Comment by Lisa on September 21, 2009 at 5:06pm

I agree with you totally! My 14 yr old Daugher has AA , diagnosed just less than 2 months ago but her primary care and the one local Derm we went to seemed so nanchalaunt (sp?) about it, knowing even less than I already do from my research. She did one round of shots so far (no improvments yet but it has only been about 3 weeks). I fear her condition will get worse as I see more thinning areas. I really want to try some natural products I have found on the web, I fear they may be a scam and are so expensive, but if it works it is worth it. I live in the Portland OR area so I have not searched yet for a "better" doctor, but I just had my Daughter go in for several blood tests to eliminate anything that would possible cause Alopecia. If you have any Medication or product names that have worked , please pass them my way. Thanks

Comment by Barbara on September 22, 2009 at 6:34pm

I went to my derm because he was in my insurance plan and I could get in to see the next morning after a shocking hair appointment (my hairdresser told me about the bald spots). He read to me from a book about AA! So he claims that the treatment he is using has a good success rate, but is that a plan from 10 years ago? From Medical school? He doesn't seem too concerned about me, nor too forthcoming with conversation about prognosis, alternate treatments, nor his experience - personal experience - with AA patients. How do you find a doc who specializes? My Ins. company advocate said they would find me someone new if this person didn't work out, but they also said that a dermatologist IS the specialist that you go to for AA, so I assume they will just be going down a list of other dermotologists. I need one in Maryland - anyone have a good reference?

Comment by Lee on September 23, 2009 at 5:27pm

Barbara, I would go to MD too. Im in D.C now. I found out about Dr. Daly in NY from Mike on this site. Dr. Daly was great;...but I had to move for a new job. So I am not sure how to find another specialists. All of them say they specialize in alopecia...but this last guy I saw...was horrible. I knew more about it than he did. I will keep searching for someone here and let you know if I find anyone.
Lisa, be careful with the scams. I once bought $40 Gogi juice because I thought it would make my hair grow back. If the shots didnt work, they may try a topical steroid cream. It wil lirritate the area a little bit, and it causes the white blood cells to rush to the irritated area, and leave the follicle alone. That worked for me when I was younger. Actually, I was right around her age. You may want to do her a favor, and let her know about the AU, and AT, without scaring her. I didnt know about it, so when it hit me at 27, it was really bad. Nobody prepared me for it.

Comment by Lisa on September 25, 2009 at 9:27pm

Hi
Yes I have showed her this site and did prepare her about AU and AT, but telling her it could happen is scary and stressfull. I know it is not the end of the world, but being 14 is stressful enough and I read that stress can actually cause it to get worse. On the Derm. issue- YES the one we went to was nice, but he said, "oh well you probably know just as much or more than I do " and was so ho-hum about it! I do want one that specializes in AA so I guess I will start calling through a list of all of them in the Porland area. As far as scams and natural products, $40 is nothing - some of the stuff I was looking at is up to $500 for 3 months I read- this stuff- Looks like it works, but...have you heard of it? Shmuel Gonen's hair treatment It is natural and a lot on the website is believable..... ???

Comment by claudine on October 12, 2009 at 7:26pm

Hi Lee. Can you tell me a little more about Dr. Daly and what you like about him? I stopped going for the cortisone shots because a dermatologist friend of my dads said it was a waste of my time and money. He also said that the truth is that no one in dermatology knows much about the alopecias (AA, AT, AU)... that they do what they can... but our guess is as good as theirs as to what will work. Apparently one of his colleagues, who is also a derm, has a wife who is universalis... go figure, right?

so i've gone herbal, but i'm still hoping for something that will work for me. if you don't mind sharing more about Dr. Daly and your experience with him, I would really appreciate it as he is in my area. thks!

as for the DC area, i don't know of any good derms there but i will give a shout out to family in the area and maybe someone will be able to help.

Comment by Amy on November 19, 2009 at 10:14pm

Lee, where in DC are you? Im in Northern Virginia and I like my derm, she works with me, but I think you have found the issue, which is there isnt really a good treatment for severe AA. I had AA on and off (mild) for 20 years. Then bam, I went AT in June and bam again, AU last month. Holy smokes. DID NOT expect this.

Anyway, for severe AA your best bet is dcpc. You can try sulfasalzine as well. Topical steriods, kenalog shots, not really effective at the severe level. I not had luck with pulse prednisone though some have. Cyclosporine A and Methothrex are ok options but I wouldnt use them until you are done with having kids. Thats just me. Im doing UVB right now which gives me a nice tan but that is about it. I'm contemplating another baby next year so Im holding off on the big guns so I dont mess that little guy up!

Im going to the NIH on Tuesday, my derm is sending me! She knows someone there so Im going to be a lab rat for a day, see if they can crack my AU code. I think I have read every AA study from the last 20 years so I think I know the reality though, they have no idea.

But do try Vitamin D- 5K a day. It got my hair back once during a bad bout!

I have also tried tea tree oil, NET, chiropracters, accupuncture, multiple supplements, hynotherapy, aromatherapy, cranio sacral theray, massage, meditation, noni juice, zinc...you name it.

Good luck!

Comment by Lee on November 20, 2009 at 6:39pm

Hi Amy,
Im actually in Northern VA also. What is the NIH? My new Dr is pretty good...she gives me cortizon shots for my brows..which has been working. Im not sure about DCPC...side effects seem tooo severe. Is UVB the same as PUVA?
\Thanks! ; )

Comment by Amy on November 27, 2009 at 11:29pm

NIH is National Institute of Health. Who is your new derm? I see Nandedkar in Reston. Cortizone shots in brows for me are sportatically working. UVB is the light without the psoralen.

Comment by Lee on December 2, 2009 at 3:10am

My shots are working also. ...Slowly. Im seeing Dr. Hobbs at Georgetown. I work in Reston ; )

Comment by Colleen on February 18, 2010 at 11:17pm

Has anybody tried IBROWSERS? Awesome....no shots involved.

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