I have never posted on this forum, but did visit it regularly when I initially developed AA and then AT. I want you all to know that there is hope, and I have fully recovered from Alopecia Totalis after almost three years. 

For those who would find it helpful, I have included a summary of my medical history 

Onset of Alopecia began 3 years ago (developed AA initially and then over a 6 month period, all scalp hair fell out developing Alopecia Totalis). For one year, tried only topical solutions (scalp injections and Clobetasol) and made large environmental changes (moving across the country to be closer to family, changing jobs, etc) with no change in hair condition. Some of the hair would regrow in patches, but then all would fall out again.

Then, tried two treatments of oral steroids with Prednisone - first for 35 days and then for 25 days 3 months later after noticing a relapse while taking 500mg-1mg of Cellcept twice a day concurrently. Prednisone was very effective the first time and Cellcept was much less effective and not a long term solution. Finally after 6 months of oral treatment, I was prescribed Xeljanz as a final Hail Mary. 

It worked very quickly! My hair loss reduced dramatically and growth began to stabilize. It still took another 6 months before I was comfortable not wearing a wig so that is 1 year from start of Prednisone (6 months on Prednisone & Cell-Cept combination and then 6 months on Xeljanz). At first your hair resembles baby hair and is still very fine, but as you stabilize on Xeljanz, my hair returned to its natural width and texture.I experienced no side effects on Prednisone, Cellcept or Xeljanz.  

I developed this condition very randomly with no previous family history or any other auto-immune related issues in my late 20s. I had never previously had any health issues or ever been hospitalized so this could happen to anyone. I believe this was triggered by a very stressful personal environment. This can happen to anyone when you least expect it, but KNOW and BELIEVE that it is possible to recover. Evaluate the causes of the stress that may have triggered your Alopecia and focus on self-care. Explore any and all treatments available to you. I tried everything including a therapist, acupuncture, regular exercise and believe along with Xeljanz, it all made a difference in helping me recover.

As an FYI, my doctor has been excellent, and he has been mentioned on this forum previously - Dr. Justin Ko at Stanford. He will be honest with you and will do all that he has at his disposal to help you. He is not that chatty though so you have to go in with targeted questions (re: to someone else's comment on this forum about his bedside manner). He was also incredible in helping me to get my insurance provider to APPROVE coverage both on United Healthcare and Blue Cross Blue Shield. 

I also did have to buy a wig and wear it for two years. I bought my wigs from fortune wig and The Wig Shop in LA. By far, my favorite wig was from The Wig Shop (5376 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036