. Now though, I cannot afford it anymore. I have done my homework this time. My insurance pays for 1 wig a year up to $500. I got a lot of good info from watching You Tube videos on wigs, from looking at sites such as Wig Salon and Vogue Wigs (the videos and reviews are helpful), and from looking at wig products such as wig caps and comfy grips. I am confident that I will not have the wig mishaps that I had previously. Synthetic wigs are cheaper, but they can have limitations on what you can do to them (don't take things out of an oven when wearing a synthetic wig). Human hair are more costly... Take your time and look through the wig websites - you will get lots of good info there.

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Permalink Reply by Bev on January 12, 2014 at 11:02am

Kim, You are exactly right about the wigs. I was so put out with my hair. Every morning I'd spend countess hours trying to do something with my hair before I had to leave for work. I'd wash, blow dry, curl, spray not to mention the perms I got every 3 months to try to fill in the thin spots. No matter what I did I was never satisfied and I was getting really low self esteem and had started avoiding eye contact with people because I could see them looking at my hair/scalp. I'd always had to fix my hair daily but it did look nice when I left the house and looking good was important to me and still is. Wigs have freed me again! They look so good with such minimal effort I can't believe more women don't utilize them. Yes, sometimes they get hot and/or itch but I found some brands to more comfortable than others and I have learned that a quick break in the bathroom to slip it off and readjust works fine when the need arises. It beats the heck out me trying to do something with my own hair. By all means ladies, get a wig and get on with your life. Stop wasting time and money and fixes that don't work and I'm saying this from years of experience!! Wigs can be so much fun and I love getting new ones! You can be who u want to be

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Permalink Reply by RosemontMar on January 12, 2014 at 8:52pm

I'm looking forward to changing up my looks with different wigs. I have a few at home that I bought and have one more on order. Going to get them cut and styled in two weeks and then I'm set. I can't wait!

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