Comment by Glenda on April 14, 2017 at 2:06pm

GEMINIJEANNE I was diagnosed with FFA about 2 years ago. I'm 76 years old. I had already lost my eyebrows before I was diagnosed. I saw my dermatologist when one night my scalp was so itchy that I couldn't sleep. I got up and washed my hair with baking soda and then rinsed with vinegar. That stopped the itching. The next day I had an appointment to get my hair permed. I told my hair dresser that she didn't need to shampoo my hair and I told her what I had done. She looked at my scalp and said, your head is full of sores!! I can't give you a perm -- it would burn you up -- you need to see your doctor! So she just styled my hair and when I got home I called my dermatologist. They had a cancellation so I was able to see him by the next day. He said he thought he knew what it was but took a biopsy to be sure. Results came back as FFA. I had never heard of such a thing. He put me on Hydroxchloroquine (Plaquinil). A few months ago I started breaking out in skin rashes. Dr. prescribed a topical ointment for contact dermatitis. Then a few weeks ago, I started itching around my right ear, and it turned very red and it really hurt and burned. That was eczema. Next I broke out with a big red patch on my chin that burned so bad and it's not clearing up. I think that's psoriasis. I just read on WebMD that Plaquinil can cause skin rashes, eczema and psoriasis. If I stop taking the medication, I will lose all of my hair and I will still get sores on my scalp. I don't know what's worse. This is very difficult to deal with. 
I'm sorry I don't have any new good ideas to share with you. AS for shampoos, I'm using DHS Clear Shampoo. I order it online from Vitacost. I add a few drops of Rosemary essential oil or Tea Tree oil. 

Comment by Tatiana on September 13, 2017 at 7:26pm

I am a microblading artist who also have alopecia totalis. Here is a photo of my male client today. 

Comment by GEMINIJEANNE on September 14, 2017 at 11:21am

good to hear from you Tatiana . I feel this disease is like fumbling in the dark for a needle. I just returned from a dermatologist clinic in Sunnybrook - Dr. Lansing prescribed me an anti- rejection med which she hopes will at least stop or slow down the shedding. I tried Plaquenil which did nothing for me. I don't have any suggestions for you - sorry but if you are having so many side effects from Plaquenil , perhaps you could try something different. We are all in this fight together and this website has been my biggest support system . My family all sympathize but really have no idea what I'm going through at all. Please keep in touch and let me know how you are doing . 

Comment by ZakICarey on January 29, 2020 at 4:42pm

Hi darling, my mother actually has this problem and it is very uncomfortable. What can I say, The use of strong steroids, either applied topically or injected into the scalp, has had some success. Others, meanwhile, have turned to the oral medications finasteride or dutasteride, the latter of which is not approved for treating male pattern baldness in the United States. They both work to reduce levels of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the hormone that’s responsible for hair follicle miniaturization. But I would advise you to go to see a real professional and you can do it by monitoring the forum with hospitals in us that can actually help you choose the best doctor and hospital.

Comment by Anna Jones on July 23, 2020 at 5:28am

Since I am experiencing hair loss and some other significant issues, I am just pleased to read this information from this article that can help me in tackling them. I am thinking to get dissertation proposal help online. Alopecia has caused me these problems but I have not given up.

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