Thanks April so do you strictly abide by the no grains which I think is the most difficult part of the whole Paleo approach?

Rita, I have been grain free the past month, except for one time I had some rice. I think I feel better without it for now, so I will stay grain free for the time being.

Terry, I color my hair & use a generic version of Rogaine. You should not have Rogaine on your scalp when you color your hair or use it for 24 hours after, probably to avoid irritation. I found this information on the leaflet in the Rogaine box. Skipping a few applications shouldn't affect the results.

Christiekd, I have a question regarding your treatment regimen if you don't mind answering. What is the Retin A for? Is it to keep the hair follicles open by sloughing off dead cells? I have some samples from my previous derm & thought I might try it.

Also, for those that have been using Plaquenil for a while. How long before the tenderness along the hairline goes away? I think mine is from the topical treatments because I never noticed it before my diagnosis. I've been on the Plaquenil for 6 weeks now, 1 x daily for two weeks to give my body time to adjust to it & 2 x daily for 4 weeks.

Annie, Thank you for the information about not using rogaine before or after coloring hair. I need to read all of the directions. I should not give advise without doing so. Sorry Terry. No wonder my hairdresser always washes my hair before she colors it.

Annie, are you using any topicals on your scalp or hairline? My scalp was very sore when I was using clobetasol. It got better when I switched to tea tree oil for the itching. All I use topically now is Elidel along the hairline and on my brows. I've been on Plaquenil for about 6 months, twice daily.

Ladies in the UK - have seen this info on the Alopecia UK website, a lady used the company HEAD4HAIR.COM to get a hair system, she is very pleased with it. They do partial hair systems - this is just a piece to cover the front - exactly what we need with FFA - she recommends getting the 'swiss lace base'. The company are based in Manchester but you can send a template of the area you want covered in the post with a sample of your own hair. Prices seem to start at £129.00 Might be worth looking at for those of you that want supplemental hair but not a full wig. XXX

Christiekd & Alice, thanks for your helpful information. I'll start using the Retin A on my hairline as well as face. Alice, I've stopped using the Clobetesol for a while & still have the tenderness, though not as severe. I also had stinging along my hairline when I had my hair colored on Tuesday. The stinging stopped when my hairdresser rinsed my hair. I'm wondering if it has something to do with the open follicles where I've recently lost hair. I've always had a sensitive scalp.

My new wig! (below) x

Liz, you look great! The wig is perfect for you and looks very natural.

Thank you all for your lovely comments. The whole wig buying experience went a lot better than I thought and in the end turned out to be quite enjoyable. Having a wig on makes me feel a little bit more like my old self on days that were 'good hair days!' I liked it so much that I decided to wear it straight away. xx

Liz you look fabulous! I love your wig. It looks like its your natural hair. Thanks for sharing with us.

Liz, I LOVE your wig. I would never even know it was a wig. You look so lovely! Thank you for sharing!!

Liz - you look great! You must be so pleased with the new hair. You're a very pretty woman and nobody could tell that the hair they see is a wig.
I take the view now that a wig or a hair piece is just another 'beauty aid' and no different to wearing make-up, contact lenses or having a teeth crowned or whitened etc.
Anyway yours is a GREAT success - enjoy it.

Thank you all for your lovely comments. Pam the wig is an Erica Amore wig. Its a monofilament wig xx

Beautfil Liz. You have chosen well. XXX

The wig looks so natural, you look great! Thank you for sharing it with the rest of us, it gives me hope! (Did you go for real hair or synthetic - I can`t tell?).

Liz, I thought your eyebrows looked good too in your photo. Have you got any tips for eyebrows too?

Carol. I agree totally with you. Women today use all sorts of enhancements for their beauty routines and a wig is just another beauty aid. Plenty of celebrity women; Beyonce, Kelly Rowland, Joan Collins and of course Raquel Welch (who even has her own very good brand of wigs) all wear wigs to help them look stunning. We are in very good company. XXX

I agree that loads of celebrities use wigs as a matter of course, and we need to think of them as another beauty aid - not feel any stigma or shame about wearing one.
In fact, when my daughters friends come round to our house to get ready for parties/ balls etc they often have hairpieces with them, all types and sizes, as well as their party dresses! These are girls in their twenties, who don`t care at all about everyone knowing they are adding extra hair for glamour!

Hi Pam. The eyebrows in the photograph are my own. I have the inside bits left, it the outside half thats gone on each one and I colour that in with an eyebrow cil xx

Terry, the Rogaine foam needs to stay on your scalp for at least 4 hours. I use the 5% Rogaine foam mornings only. My doctor said the foam only has to be used once a day after the first 6 weeks. I apply it to wet hair on the days I wash my hair and blow dry it as usual. I can't even tell it's there on the first day, but on day two my hair is a little harder to work with because of the foam buildup at the roots. I wash my hair every other day to keep the buildup to a minimum.

Terry, I also had problems sleeping with the plaquenil for the first couple weeks. I have been taking it for 6 weeks now, and my body has completely adjusted. I'm happy to say that I'm sleeping as well as I was before I started taking it.

Hello all - I have been a bit quiet for a while. Enjoying the proper summer we are having in the UK, loving the grandchildren, seeing friends, creating our new garden, working out in the gym, country walks - what more could I want ? !! XX

Annie, I started out using the Rogaine on my eyebrows and around my face and above my ears going back about 3 inches about 4 months ago. I was so pleased with the new growth after 6 weeks that I started using it all over my head. My hairdresser says she can see more new hairs sprouting every time I go in for my 6 week cut & color.

Annie, are you seeing new growth where there has been hairloss along the front and sides, or only where you haven't lost hair yet? Are you using the men's or women's strength. I haven't taken the Rogaine plunge yet but am considering it. Also, does the new hair have the same texture and color as the rest of your hair? The new hairs I sprouted on top while taking spironolactone is drier, grayer, and frizzier than the rest of my hair.

Regarding Rogaine - I have been told that it is not really effective for alopecia? If it was, surely everyone would be using it? I bought some in desperation, but haven`t used it, as my dermotologist said it was unlikely to be of any use. Any feedback on this?

About Benadryl - I sometimes have trouble sleeping as well, so I will break a pink benadryl pill in half and take a half a dose. This is enough to get me through. I also don't feel so bad taking a sleep aid.

For Rogaine - I think that in combination with our other meds, it is beneficial to use rogaine. When you can calm the inflammation with clobetesol, there are hair follicles that haven't burned out yet and scarred over, and the rogaine helps those hairs to grow back.

Chrisy, I don't get any itching either but my derm has asked me to use it, it is another way of trying to get the inflammation under control. I use disposable plastic gloves when handling Dermovate because it is very powerful and I don't want to get it on any other part of me, or indeed anybody else or my pets. xxx

Alice, the Rogaine has regrown most of the wispy hairs around the sides of my face that I thought the FFA had taken as well as thickening up areas around the bare spots. I've had the best results on the right side of my face where the FFA hasn't been quite as aggressive. It's true that you can't regrow hair in the scarred areas, but, for whatever reason, the hair follicles next to the sides of my face haven't scarred over. I decided to try Rogaine because of all the postings I've read about, the ones using it have had the best results of slowing down the progression of FFA. The derm that diagnosed me said Rogaine wouldn't help, but the one I went to for a 2nd opinion said I should try it. He suggested the 5% solution generic version. I get the foam version at Sam's in the US for about $34 for a 4-month supply.
Also, the new hairs that are coming in are the same color as the surrounding hairs and a little finer in texture.

Thank you Annie for your comments on using Rogaine. Also thank you to everyone else for such helpful advice. I am going to Trendco in London tomorrow to have a consultation (thanks again to all your advice and lovely pics of the new wig!) - it has taken me a lot of courage to get to this stage, and all your support has helped tremendously.

Linda, if you want to try it on your eyebrows, just use a q-tip to apply the Rogaine. It doesn't drip at all because the cotton on the q-tip absorbs some of the solution. I find Rogaine has helped my eyebrows the most.

Pam regaine (uk) has really helped the fullness of my hair and I can't praise it enough! Dr Harries, my derm asked me to try it and my fringe area has thickened especially when I compare photographs of course it hasnt help the bald areas but I intend to contine using once daily, hope this helps Sammix

Linda, the foam version of Rogaine won't drip when you apply it. It also has less alcohol, which makes it less irritating.

I haven't taken the Rogaine plunge yet but probably will start soon. I had good results on my brows with Elidel cream. It's by Rx only but a small sample tube will lasr for months. Does anyone else have itchy or tender brows?

Hl Mary and welcome - my heart goes out to you - we have all been there and it is horrible and such a shock.
Advice from me would be tell nobody initially - then at least if you need a wig then you can get away with it without people who do not understand , being perhaps more sympathetic than you can handle. Find a good dermatologist who has experience. Read as much as you can on this site - there is a lot of info here. I too am in my sixties.... there are ladies on this site who are half my age and I feel so deeply for them. Try to think positive when the dust settles (I am not always very good at doing that !) Have a good cry, mourn a little and then get cracking with a good diet, plenty of exercise, try turmeric capsules from the health food shop - some of us have had reduced inflammation with this - we think - can never be sure what is working really.
Where do you live ? Keep communicating - nobody minds if you 'sound off' on here as we are all in the same boat - it's still afloat and we aim to keep it that way. XXX

Has anyone experienced increased hair loss after they've started injections? These past two months have been a disappointment to say the least. After every shampoo there's a handful of hair in the drain. Just vacuumed my bedroom and bath and i have two handfuls of hair. I see my dermatologist next week and i hope she has some answers. It's about a six hour drive round trip so i just hope i'm getting some benefit. Time for a good cry. I haven't given into it since this started in 2010.