Outcome of Alopecia Universalis
Dear doctor,
I am a 38 old married woman from Bangalore. I have 2 children (13 years daughter and 9 years son) . I was having alopecia areata problem since I was 10 years old. But I used to get hair back in a year. Like this, hair was falling and getting back was happened 3-4 times. But hair was very lengthy and very beautiful when I got married. After that during second pregnancy I started loosing hair.
After delivery I lost all my hair and became bald including eyebrows, eyelashes and body hair.I was very lean. I took Allopathy medicines in kurnool(AP) like steroids. I got my hair back and became fat. I stopped the medicines gradually as per doctor’s advice. I lost my hair again after stopping medicines. After that I tried homeopathy(Bathra’s) and ayurvedic. No use by these. After that I have tried intra regional steriods(injections). I can see a few hair,but if I stop medicines, they started falling again.
1 year back I got affected with Chikun Gunya. I met rheumatologist in Bangalore. He again suggested some steroids(wysolone) and Azoran(immunosuppresents) for both severe leg pains and alopecia universalis. I have seen a very good progress and got hair back. But those new hairs are very soft and not strong. He reduced the dose of Wysolone(1/2 of 5 mg) and maintaining the azoran -50mg 3 tabs per day. After reducing wysolone again I am getting so many bald patches.
I recently met my doctor and he again increased the dose of wysolone to 10 mg. I think this is neverending process. I have almost lost the hope and fed up with all these tests, treatments and side effects and unnecessary spending of money. I was very lean and my weight was 50 kgs at the time of second delivery.
Now I am 85 kgs.I am fighting with this desease since 10 years. Presently I am using the medicines suggested by rhemotologist.I am having brittling nails and will get headache some times. Every 2 months once I will take blood and urine tests before consulting doctor. The reports are showing more ESR. No other problems for now. I have taken thyroid test and found hypothyroidism. Now taking thyroxin tablets for that.
Family background: My mother is having Diabetes and Thyroid problems.
Please suggest any permanent solution for my problem. Please help me out of this problem…..
Thanks
A:
Alopecia Areata or its more aggressive alopecia universalis, in which patients experience whole body hair loss, is an autoimmune disorder. Autoimmune reaction is an abnormal response from the immune system that attacks certain organs or cell lines and causes malfunction on that system. In alopecia areata (AA), patients may have involvement of some other body organs such as thyroid disease or other appendages of skin such as nails and hair.
It seems like your alopecia areata was activated by pregnancy and led you to get alopecia universalis. A precipitating factor can be found in 15.1% of patients with alopecia areata and include major life events, febrile illnesses, drugs, pregnancy or trauma but no clear conclusions can be drawn. Despite these findings, most patients with alopecia areata do not report a triggering factor preceding episodes of hair loss.
Your thyroid disease could be part of the same autoimmune disorder that affected your hair and skin. Eight percent of people with alopecia areata have thyroid disease; this is higher than the incidence of thyroid disease in the general population which is 2%. Despite the correlation between alopecia areata and thyroid disease, treating the thyroid disease does not generally remedy the alopecia areata.
The outcome of alopecia areata is unpredictable. Some people lose hair in only small patches. Others may have more extensive involvement like you. Alopecia capitis or alopecia totalis is the loss of 100% of your scalp hair and alopecia universalis is the loss of 100% of body hair. These last two conditions are rare and more difficult to treat. In the majority of patients with smaller involvements of alopecia areata, the hair will re-grow completely within about 1 year without any treatment.
More serious involvements need to be closely followed by a dermatologist or a rheumatologist. Treatment might not be permanent and complete. If immunal-suppressive treatments are being used, close monitoring to the treatment and correcting the course of treatment based on the initial response is the key to the following treatments.
Tags: AA, alopecia areata, alopecia capitis, alopecia totalis, alopecia universalis, hair loss, treatment
January 15th, 2009 at 2:20 am
hi
myself ranjit kaur (age around 36 years) from faridabad
first time AA was seen when i was 12 years old, i took ayurvedic treatment & after about 5 years it appeared again since then it is continuous almost. hairs goes in patches from all over the body including eye brow and eye lashes like urs. but additional thing with me is that i feel itching on the place from where hairs r going to fall down with pain on the itching area too, then consequently withing 1-2 two days hairs falls & leaves red patch behind pains also gets disappeared, after that I start using DIPROVATE lotion twice daily on affected area (very effetcive) hair comes within month then i stop using diprovate. but normalyy hair length goes to only 8-10 inches and then again hair loss same process going on since 1980. one thing i observe place of hair patch r almost fixed. one thing i also used some hormonal injections too but as usual no permanent remedy. do you also feel pain before falling of hair on the place of hair fall on the scalp. generally i feld pain on scalp only eventhough hair losses from any part of body. pain is only on scalp. diprovate with steriod tablest dexa u can communicate with me thru my id ranjitarsh dot yahoo dot co dot in
all this episode of hair fall is too harassing keeping using medicines, anyway i feel like this is like other disease in which if they occue then one has to take medicine till end. but i feel that as long as we r below 45 it is possible to treat ourself what abt afterwards. means at oldage we will come to total baldness, if we donto use medicine
February 18th, 2009 at 7:07 am
I HAD AA WHEN I WAS 15 YRS OLD I GOT INJECTIONS MY HAIR CAME BACK THEN 22YRS LATER I GOT AU I CAN DEAL WITH THE HAIR LOSS I WAS WONDERING IF AND WHEN MY HAIR COMES BACK WILL MY EYE BROWS AND EYE LASHES GROW BACK?
February 26th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
About 18 years ago, 50% of my hair fell out, my first of 3 children was aged 1. After my 3 rd child 7 years later. I then got sterilized. My hair started to grow back again. 2 years later it was lovely thick and i loved it. I stoped wearing my wig.
Now 12 years on my hair has started falling out again in clumps only over this past 2 months, i feel very depressed. and wonder why in all these years they still have not made any rogress in this disorder called alapecia.
I need some answers, i have no self esteme any more and i work 2 jobs and have 3 children but i don’t enjoy life any more - not when i feel like a freek, always having to check my hair after a bit of wind blows on me.
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Dear Joanne,
The fact that you experienced a remission of the alopecia categorizes your alopecia areata as one with a better prognosis. You may grow your hair back. Only be sure that you are being followed by a good dermatologist on a regular basis. If you are local, you can visit us in one of Los Angeles Hair Restoration Clinics.
Good Luck,
Parsa Mohebi, MD
Medical Director
US Hair Restoration
March 3rd, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Dear Jayson,
There is not a certain time frame for recovery from alopecia universalis (AU). You need to be monitored by a good dermatologist. Again, and like the other patient presence of another recovery is always a positive sign. Just be patient, I will be posting any new treatments in treatment of Alopecia Areata or Alopeica Universais on Hair Restoration Blog when they become available.
Dr. Mohebi
March 18th, 2009 at 11:57 am
Joanne-
I’ve had AU since I was in my early 20’s. I just turned 40. I know it’s easier for a man to deal with. I tried wigs for awhile and now I go without. This is the first time in about 12 years I’ve even looked it up on the web and I don’t see any doctor about it. It’s definitely not comming back for me! I don’t like the regrow and fall out again cycle anyways. I hate to hear your comments on how it makes you feel, although I understand. I think how lucky I am that it’s not a real health issue and just cosmetic. Keep perspective and keep up the self esteem. Your definitely not a freak. I guess this blog is not for this kind of posting but oh-well.
March 18th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Dear Steve,
I am sorry that you had to deal with this problem. However I am glad that you found a way to cope with your condition. Unfortunately for many types of Alopeica Universalis conditions there is not a perfect cure yet.
Keep up the high spirits.
Best,
Parsa Mohebi, MD
March 23rd, 2009 at 8:56 am
Hello,
I am very happy to have found this website. This past year I have lost almost all my hair, including face and body hair. From the research I have done I think it is going to become AU. This is my first onset and I have not started any kind of treatment yet because my doctor told me that it was so severe that any success was not likely. I have since switched doctors.
Thank you all for being so frank about your treatments, I will bring these to my next doctor. What is the success rate for steroids in treating AU? Do you have to stay on them permanently? I would also like to know from anyone if you have lost only part of your eyebrows and eyelashes? I have lost about 70% of my eyebrows so far but none of my eyelashes yet, and was wondering if this means it is just a matter of time before they all go? Also, if I lose the hair in my ear and nose, will this make me prone to other infections?
I would also like to ask if anyone has found any kind of wigs that stay on for sports. All the ones I have fall off too easily and I miss the team sports part of my life.
I also just wanted to say that I am a 26 year old female and felt like the world was mine, and then this happened and now I would rather hide, so I understand about feeling like a freak. But I think we all have to remember that we have nothing to be ashamed of. This disease is more widespread than we think and people are more understanding than we give them credit for. We can all still live long and happy, if a little self consciously.
Since getting AU, I have heard of so many people who have friends or family with this disease - there are a lot of us, and we are still lovable, attractive, successful and admired. We may look different but if we can overcome the self-imposed stigma of it, I think it will just serve to make us stronger.
Speaking as a woman, let’s give our daughters, sisters and mothers a good example for self-respect, and show them how to be fearless, how to overcome obstacles and show them that women are more than long shiny hair and a media approved image.
I know I am young and have not yet suffered with this disease as long as any of you, so it is likely easier for me to say these things. I just hope to remian this optimistic and not let it get the better of me. We are all more than our hair. And if being bald and shapely or hairy and fat is the choice, I choose to keep my body healthy on the inside instead of just looking it on the outside.
Thanks to all of you, I wish you all the best and just remember, you are more than your hair and do not accept feeling like a freak! Remember the people that love you when you are at home and hairless for all to see, what they see in you is what you truly are, not the you that has to wear a wig so people don’t stare or the one who has come to hate the wind.
Ayesha.
March 26th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
my name is daimon,i have au,i started with aa at 4,it grew back till i was 12,that grew back at 14,now iam 40,and i noticed a spot 3 years ago,it has taken a while to lose my hair,i have one eyebrow coming in and some hair on my body,i was wandering what are the chances of hair growth when you have au,and are there eyebrow replacements,cause iam devastated that i have these problems with my eyebrows and lashes.thank you
March 26th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
hi Damion again i just want to add that at the time of my most recant hair loss,i moved from back east to Dallas,as soon as i got off the plane my allergies hit me like never before,i felt the worse case of allergies in my life for the next 3 or 4 months,that’s when i noticed the patch of hair missing.could it be that my body has come into contact with things that i am not used too, seeing how the climate is so different in Dallas compared to Boston??
April 11th, 2009 at 11:56 am
Dear Ayesha,
Below is the answer to the first two portion of your question. The third section, I thought could be beneficial to many of ou readers so I post it on Hair Restoraiton Blog as a seperate entery and caled it Bald is Beautiful.
Thanks for your supportive message to our readers. Please keep on participating in this community.
Best,
Parsa Mohebi, MD
April 11th, 2009 at 11:57 am
1. What is the success rate for steroids in treating AU? Do you have to stay on them permanently? I would also like to know from anyone if you have lost only part of your eyebrows and eyelashes? I have lost about 70% of my eyebrows so far but none of my eyelashes yet, and was wondering if this means it is just a matter of time before they all go? Also, if I lose the hair in my ear and nose, will this make me prone to other infections?
A: The response to steroid for Alopecia Universalis (AU) has been reported in many studies. However it may vary based on the timing of treatment in relation to the acute vs. chronic condition of your Alopeica Universalis
2. I would also like to ask if anyone has found any kind of wigs that stay on for sports. All the ones I have fall off too easily and I miss the team sports part of my life.
A: There are great hair systems these days. They need maintenance. If their long term cost is not a problem. They might be your best friend, considering that hair transplant is not an option for different versions of Alopecia areata.
3. Find your comment and my answer in the post: “bald is beautiful“.
April 11th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Dear Daimon,
Any stressor, physical or emotional can aggrevate alopeica areata or its more serious condition, alopecia universalis. The variety of alopeica areata that shows recurrent episodes of hair loss and recovery is not the worst one. You may have a chance to see your condition gets stabilized at some point and you may grow you whole hair back. Unfortunately there is no way that we can predict what is going to happen. I hope there will be better products and medications in the future for the treatment of AU.
June 9th, 2009 at 8:18 am
Hi,
I have AA at the age of 8. At first I was panic and later relieved when my hair grow back after a while as described by my dermatolgist. However, at the age of 10 things worsen when I loss my hair, eye lashes and eye brows completely since then. It took me awhile to get back to my daily routine after I have been diagnosed with AU.
I for one feel unjustice and frustrated not because of my conditions but to the high hope and efforts from my parents to keep their only daughter happy. My parents spent a lot of money on me just to make sure that I get the best treatments. God is great, even though I have to face this autoimmune disease alone I still can enjoy around with my brothers and parents of my daily life.
As per my request, my parents have stop looking for new treatments and I am happy with my wigs. What worries me a lot is that the environment we live in at times do not come to our favour.
Because of AU, I have been isolatng myself from other individual or groupings. So far I manage to excuse myself from PE classes, camping activities and swimming either with friends or the school. I do pray to God that I will get my hair back before I enrol to college. If not, I am not sure how I will cope with the new environment.
Regards
Tiara
June 9th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
I think you are doing great by accepting the condition you have without losing hope. New tecnologies are in the way. We are now collaborating with academic centers on hair stem cell research that can potentially make hair multiplication a reality in the future.
So keep up hope,
Best,
Parsa Mohebi, MD
June 11th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Alopecia has been associated with celiac disease, and the fact that your mother has diabetes and thyroid disease indicates to me the strong possibility of celiac disease in your famiy. Did she develop these things one after the other?Gluten in the diet causes intestinal damage that eventually leads to these conditions. Celiac disease gone untreated for many years often leads to more serious autoimmune disorders, including diabete, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid disease, etc. An intestinal biopsy is the gold standard for a proper diagnoses. All glutens must be reoved from the diet in order for intestines to heal, after which the autoimmune response should stop.
June 25th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
I’ve had AU since i was 17, about 3 months before graduating high school. I’ve lived with it since, no wigs, no treatments. I have saved money on hair cuts, shampoo’s and other hair products over the past 10 years. I believe BALD IS BEAUTIFUL.
June 30th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Hello every1. First I would like to ask you, Dr. Mohebi, about hair stem cell research. If you can explain what it is,how long has it been in research, and in what phase is it in at this moment? I’m 31,and notice that I had AU,around the age of 29-30. At the time I was going through a lot of stress, that made me feel,like I’ve brought this on myself. I was taking treatment,injections for my eyebrows,to see if I can at least,save my eye brows. Well,I got tired of the injections,and just left it in the hands of the,Creator. As,Daimon Andrews,ask you before,are there eyebrow and eyelash replacement that can be obtain,and if so,where? I just had a little grl,and I really want to take some decent pictures with her,and it bothers me at times that I can’t even do that,so I can relate to all who are going threw the up’s an down’s and the fight within an without to BEAT-AU,and others. I guess only time will tell.
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:46 am
Dear Frank,
Hair stem cell is becoming very promising for treatment of many types of hair loss. The phase 3 of the study on hair multiplication was started about 3 years ago and it is ongoing. Phase three study of any new treatment is to prove that there is no long term side effects on the volunteer patient who undergo a new treatment. It is possible that we have a real treatment for hair loss using stem cell technology and with multiplied hair sometime in the next 4 to 7 years.
Having said that, some of the details of of this study is not quite clear yet. There is not much information released on the quality of multiplied hair and we are not quite about the final cost of the procedure. When it comes to AU (Alopecia Universalis) we can not know for sure that hair multiplication can be the answer to this condition considering the mechanism of AU and the fact that the patient’s body destroys hair follicles.
It is likely that multiplied hair follicles have the same antigenic properties so they could be recognized by the immune system the same way that the native hair was seen and destroyed to start with. A combination of anti-immune treatment and transplanting multiplies hair might be the answer, but we can not say for sure before these techniques are investigated comprehensively in the future.
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:47 pm
I am a 42 year old female, who developed alopecia areata at the age of 39. Initially, I had a small bald spot about the size of a pencil eraser, but then the spots increased. At that time, I consulted with a dermatologist who started scalp injections of steroids. Instead of my problem getting better, it got worse. Now, I have AU-for some reason, I can deal with the hair loss on my head, but my eyelashes are another story. I am wondering if that new treatment that is supposed to make eyelashes grow would work for a person with AU?
July 12th, 2009 at 9:27 am
Latisse or bimatoprost ophtalmic solution 0.03% is a pretty new products for enhancement of eyelashes for the people who have eyelashes but desire to have thicker and denser ones. There is no medical research on Latisse for treatment of eyelash loss due to AU though yet. But that is great question and I am sure it will be investigated in the coming years.
July 15th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
I’m a 32 year old male, I developed AT at the age of ~1. Throughout the years I’ve had multiple episodes of hair loss and regrowth … middle and high school were particularly VERY tough with a missing eyebrow and a high back-of-the-head hairline! After puberty came on it seems clear that I might really have AU as I have had (and still have) many patches and sections of hair loss on arms and legs, very thin eyebrows, and head (which is more bearable because the patches appear like reg. male pattern baldness and I shave it) … an interesting point is that when I had full regrowth of hair on head and face my arms and legs always retain significant patches.
For me it does seem that the hair loss episodes have come on at stressful life events and periods… probably not more stressful than any other person, but nevertheless the varying levels of stress that people experience throughout their life: puberty, peer pressure, high school, college, interviews, work, getting married, children, etc … I’d like to know if there’s been research that’s looked at the predisposition of individuals’ autoimmune system being more sensitive to cortisol or other stress related hormones and subsequently if there is gene therapy research being done to address the flawed interaction between these factors …
Thanks!
July 19th, 2009 at 9:19 am
are then any groups that people with aa-at-au can go to talk about life with this problem we all have,im having a real hard time dealing with loosing all my hair,and it would be nice to find a place i could go and talk to other people like me .daimon,lewisville texas
August 15th, 2009 at 4:13 am
Hello, as I was doing some research on hair loss i came across this site and read some of the blogs. I dont usually reply or leave messages but in this case I felt I wanted to. From a very early age i suffered with patchy hair loss throughout my childhood, until at puberty i lost it totally. for 8 yrs i wore a wig and decided if my hair hadnt grown back by the time I was 21 I would shave what little i had and go bald. during both my pregnancies at 21 and 28 I had hair re growth but lost it totally on my eyebrows and eyelashes after a traumatic relationship incident after my second pregnancy.
I have had total eyelash re growth for the last 6 yrs until the other week i noticed its loss on the bottom right of one of my eyes, which led me to research genetics involved with hair and growth and loss. Oh and I have never ever had hair growth on my arms or legs which has been a godsend.
I guess I jus wanted to say to all those ppl out there who are finding it hard to deal with, is to not see it as the end of the world. You are as beautiful on the outside as you are on the inside and hair or no hair, ppl will see that. Think of all those wonderful ppl in your life who love and adore you, and because you are you, YOU make the sun shine jus by being who you are. Our hair does not define us, we use it creatively as an expression of ourselves. Once we learn to love ourselves unconditionally hair becomes irrelevant and only as a cosmetic too.
For someone who has had hair loss for most of their life and still does, I dont used drug treatments, never have done and never will do. If my hair doesnt grow back naturally then so be it, but I have never wished to pump my body full of drugs jus to have my hair back, I knew even as a young girl that taking those drugs would cause other serious reactions in my body leading to long term damage. I have been forever grateful for just being alive and well and healthy.
I think I am beautufil even if no one else does, tho I have to say my family and friends find me wonderfully attractive and beautiful so thats all that matters.
If anyone wishes to contact me my email address is miniitheminx@hotmail.com
August 27th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
Hello.
I have had au since I was 7, and I am now almost 16. I think that anyone with any type of alopecia, especially universalis, will agree that it really sucks… But I would just like to say that I am thankful that I don’t have a disease where I have to worry about my health. There are so many horrible and deadly diseases out there where people have to make regular trips to the hospital, can’t do physical activities, and actually have to worry about dying. With alopecia, what’s the worst that could happen? You have no hair and have to wear a wig for the rest of your life? I would definitely take that over having to battle cancer or some other fatal disease.
I would just like to say to anyone who is having a hard time with this disease that things could be a whole lot worse. When you’re feeling down, remember that you’re lucky to have this stupid disease and not something worse. It helps for me. It’s important to not let alopecia get the best of you. And as long as you’re winning over alopecia, it really shouldn’t keep you from doing anything.
My email address is heygirl1127@yahoo.com if anyone wants to contact me.
September 15th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
This is a good idea,
I grew a beard before a hunting trip in 1991, the yr I was 36, wore it for a few months and when I shaved it there was a spot the size of a dime on my chin that didn’t grow back. That spread over the rest of my head in the next few yrs until there was more bald then not. For a couple yrs I simply shaved my head. I also had a few patches on my body with no hair but just a few.
In the late 90s it all grew back, with the exception of inherited male patern baldness and my beard was not as thick as before. Then in 2005 the hair on my head fell out again and this time the hair on the rest of my body went along with it. It remains that way today no eye brows and no eye lashes. I would gladly give up the rest if I could have those two back. One does not realise what purpose they serve until they are gone!!!!
I know that when I first lost my hair was the most stressful time I have ever known. Failed marriage, failure and loss of a farming operation I had put my heart and soul into for 10 yrs of my life, bankruptsy and , during a time of high unemployment very marginal jobs. Those were very stressful yrs and I pray to God that no one has to feel like I did at that point in my life.
But , there is always a but,!! Considering all that I went through at that time I feel oh so fortunate that I was not killed falling asleep at the wheel of an auto or if that is the way my body chose to deal with the stress how much better is this than, heart disease a stroke!!! At this point I do not want the hair on my head back ,I think total baldness looks so much better than male patern baldness. and why do I need the hair on the rest of my body, I don’t.
At 53 I am more content than have ever been I have just enough hair growth on my head and face that I have to shave, that is more of a pain than anything.
But I would take those eye lashes and eye brows back.
Hey everyone it is only hair and we do not really need it anymore anyways!!!!
September 18th, 2009 at 7:07 am
hey guys well i have AU and im 19 yrs old i found outd first wen i was 5 and i had it then it came back and my seinor yr oof high school i lost it all again but good new its starting to come back but its only comeing back n pathes so that sucks but im in the armed forces so my hair has to be short any ways so it works out i have never metr another person with the dieses but it would b intresteing if id did
November 4th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Hi Everyone,
My name is Matt I am 25 years old and I have been battling this thing for four years now. I remembered being 21 and I was a descent looking guy and I would stop and stare at myself for hours at end admiring who was looking back. I think the people who say this thing is linked to stress are bogus. I am not stressed out more than anyone. I wish they would find a cure for this thing though that would be nice. I still remember when I found out I had it. I was on a trip with my college friends in Disney Land. We all went out swimming and got my hair wet and my buddies said what the heck happened to you? I had no idea my hair was going. I eventually lost the majority of my hair but then I went to accupuncture and went on a really strict diet consisting of only meat, fruit, and nuts and my hair grew completley back minus the size of a dime. The hair was nicest hair I ever had. I think this actually made it worse though. I am now 25 and I have maybe a total of 25 hairs on my body and I can’t stop thinking how I beat the alopecia the one time but why I can’t beat it now? So I don’t think I will ever accept being bald. I always wear a hat, I have not gone outside the house without a hat since I was 22 years old. It’s weird when you accomplish something once you know you can do it again. I hope I can post a success story coming back from alopecia universalis. Mr Clean signing off
November 5th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
I hope we see a success story from you soon. In regards to stress, although it has been mentioned to be an accelerator in presentation of Alopecia Areata or Alopecia Universalis, it cannot be the cause of hair loss in those autoimmune conditions.
Parsa Mohebi, MD
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:51 am
Hello googlers,
I just thought I’d share my experience and ask some questions of subsequent posters.
I’m a man so of course the cosmetic issue is not as difficult for me as for the women. However I agree with what a previous poster said about missing his eyebrows and eye lashes. Yes, I would happily write off all the rest if I could get those back.
I only got this condition around a year and a half ago at age forty three. There is definitely a connection with stress in my case. Two big waves of hair loss were connected with stressful precipitating events. Hair on the scalp disappeared over the course of about eighteen months. Facial hair (I had a beard) disappeared almost literally overnight. Some body hair still hanging on. But eyebrows and lashes have all but disappeared.
I find one of the most disturbing things about this was worrying that I had some other serious medical condition. My other diturbing symptoms were the fact that I was eating normally but still losing weight (what is known in medical language as “failiure to thrive” I believe) and suffering from fatigue. When a blood test turned up with high potassium I diagnosed myself with adrenal cortical insufficiency but the high reading turned out to be an outlier. Subsequent medical testing didn’t bear out my diagnosis.
I also saw a quack doctor (bioresonance - popular in Europe - real hocus pocus) who took one look at me and assured me that I was suffering from thalium poisoining. (Subsequent research online convinced me that he’d been reading too many spy novels.)
I’ve also done endless amounts of worrying that my mercury fillings were somehow connected. I’m sort of satisfied at this point that they aren’t.
Celiac (gluten allergy)? Who knows? The woman posting above is the first time I’ve seen the suggestion made. I eat bread eveyday. And ultrasound turned up some “irregularities in the small intestine.” I suppose it’s possible. Anyone out there tried eliminating bread?
As several people have commented above, perhaps this is just the way our bodies deal with stress.
I was curious if there is any correlation between alopeica areata/universalis and body type - I’m slightly built and skinny. I always put on both muscle and fat with extreme difficulty. If you’re heavy and have this condition write to me - I’ll be able to discard that hypothesed correlation.
Another hypothetical correlation: I only know one other person who has this condition (a fiftyish woman I meet in Switzerland who had been living with Alopeica Univesalis since her early twenties). It struck me that, although she was in her fifties that she was extremely unwrinkled, as am. I have no idea if this is true for more than the two of us. Do other AA’s, AT’s, and AU’s feel that they are more free from wrinkling than “normal” people?
You can write to me at lucretiuscaru@hotmail.com
I’ll answer when I get your message although that’s not my normal address so I don’t check it very often.
December 3rd, 2009 at 1:39 pm
hi all i wold like to say hi for all of you,
first i dont think it a big problem to be without hair
i have the same problem more than 6 its start 22 years old years Alopecia areata universals
and i try many and many just one time i get back my hair and start grow all of my body but that stay 6 months and get back gain i hope to find any thing to fix that problem but be effective you can contact me at my mail emad_83@hotmail.com or any new product im wold be happy to test it for human cases to finish the problem in hole world because i fond many people have the same problem i know in my country jordan more than 10 people facing the same problem so im glade to have any ideas to end it
January 12th, 2010 at 10:14 am
hi everyone im daimon after reading the posts about eyebrows and lashes i feel like you guys if only i could get them back,mine are growing back a little at a time,but lifee would be so easier if they grew back complete.everyone please hang in there,life is all about ups and downs,it will get better god bless
January 24th, 2010 at 4:11 am
For what its worth, I totally agree, bookmarked your site and will visit again!
February 15th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
Hi. My son has AU and he is six years old. It all started when he was 2. A trip to get a normal hair cut turned into a nightmare for us. It began with small patches, they grew back, then larger patches, grew back again, now, his entire head, eyelashes, eyebrows, are GONE! I’m not sure if he’s suppose to have leg or arm hair at this age yet, but he doesn’t. This is so very frustrating for me more than him. He’s in Kindergarten. The children really don’t seem to notice it all that much. Now older children and adults do. I’m constantly getting questioned if he has cancer. Thank God he doesn’t, but the questions are sometimes so way out there ya know?? People also will say, bless his little heart and give him “special treatment” just cause they think he’s sick or something. I can’t find anyone in my area that treats this esp. in children. I recently took him to a Amish Dr. He gave him several herbs to take internally as well as apply to his head, neck, and back. You try getting a 6 yr old to drink that or sit still while rubbing that on him. He says it itches him pretty bad. One of the herbs is Inkberry. It’s from Polk root and is suppose to itch and cause irritation. I could see small patches of hair growing back on his head, but he really didn’t take them long enough for me to be able to tell if they were really working well or not. He will not cooperate with me lol I do not believe it is caused by stress, nerves, or nutritional things. He was 2 when diagnosed with AA so that blew that out of the water for me. Does anyone else know of another child with AU?? This is so agonizing for me and I’m so tired of the questions. Noone else in my family has AA or AU this is so strange for me and hard to accept.
February 27th, 2010 at 5:53 pm
I have had leg and arm hair loss for the past two years- I am a 50 yr. old female. Coincidently, I have had daily headaches for two years, and went through using Verapamil for 6 months for headaches(caused hair loss), and now on Topomax (for past 6 months - causing some thinning). Discovered low ferritin (7 level) 1 year ago, had taken iron over 5 months, and scalp and eyebrows grew back (eyebrow loss was outer corner) Stopped iron. Went on Topomax in July, known side effect hair thinning, but not as much as verapamil. Past two months - noticed eye lashes almost nil. Ferritin is now 66. Restarted iron 3 weeks ago, eyebrows growing again but eyelashes unchanged. In all these times of iron use, realized leg and arm hair never recouped like scalp and eyebrow hair. Low iron attributed by colon and hematologist doctors to heavy periods, yet no periods for past six months, so don’t understand why sudden eyelash lash which never had before. Seems eyelash condition, body and arm condition, and scalp condition are three separate isues. Believe scalp was due to medicine, and low iron, but arm and body never responded to iron, and eyelash lash only showed itself two months ago. Thyroid tests normal, female hormones at normal menopause levels. No one has told me why ferritin would even be low - rest of iron studies, I have done 5 in 1 year, have been normal, as well as all other blood work.
February 27th, 2010 at 5:56 pm
One more comment, also similar to other commentator, no wrinkles, guessed by people to look about early 30’s. Somehow skin looks younger than 5 years ago. Also, recently noted arthritis in some fingers, don’t believe I have celiac, as do not have symptoms.
March 14th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
hi,
sir I’m male, 35. since 17 years starts from head i thought genetically loss but since 4 years my other hairs start falling, just like chest hair beard hair, eyebrow hair is thinning and falling out but not pubic, arms, and legs.
Flakes of skin are falling off from head and eyebrows though i test go to doctor he test me all like kidney test liver test hemoglobin test thyroed test calcium test creatine test sugar test urine test all are normal just a little bit of protien in my urine, the doctor did not specify me the name which type of my hair deasies, please tell me the deasies name and
guide me which type of diet should i take to prevent this problem thanks.
March 16th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
Dear Ahmed,
Diagnosis and treatment of diffuse hair loss could be a challenge for the doctors. Many different conditions could cause that and the problem is both clinical presentation and the pathological finding could be very close.
Having said that, a good hair specialist or dermatologist should be able to determine the possible type of hair loss, but treatment still might be challenging. Diet, generally is not an issue unless there is server malnutrition present that should have other signs beside only hair loss.