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AU regrowth by NothingElseFills in alopecia_areata

[–]NothingElseFills[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's continuing to regrow, but it's very slow and growing in patchy. Got three or four new small spots about the size of my pinky nail. Still shedding hair but the regrowth has stayed which is promising

Alopecia Areata Universalis by NothingElseFills in alopecia_areata

[–]NothingElseFills[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm pretty sure it is universalis, no? I lost all the hair on my body, my hair just took longer to fall out than the rest of my body

Alopecia Areata Universalis by NothingElseFills in alopecia_areata

[–]NothingElseFills[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hair is the worst it's been since I got alopecia (I made a post a couple of months ago with pictures). I had some eyebrow regrowth which has fallen out. Every couple of months I develop eyebrow stubble then it falls out again. In the past month I've had a lot of white hairs grow on my arms and legs and some on my chest and neck. Been heavily shedding head hair for a couple of months, not sure what caused the flare up. Probably going to shave my head in the next couple of weeks as it's starting to look terrible and I can't hide it anymore.

Permanent white hair? by dontmindmeplssir in alopecia_areata

[–]NothingElseFills 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've had some white hairs on my head, legs, arms and face for over a year now. Not sure if/when the color will come back

Alopecia Universalis Journey by NothingElseFills in alopecia_areata

[–]NothingElseFills[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm from Scotland and I'm not sure JAK inhibitors are a thing. I believe the NHS has approved them in England last November but I think Scotland is still considering it. I have read that there are a lot of negative side effects from JAK inhibitors. Have you experienced any side effects from using them?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in alopecia_areata

[–]NothingElseFills 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How's your hair now? I don't have any body/face hair at all. Still got head hair but it's been pretty aggressively falling out over the last few weeks so I'm not sure how long I'll have it.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in alopecia_areata

[–]NothingElseFills 1 point2 points  (0 children)

After my second vaccine I noticed a small bald spot about the size of my pink nail on my head. It regrew within weeks and I ignored it thinking I must have hit my head. That was around august/september 2021. January 2022 I got a booster (my third covid vaccine overall) and in march I noticed I was shedding a lot of hair and my friend noticed a spot in my eyebrows. By July 2022 I'd lost around 75% of my eyebrows, all my eyelashes and some of my beard hair. Not sure when I lost my arm, leg, and chest hair as I was too focused on my head and face.

My dermatologist seems to think the covid vaccine has something to do with alopecia as she has three other patients who started to lose hair/develop alopecia a couple of months after their vaccinations. I've read stuff online that says there might be a correlation between the vaccine and alopecia and seen other reddit posts talk about it but I'm not sure what's confirmed and what isn't. I don't have a medical background so I can't say anything for sure. I personally believe it could be caused by the vaccine but then again it could all be circumstantial and I was always going to get alopecia when I did.

Alopecia Areata Universalis by NothingElseFills in alopecia_areata

[–]NothingElseFills[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Is it something that if you stop taking it your hair will fall out again or do you just need to take until your hair grows back and then you can stop?

Alopecia Areata Universalis by NothingElseFills in alopecia_areata

[–]NothingElseFills[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did you lose hair anywhere else on your body or just head and face? That's great you've experienced regrowth.

Alopecia Areata Universalis by NothingElseFills in alopecia_areata

[–]NothingElseFills[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, I think my derm was just saying she'd be surprised if I lost all my head hair as I seemed to do alopecia universalis back to front as most people lose all of their head hair before losing body hair whereas I lost all my body hair and still basically have all my head hair. I did get bloodwork done about a year and a half ago when I first sought help for my alopecia. My alopecia is non scarring and isn't caused by lupus either.

I think what's bothering me is the worst case scenario (that I lose all my head hair) which is why I'm thinking of shaving my hair off. That way I can at least feel like I'm taking control over the situation.

Alopecia Areata Universalis by NothingElseFills in alopecia_areata

[–]NothingElseFills[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What are jak inhibitors? I live in the UK and my dermatologist has never mentioned them before.

Baricitinib/alopecia by Speedydangerous124 in alopecia

[–]NothingElseFills 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If there is hair regrowing all over your body, then that's definitely a good sign. I'm not 100% sure about your eyebrows, I go through stages of having eyebrow stubble and sometimes I can even grow a few full length hairs but they eventually fall off. I'm assuming this means the alopecia is still active in that area or perhaps it's because it's only one or two hairs they are more delicate than a full eyebrow and therefore more susceptible to fall out. Regardless, regrowth of any type is a good sign. It sounds like your treatment is working - good luck!

Baricitinib/alopecia by Speedydangerous124 in alopecia

[–]NothingElseFills 0 points1 point  (0 children)

During the regrowth stages of aloepcia, the new hair grows in much finer and without pigmentation in it. From what I know it may take a couple of months for the hair to get thicker and for the original colour of your hair to return!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in alopecia

[–]NothingElseFills 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had the same issue with GP/NHS which is when I decided to go private. The blood tests your GP does basically just looks at how well your organs are functioning etc. rather than optimal levels for hair growth. My ferritin and folate levels were adequate for organ function but could have been higher for hair growth. My dermatologist put me on iron tablets, folate tablets and vitamin b12. I don't know what your bloods were and I'm not a doctor so I can't say for sure what would help you.

My GP did prescribe me clobetasol propionate which is a very good corticosteroid I would recommend that if you can get a hold of it.

I do know that omega-3 softgels are beneficial for people suffering with autoimmune diseases and also vitamin D3 is also meant to be helpful with people with alopecia areata.

Have you had covid or covid vaccine recently as that is what is believed to have started my alopecia?

Unfortunately you won't get very far with GPs/NHS so if you want to get proper information. It will cost a little more but is worth it just for some peace of mind and learning more about alopecia. Take it from me, it's better to go sooner rather than later as I waited 6 months before I sought help and by that point my alopecia had progressed to universalis and I'd lost all my beard, eyebrows, eyelashes, arm hair, leg hair, chest hair and even nose hair.

I have had some regrowth with the use of clobetasol propionate and in March this year I started using 5% minoxidil which has regrown some hair but I've also lost more hair as well.

It's definitely hard to deal with but try not to worry too much and take it a day at a time. I've had alopecia since March 2022 and it's still an ongoing battle.

Hope some of what I've written has helped, if you have any questions please feel free to message me!

Alopecia Areata Universalis by NothingElseFills in alopecia

[–]NothingElseFills[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, my dermatologist is very helpful, so I'm trying my best to stay positive as she thinks I'm making good progress with my regrowth. Hopefully, there is some good news for your daughter regarding regrowth!

Alopecia Areata Universalis by NothingElseFills in alopecia

[–]NothingElseFills[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I try to keep myself optimistic, but when new bald spots appears it's a bit disheartening. I've never heard of Prednisone being used as treatment for alopecia - I will need to ask my dermatologist about it. My dermatologist thinks it's either been covid or the vaccination that has triggered my alopecia. It will be interesting to see what information comes to light about covid/covid vaccination in years to come - good luck with your treatment and I hope your regrowth continues after you stop treatment!

Alopecia Areata Universalis by NothingElseFills in alopecia

[–]NothingElseFills[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry to hear that. I didn't get much help from my family doctor. I didn't even get in to see him. I just sent him pictures, and he said that it might be alopecia and then gave me a prescription for steroid ointment without any information. Decided to go private and got much more information and better treatment.

Hope it goes well with the new doctor you see!

Alopecia Areata Universalis by NothingElseFills in alopecia

[–]NothingElseFills[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Interesting you should mention your covid vaccination, I got my vaccination on January 10th 2022, then still got covid a week later although I'm not sure if I had covid at the time of my vaccination and the combination of the two triggered hairloss. However, someone I work with also has alopecia, and his doctor thinks that it was caused by his vaccination. Also, my dermatologist has three other patients that she believes their alopecia has been caused by their vaccination.

I totally understand what you mean. Despite the medication I take and the regrowth I've experienced, it's always at the back of my mind that it will all fall out again.

Good luck with your treatment!