My daughter was just diagnosed with alopecia areata

larias

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My 17 year old beautiful daughter was just diagnosed with alopecia areata. Her hair dresser found a bare spot about the size of a quarter on the left occipital side of her head, about 5 weeks ago. Since then it has increased to about a half dollar size. She went to her dermatologist, who did "intra-lesional" steroid injections and put her on a 2 week prednisone taper. We were putting minoxidil and steroid cream on it, but my daughter no longer wants to because she fears that if she stops using them, then her hair will fall out again. She doesn't want to be dependent on any long term medication. We go back to the dermatologist on December 20 for more injection therapy.
Yesterday I found a new bare spot, about the size of a dime. It is very close, about an inch from the first spot.
We were able to get an appointment for her in mid-February to see Dr. McMichael, head of the Hair Loss Clinic at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, but I am not too optimistic that there will be a lot offered that I haven't already learned by googling AA.
I guess we just need to be patient. Are photos good or bad? They might capture how bad it was, and serve as a baseline that she can compare progress with? I don't want her to feel like a freak either. Right now she can conceal the bare spots, but if she loses much more hair it might be tough.
Any advice or words of encouragement would be so helpful. Carol's pictures and time line was so very helpful. Thank you. Any update on Carol?
raney1
 

2tone

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My sister went throught the same thing at 17 as well !!!

My advice is to take as much open and frank interest in the matter as possible . Take as many photographs and document the entire process as much as you can .

Try and get a honest account of what your daughter has been up too like if she has been stressed out etc etc etc .. Account for diet as well , make a total lifestyle account in photos and records if you can .. e.g somoking cigarettes y/n/ drinking alchohol y/n ? (two things i remember my beautiful sister doing aroung that time but)

The condition may well develop more before it recovers .. so all the information you can get together at this early stage may become increasingly valuable as time goes on ..

The biggest dilemma with it is that the causal mechanism is not described in any sensible way that indicates what action to take .. however i feel reducing the consumption of metabolically stressfull foods could be a good idea for a start ie.e reduce intake of processed foods and red meats .. increase whole foods raw foods and white meats and fish as protein


.. if this isnt stressfull yet you better prepare yourself cause it may well be .. i'd also look at ways to support your Daughter for the psychological stresses that may be heading your way cross the bridges before you get there if you can .. its asking a lot but you have to make efforts not to have events overwhem you all .. you will have to be on form through all this whatever the outcome .. T
his can be a shattering experience , BUT i swear if you handle it right you will cope , but prepare yourself .. you might be best to find a new doctor who is sensitive and/or well experinced with the particular issues involved .


There is a Norwegian outfit who produce a treatment for balding conditions including this one .. the company is very famous in norway with a quite remarkable success rate/ improvemant rate for people who use it

I do not recall directly but will search them out and provide a link to the company for you .. they subsribe to a particular formula of deep sea fish oils and have a strong reputation .

But yes definately take an active interest in the whole process,, take much more interest in the process than your Doctor .. encourage your Daughter .. remind her that if she can use this experience to learn something significant about the process that there is a vast audience of people who would like to control thier hair growth for 101 reasons ..

If she could put what she is doing to herself in a bottle it would be worth millions ..

be as Up as you can be ..


Here is the Link buddy I think this is the same outfit .. its been some years since i found them ,, but i think this is the same xcrew .. it sure reads like them
www.nortrade.com/Companies/ShowCompany.aspx%3Fid%3D3414%26sectorid%3D0%26p%3D4%26country%3Dde+norway+%22hair+regrowth%22++alopecia+++&hair loss=en]Nortrade site[/url] .. i'd make persoanl contact with these people if i was you asap ..


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