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New to alopecia...lots of questions
I am 51 years old and was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata in September. I found my first bald patch and had a feeling that I had Alopecia because my Dad was diagnosed with Alopecia in his 40's after us kids seen his first bald spot on the back of his head. My Dad is passed now and I was young when he was going thru shot treatments. I have been to my regular Doctor and two dermatologist and seeked advice from a hair clinic. Two weeks after I found my first spot, I found my second one. Started applying fluocinonide 2 times a day. Second Dermatologist indicated that my first spot had hair growth and second spot was still active with no hair growth. Two weeks after appt, I now have hair loss activity again around my first spot. Question. Derm wanted to give me Intralesional injections of Kenalog to the bald spot which my understanding is a steriod like the fluocinonide that I am currently applying but works faster.
Question -- Has anyone had the intralesional injections of Kenalog and was it helpful????
The derm acts like the immune system is or has only attacked the bald spot areas. My hair is thinning and I have alot of breakage and when I asked about this he said it isnt related to Alopecia, I am assuming he was referring to the breakage??
Question -- So is breakage and hair thinning also part of Alopecia??? Stupid question but when alot of you refer to shedding on the blogs, how was your hair failing out all over or shedding in clumps??
I am sure I will have many more questions as I progress down this road on products, wig, etc.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Candace on
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My daughter had a spot, then thinning, and we did shots that you mentioned. *most people respond to the shots. She did not and over the last 3 moths the shower drain was full and now No hair. I would give the shots a chance to work but it will take 3 months to see a positive if you are going to. The price of Latisse might be worth looking into as precautionary help for eyes and eyebrows. Best of luck.
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Thank you Candace and wise1 for the info. Next question......Is the shots really painful????? I am really struggling with making a decision on getting the shots and it is something I know that I got to figure out myself. Am I stuggling because of my fear of needles or is it their is no guarantees that it will help and if it does, how long will the hair grow back last?? I watched my Dad go thru AA. I was in my late teens when he was seeking out different type of treatments. I recall him getting some type of series of shots at UCLA all over his head and everynight we would rub ointment on the tiny shot hole til it all healed. I know my Dad got hair results back, how long, I wish I could remember. As a young person, it seemed like alot of doctors visit and I am sure pain from all the shots to end up with losing almost all your hair and eyebrows. I think it was worth it for him, but I just don't know if acceptance is the best thing or if acceptance of losing your hair is possible.
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Permalink Reply by Sunflower25 on
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The shots do not really hurt, but I did find they are expensive. If that's a concern, you may want to ask how much it is/how much insurance will cover. I also had an indent in my scalp for months afterwards, though it did go back to normal eventually.
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Hi
I hope what I am going to write helps you.
Steroid shots will help bring your hair back....but nobody can tell you if this is going to mean that your hairloss goes into remission. Remission is something that alopecia areata does by itself. If we could work out what causes the loss and regrowth and be able to to stop it I think we would be a long way forward in finding a cure. At this time there is no cure for alopecia areata.
My daughter has regrown and lost her hair 5 times without using any medication. Recently she was diagnosed with crohns disease and had to go on oral steroids for that condition....some hair came back but as soon as she stopped the steroids it went again. I'm really sorry but there are absolutely no guarantees with any medications or treatments.
I wish you all the best around these decisions.
Rosy
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My son developed this condition Feb of this year - started with one spot that was discovered by the hairdresser and at its worst grew to around 10 random spots. We live in Canada and the wait time to see a dermatologist is months - so in the meantime I took him to see a Naturopath....My son was started on a gluten, dairy, sugar free diet, supplements of zinc and biotin, we got rid of all shampoo, soap, deodorants etc with chemicals and switched to all natural products.....Basically, what we were trying to do was everything we possibly could to eliminate the trigger for the AA and "coax" the AA into remission......not an easy task because who knows what the trigger really was! Anyway, his hair started growing back with a vengeance - not to mention his skin was clear, mood was improved, no more digestive issues and he was sleeping better......We went into it thinking hey, if it works great, if not, he'll reap other benefits.....Well, the appt with the dermatologist came around and of course she really had no answers.....In fact, she dismissed everything we had done and said the AA probably just started going into remission by itself.....there is still one really stubborn spot on the back of his head which she did inject with Kenalog and slowly but surely it is filling in. He went to get his haircut just last week and the haidresser said it's amazing how he has progressed.....he asked to share some of what we have been doing with his other clients suffering from the same condition. What I have learned, as a parent of someone who suffers from this terrible condition, is that there is no one solution for all. It is all trial and error. I wish you every success Kelly.
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Permalink Reply by Ruthie on
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I have had alopecia areata for 3 years now. up until 3 months ago, i was going to the doctors every 6 weeks to get the kenalog injections. They would make the hair grow in the patch, what the dermatologist would do is look for anything that looked a little inflamed and would put the shots in. I didn't find them painful at all, maybe a little uncomfortable, but not at all unbearable.and they are done so quickly that its over and done. I didn't have any pain after the shots either, so maybe i was one of the lucky ones. He managed to keep my hair looking pretty normal up until 3 months ago and the shots stopped working.
My hair would come out in clumps mainly when i washed it, and there would be a new spot.
The doctor told me that it is so unpredictable you can have one or two patches, they grow back and never have another, or you can lose it all, which is where i am headed right now, but I am still glad that I did the shots. I also used rogaine, but not consistently and used nioxin shampoo and lots of conditioner, and a protein conditioner as it didn't look the healthiest.
The shots are not for everybody, but they worked for me. I would see growth in about 6 weeks, so when it was time for my next visit we would be able to see sprouts.
Whatever choice you make will be the right one for you.
Good luck in you're decisions.
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Don't focus on the Problem, I was able to over come this. All the hair on my entire body came out. I would look down and it was just hair all over everything.
Here is what you do and who ever reads this.
You have to relax, disconnect yourself from anything in your life that is stressing you. Let go of any worry. I promise this will help. You must start to meditate daily , Look on youtube and its millions of meditation videos. Deep Breathing into your Diaphram will calm you. You must get back into the state of wellbeing and knowing that everything is ok. You must have some type of Spirituality A relationship with the creator. Doesn't matter what religion you are, A relationship with the Most high is a Relationship with the most high. Yoga helps greatly, Changing your diet. Standard American DIet is SAD. Leave it alone. Eat as organic as possible. Pharmaceuticals doesn't help at. Dermatologist doesn't help at all either. Western Medicine (united States Medicine) Doesn't cure anything because it only focus on the Symptom and not the root cause. Natural , Ayurvedic practitioners are the true healer. You must get back to nature. America train you to think these things are weird but that their overall purpose to keep you sick and have to go there hospitals. Our bodies are designed to heal themselves , we must put them in the right environment to do that.
thanks
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Again, thank you all for sharing your experiences and stories!! Funny, the moment I seen my first spot I knew without a doubt that I had AA because of watching my Dad go thru this. I couldnt remember the name of this condition, but I knew 36 years ago with my Dad that their was no cure. I went to my regular doctor and had blood work done to check iron, thyroid, etc. Then I went to my first derm appt, and seen a very intelliegent young doctor with not an ounce of compassion. I questioned his diagnoses because I am 51 years old and going thru menopause and he barely looked at my one bald spot and didnt even look thru my hair to see if I had more spots, which my husband noticed a pretty big spot on the side of my head a week later. Anyway, I started to cry and the dumb a** Dr. said to me "I was going to recommend shots (didnt define the kind of shots) but if your crying now your really going to be crying because they are very painful with lots of side effects"!! I left that appt with the name of this condition and started my research. Decided I couldnt go thru all of these appt and get so stressed about it! I decided I was going to accept this condition as gracefully as possible and let it take its course. Well that didnt last long, I decided to find a different Derm and because the mayo clinic isnt to far from me, I was able to get in there to see another Derm. He was nice, more professional and wanted to give me the kenalog shots. At this point, I am in about 1 and 1/2 month with AA. I told him I needed to think about this. My spots were staying about the same, not as much thinning of rest of my hair.....then here we go again!! The spot with hair growth double in size in less then a week!!
I am writing all of this to thank all of you!! Your comments were so so helpful!! With all of you reminding me that you can try to be proactive with prolonging your hair loss and/or hoping to put aa in remission while processing the acceptance of this condition with as less stress as possible. When the times comes, when no other preventive measure are available.... you at least know that you tried. I have made an appt next week to see a very highly recommended Nutritionist/Naturopath. Hard to explain, he is not a full Naturopath, but very similiar. I am also probably going to fit in a visit back the derm to get kenolog shots. Thank you again!! Bless all of you!!
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Permalink Reply by Shari on
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Hi Kelly, I started my AA journey at 42 years old in Jan 2012. I'm adopted so NO idea if it's genetic for me. I have been getting shots which luckily work for me and I do have regrowth but my AA keeps coming back every Fall/Winter. I'm currently being treated for 4 new spots.
Here is the honest truth with the shots...compared to natural child birth they are like butterfly kisses :). That being said I never had a fear of shots and I have a pretty high tolerance for pain (until I had my second daughter naturally, OUCH)
I don't have side effects from the shots, some tenderness at the injection site for a few days and I do get headaches occasionally ...mild ones, not migraines. Plus I'm going thru menopause and was told headaches can be a symptom of that too.
I haven't seen a naturopathic dr but may look into it. I don't want to change my life too drastically...I like eating and drinking what I want and even get my hair (what's left of it) high lighted regularly.
I'm trying not to let AA ruin my life...I want to keep things as normal as possible :)
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Your not going to ruin your life by going natural, You'll become more happy and ALIVE! The more you learn about being at peace of mind and taking care of your body, a light bulb will turn on and you'll have those "ah -ha" moments all the time. It's our purpose in life.. We're not suppose to indulge in worldly things that we think is making up happy, but its actually just masking the problem. Killing yourself slowing following the world. Standard American Diet is the worst diet on the planet. American are the most out of shape and least intelligent people on the Planet. Wake up..Take care of yourselves inside and out.
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Hi E,
Thanks for your response, very encouraging. I feel the biggest component that I haven't been able to accomplish yet is the mental relaxation part because I worry about my hair not growing back. I cleaned up my diet completely, no gluten, dairy, sugar, etc. but it hasn't made much of a difference hair wise. I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and high quality meat (organic/free range chicken/eggs, and grass-fed organic meat). I felt like I lost too much weight when I didn't have any meat. How much hair did you lose and how long did it take for it to start growing back? What is your typical diet/exercise look like? Lastly, are there any specific visualization techniques that u can share? I want to have faith and believe that my hair will come back but it's hard when I have such a severe form of alopecia. I do know its possible in my heart but theres always something telling me that its always gonna be like this and that really puts me down. Any advice would be neatly appreciated, thanks so much for your refreshing post.
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I'm very happy that your willing to do what it takes. Don't worry yourself about the food. Eat as good as possible. Be conscious of what you eat, read ingredients. PRAY OVER YOUR FOOD/WATER, DON"T MATTER WHAT IT IS, I had Alopecia Universals , I lost all the hair on my entire body except little of my eye lashes/ brows. It started back when I was in college 2008 senior year. I was stressing about finals, no sleep, alcohol, bad food, etc....college life. Then the week after finals small patches started to come out , the barber noticed it. So i went to the dermatologist with not success. So I chose the natural side of healing which was the best decision I have ever made in my life.
1. You Must Meditate - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoM57Z8dRUY
Try some yoga, I know it may seem soft but whatever calms your mind.
You have to calm your CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM. Your hair is extension of your CNS.
2. GO TO SLEEP - Stay away from stimulants during the day , energy Drinks and coffee. They harm your CNS and your don't sleep as deep as need to at night.
Wind yourself down before bed- take a hot shower or bath to relax yourself. I meditate when i get in the bed by Deep Breathing , and when I exhale -Feel yourself Sinking into the bed. It feels funny at first but before your know it, you'll wake up in the morning fully refreshed.
SLEEP is one of the biggest pieces to the puzzle because our bodies heal itself during sleep. So I drink Sleepy time tea and Chamomile tea so that I can get that deep sleep. Monitor how you feel in the morning. If you feel fully refreshed you're on the right path.
2. YOUR MIND: This ties into Sleep. You have to have a calm mind during the day. Don't worry about anything, don't stress. I know having no hair is very stressful, trust me I know.
GO TO YOUTUBE:
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1g5n-TyuoY Watch all of his videos , they will change you. I promise.
2 .http://www.youtube.com/user/Moojiji
3.http://www.youtube.com/user/BasharCommunications/videos This Channel is a little different but speaks the truth.
You must BELIEVE IN YOUR SELF, LOVE YOURSELF, TO HEAL YOURSELF.
DO WHAT YOU LOVE TO DO. FOR EXAMPLE: IF YOU WANT TO START A BAND, THEN START A BAND, IF YOUR WANT TO SKI, GO SKYING.
BE WHO YOU WANT TO BE. THE WORLD MAKES IT DIFFICULT SOMETIMES BUT IT'S ALL UP TO YOU. GET UP AND JUST JUMP AND AROUND AND SAY I'M FREEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THIS MAY NOT SOUND LIKE IT HAS TO DO WITH HAIR BUT IT'LL HEAL YOUR ENTIRE SOUL, SPIRIT, MIND AND BODY...... AND AS TIME GO ON YOU WILL FIND NEW WAYS TO HEAL YOURSELF, I PROMISE YOUR HAIR WILL GROW BACK. THIS APPLIES TO ALL.
WORKOUT ON THE REGULAR, DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ANY PARTICULAR ROUTINE, IF YOU WANT TO GAIN MUSCLE , FOCUS ON THAT, IF YOU WANT TO BURN FAT , FOCUS ON THAT. IT DOESN'T MATTER. JUST GET YOUR BLOOD MOVING AND HEART PUMPING .
THE KEY IS TO FEEL GOOD.TRY THIS HERB CALL RHODIOLA
DHEALTHSTORE.COM - HAIR, SKIN & NAILS, MSM, VITAMIN C AND MORINGA.
ASK ME ANYTHING
PEACE, HEALTH , AND BLESSINGS
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