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Stopped alopecia and getting hair back
Hi. i have had alopecia areata for almost 15 yrs. Recently I visited my dermatolgist and he gave me prednisone for 16 days and locoid cream to be put twice a day. In one month i can see baby hairs growing in all my bald spots. i hope this piece of info will help someone who needs it. Now he gives me a shot of kenelog every month. He said my hair should be completely normal in 6 months.
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Comment by Bald and Fabulous AKA Terri on December 17, 2010 at 11:43pm
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Im happy to hear about your new growth and wish you all the best that it continues.
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Comment by susan williams on December 18, 2010 at 8:49pm
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wow, thank you for that info....gives me hope, good luck :) x
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I have had alopecia areata for almost a year in Jan 2011. I had long blonde hair down to the middle of my back with curls. A night in January went out to dinner and I was looking down at the menu my husband said, you have a small hole on top of your head? I immediately went to the restroom and started to move hair from one side to the other and noticed a pea size patch.I was blaming this Keratin treatment that I paid $450 for and fired my Hair Dresser. For weeks it was growing. At the end of February I decided to go see a dermatologists. He looked at it without doing a biopsy and injected kenalog all around the patch and told me to come back in a month. March came around patch getting bigger with NO signs of growth. I was starting to get UPSET. I had enough at this point in time to throw it to one side and clip a cute pin in and no one knew it except for my husband or if the wind was blowing hard that day I wore a Ball Cap. In March the same dermatologists injected 15 shots around the patch. April NO Growth and now not only am I losing hair at the sight, I was starting to lose hair all over my scalp. I really thought I was seeing a QUACK! I broke down for days because my hair was coming out in clumps at shampoo, it was in my car, pillows, on my clothes. Just strands after strands. At the time my heart just sunked to where I was really starting to worry. I decided to get a second opinion. My 2nd opinion Dermatlogists WOULD NOT SEE ME. She recommended that I go see a Doctor in Atlanta who specializes in HAIR LOSS this is pretty much all he does. In June I went to Dr. EDMOND GRIFFIN in Atlanta and he did a pull test and asked if I ever had a biopsy. I said NO! When he did the pull test, the hair was coming out at an alarming rate. He first, looked at the 2 bald patches now and said by looking at the 2 sights, he told me to take a deep breath, that this is only hair, and that I was finally at the right place. I looked at him and hugged his neck not only because I felt like I was for one but he understood. I just sobbed like a baby while my husband is in the corner just feeling helpless. He walks out of the room brought a nurse back in and immediately did a biopsy, put me on 15 days of predinsone took all kinds of lab work to look for abnormal autoimmune disorder and told me to come back in 4 weeks.I took the prednisone and worried. I returned in July and he sat me down and said, Belinda, you have alopecia areata. You also have Telogen Effulium caused from worry and stress. He looked at me and said, First to make yourself feel better, let's cut your HAIR off to about 2 inch all around. Then, we will go in and cut out all the bad cells from the kenalog that the 1st dermatologists injected (poorly). Once that heals then we will start treatment. I came out of there SICK to my stomach and vomited for 2 days. I called my TWIN SISTER who by the way looks just like me. She decides to go with me. I sat in the chair went to a TOTAL different hairdresser and said CUT IT OFF. He put my hair in 3 different pony tails. Barely had ponytails at this point and just snipped them off. My sister Melinda came over and just gave me the BIGGEST HUG and cried with me. Looking back now I feel stupid for getting so emotional over losing hair. I believe honestly, this is all I knew. For 40 years I always had beautiful long locks and it became my security blanket. I never had it above my shoulders NEVER! Maybe when I was born. I got up and he wanted to try and style it like, very edgy and I am a very classic kind of girl and EDGY was not what I wanted or needed that night. I came home and I have a 5 and a 6 year old and when I walked through the door my children just STARED and my husband said Well, do you like it? I just laughed and said HELL NO I don't like it but it is what it is. First thing my 6 year old daughter said was "mom will it ever grow back"? I don't like it at all. First thing my son said, was "Mom you are beautiful either way. My heart was so happy at that moment it did NOT matter anymore. I did it. I made that big step. It was to me anyway. I went back to my next checkup at the end of August- They went in a injected the sights with numbing shots then dug out all the bad dead cells from the cortizone shots (kenalog) and stiched them up and told me to come back in 2 weeks. I came back in 2 weeks and they removed the stiches and the treatment BEGINS: 1st, they injected .1 kenalog (not so deep) it did not hurt around the 2 sights. Then gave me some PROTOPIC Cream that I put on everynight at bad time and Rogaine for MEN. Yes it WORKS :). The next morning shampoo well with Aveda Scalp Therapy and apply OLUX-E foam all over the scalp. I did this faithfully everyday and went in for my monthly scalp injections and here we are almost a year of HELL and my hair is GROWING all over. I went to see my doctor today and we are going to STOP all treatment in January and see if I can fly solo. He feels that I will be just fine. We will see. I do hope this story does give someone HOPE at this Holiday TIme :)
Belinda Johnston
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Comment by Julie Koch on December 20, 2010 at 7:50pm
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What a story Belinda! I am happy for you and I wish you continued success!
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Comment by FADI DIAB on December 20, 2010 at 9:28pm
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Very happy for you. Good luck girl.
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Thank You! Very Much! 15 years? Wow Did you ever try anything in the past?
You should also try the OLUX-E foam for the day time after shampoo--
I do not advertise or sale this product I believe in it with my whole heart!
I'm not that lucky-- something is working for me and with all of the combination of things I have listed it is like clock work. Something is being applied morning and night as well as my injections once a month. I am on my 5th month and I'm like a new person so your doctor is right about the 6 month timeline--
Think about it, you have topical at night while you are resting and then shampoo in the mornings you need something working for you during the day time as well. Just FYI ask your doctor who is giving the injections
about the OLUX-E TRUST me I have tried almost everything other than a hair transplant and I was told I was
not a candidate because of the hairloss--Keep us posted
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Comment by Lee on December 21, 2010 at 1:23am
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prednisone is the ONLY thing that has worked for me too. My Dr had me take a high doese of prednisone, once a month. I stopped because I moved and unfortunatly, Dr's here are clueless. I think prednisone would work for most people....but the side effects are awful! Either way, it SHOULD help them find a cure if this treatments works for most.
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Comment by Alison on December 21, 2010 at 7:42am
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prednisone is a steroid and has huge long term effects on your body. i take it because of lupus and my hair is growing back but i wouldnt just take it for hair loss. it suppresses your immune system making it easier for you to get sick. it can cause eye problems such as glaucoma and cataracts.
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also prednisone makes you gain weight!
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I never gained weight and it was a temporary thing to make sure something was not terribly wrong
But I do exercise everyday maybe that is why I did gain any weight
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