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Comment by Tracey on October 31, 2012 at 1:25pm

...forgot to add. My doctor said the most wonderful words last week: "I can't believe how fast your hair is growing!". I said, "Me either. I have been having to wax my face and neck weekly!" Ha ha!!! Sadly that is not really a joke (thanks minoxidil), but at present it's maintenance I am willing to do if it means having hair on my head!

Comment by Tracey on October 31, 2012 at 1:16pm

Wow- such amazing stories! Thanks all for sharing. And, Deirdre, I am jealous, but WOW, so happy for you! Your hair looks amazing!!! :-))) Kathy, I've been wondering about the impact of hormonal changes. I went off the pill a few months before I noticed the first patch, but what I think really triggered my onset was an allergic reaction I had to vicodin that landed me in the ER. And regarding the diet angle, I figure if nothing else cooling the inflammation would help the hair that is growing back in to not be so kinky and curly (normally I have straight hair). My derm said the textural changes are due to inflammation. But, hey, it's regrowth and I'll take it no matter what it looks like! So far overall I seem to be winning my current hair battle-- there is only a small area near my bangs and one temple that has patches that show-- the rest is all covered with hair! A far cry from where I was in May with the top of my head quity bald. And as an FYI, I am doing regular steroid injections, 5% minoxidil religiously 2x/day, biotin, fish oil, clean diet (recent addition), exercise and I've had a couple rounds of prednisone during my heavier shedding periods. I guess that is my hopeful story to share with you! :-)

Comment by somegirl on October 31, 2012 at 11:22am

Tracey,
In April I lost more than half my hair in a period of three weeks. Obviously this summer was devastating for me. After going from doctor to doctor I finally went to a specialist that treats alopecia extremely aggressively. Here is the treatment:
Tazorac ointment - all over my scalp, once a day. (tazorac induces a rash, shedding the top layer of skin, and creating an environment that promotes hair growth.)
Clobetasol Propionate liquid - twice a day, once in the a.m. and once at night (right after using the tazorac.)
I have extremely sensitive skin, so this combination of treatment resulted in lots of rashes and sores, but ALL of my hair grew back! in only 4 months! It was well worth enduring the pain of the rashes. This month marks 5 months since my hair fell out. I am so lucky that my hair has come back. I do have 4 nickle sized bald spots randomly placed through my scalp right now. These spots are extremely recent and I have no doubt that with the treatment i used before they will grow back. And even if one or two of them don't, I have an almost completely full head of hair (albeit it is much thinner.)
Don't give up hope. I agree that this sight can be depressing, but there are people that are experiencing regrowth.
I also changed my diet over the last 5 months. I cut out gluten (wheat exasperates ANY auto-immune disorder.) And (for my body, at least) I cut back on dairy and completely stopped caffeine. The last few weeks i have actually been more lax on the dietary restrictions, to which i attribute the current small bald patches.
anyway, hope this helps some how.

Comment by Deidre on October 31, 2012 at 11:00am

WOW That's a HUGE picture!! I was worried the pic link wouldn't work. It did...Billboard Style! Ooops ;)

Comment by Deidre on October 31, 2012 at 10:58am

Hi Tracy! I rarely log on to alopecia world anymore, but once in a while I see a discussion that sparks a desire to reply. I've taken intermittent time off from the website only because I seem to do much better when I'm not focused on how losing my hair affects my life by sitting like a load of bricks in the forefront of my mind. It seems somewhat cold and unsupportive, but I believe much of the reason I ever lost my hair to begin with was from not taking enough care of me and my emotions. Everyone with whom I've had contact on this website has been amazing. Others I've gained admiration from reading their stories. I posted an update on my page a couple of years back...and good news, I still have a head full of hair. (Newer pic of me above) I've had a few scary episodes of itchy spots that would thin, but regrow. And over the past 6 months or so I've had disperse thinning that immediately grows back. The tiny new hairs that stick straight up are my only pain (only because they look like antennae at times)...but I'll take em! No complaints. I felt most comforted when I would read regrowth stories, especially from those who somewhat share my situation, i.e age, circumstance, loss/regrowth patterns. I've become a firm believer in take care of your mind and your body will follow, I hope this helps you too. Take care!

Comment by asdf234 on October 31, 2012 at 10:48am

I will contact you with more details, Jen, privately. Otherwise I am afraid I will sound like an advertisement. Basically, I used the paleo diet to starve the candida. I also used a series of herbal supplements to poison and weaken the candida itself and took probiotics to crowd out the candida in my gut if it tried to reinvade. Shane told me that the candida leads to thyroid issues, so by getting rid of it, it would help my thyroid too.

Comment by Jen on October 31, 2012 at 10:39am

to asdf:
thanks for your story. I didn't start this post but like Tracey I'm always looking for inspiration for my son. Will you tell us what you did for a candida cleanse? did you do the very strict candida diet or just an herbal cleanse? thanks for sharing because as I read your post I remembered that my son with AA is also hypothyroid and I have to make him an aptmnt to discuss options. Thanks Tracey for starting this thread :)

Comment by Amarie502 on October 31, 2012 at 10:22am

Tracey i also refuse to wave the white....i have been staying on top of this....and for the most part i have seen improvements....my dermotologist gives me steriod shots, and she told me to use rogaine for men...i noticed my hair growing back within 3 months....so i thought i was cured so i left it alone now im losing it again....its something you got to stay on top of.....i think we can beat this...

Comment by asdf234 on October 31, 2012 at 10:20am

Since you asked for hopeful stories, here is mine. I started losing hair almost a year ago (January). I shaved my head do to extreme alopecia areata last June. It was the greatest feeling to take control and clear all the old hair away! When I shaved my head, my wigs fit better, stayed in place, and were more comfortable. My hair came back in completely in September.

Now that I am in remission, I pray for others to have strength in dealing with alopecia. I know how difficult it is. I was destroyed by alopecia. I feel like a phoenix, reborn. I learned a lot from this year and I am a better person for it.

Being upset over hairloss is not just vanity. It is not silly. Alopecia challenges the definition of who you are. Hair completely changes what you look like and what anonymous society percieves you to be. If you are upset- your pain is valid and real. You have a right to be upset. We are social creatures and there are few things more painful than social isolation. We humans need each other. In prehistoric society, people were more likely to die if cast out of the clan. Being distressed about hairloss is really a primal fear of being an outcast. That isn't foolish.

ALOPECIA DOESN'T HAVE TO CAUSE SOCIAL ISOLATION- this website is proof of that. Alopecia can show you who really loves you and it gets rid of the people who were a waste of your time in the first place. If you have come to terms with the change and can live life without being hindered by alopecia- you have my great admiration. You have achieved something that you have a right to take pride in. You are wise and strong and a great inspiration!

My hair stopped falling out when I went on the paleo diet, did a candida cleanse, and skin supplement protocol with Shane Haingartner (Wellagainclinic.com). Some of the supplements I am taking support my skin and thyroid health. (Even if you don't test positive for low thyroid, it may still be a factor. It is difficult to diagnose thyroid issues. Now I take kelp supplements as an iodine supplement for my thyroid.) Before, hair was always regrowing in my oldest patches, but new bald patches kept appearing faster than the regrowth. Very discouraging!

I really appreciated working with Shane to develop a plan. It is not much exaggeration to say that I was destroyed by alopecia. It was all I could do to just to keep up with my family and work obligations, let alone revamp my life habits. He was kind, helpful, and made the changes easier. I have had friends who were successful in doing on-line research into candida and paleodiet on their own. They made the diet changes on their own. (They did not have alopecia) They are also feeling better. I think the paleo diet solves a lot of health problems.

I love (my version) of the paleo diet for what it has done for me- it takes relearning how to cook, but you don't have to be hungry, and some recipes are downright yummy. I have had all my hair return now and the extra weight just disappeared. In essense, you avoid insulin-triggering foods (grains, starchy beans, sugar, potatoes) as well as most processed foods. I avoid dairy from cows, substituting it with goat cheese, almond milk and coconut milk. I eat fruit in the morning, when my metabolism is higher. I bake primarily using almond flour. This diet is good for diabetes and asthma too. I have more energy and I am mentally sharper. What is not to love about that?! When I first started it, I was very faithful to the diet. Now that my hair has returned and I have been on it for several months, I do cheat about once or twice a week.

Good luck on your journey.

Comment by Jen on October 31, 2012 at 9:52am

Kathy I agree. So far I've determined that food /allergens can have an effect. My son had severe reflux and eczema as well. Changing his diet has cleared both those issues and we are now working to get the AA in remission. I believe that he is predisposed but that it CAN be reversed when we find the trigger and change it. I notice when we put him on a diet without gluten his little regrowth improved. Doctors are so prone to saying food /hormones don't matter but like Hippocrates said, " let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."
We are very hopeful that it will change one day.

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