Does anyone have or have experience with Alopecia?

[hegsag]

I found out 2 weeks ago that I have alopecia Areata. Wondering if anyone here has it and if so, have they had good results going gluten free.

 

[cobright]

My daughter lost a pretty bold patch of scalp hair from alopecia areata.

While there is a link between coeliac disease and alopecia, the NIH has published research on gluten free diet effect on alopecia and the verdict is pretty clear against it (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/10773696/)

She went through 3 or 4 courses of injections into the scalp (shallow and not painful she says) and in a few months it was all grown back.

Good luck.

 

[katie01]

My friend's daughter has a gluten allergy so she has been gluten free for years, but recently she started losing chunks of hair. So I would say that going gluten free is not always a cure, if it ever is.

Anyway, she is currently having her daughter tested to see what else is causing the hair loss. Maybe these sorts of autoimmune issues do run hand in hand (alopecia and celiac disease). I hope your doctor is able to help you and that your hair will grow back. I will certainly let you know if my friend finds any solution for her daughter. I'd love to hear if you find solutions too

 

[low-key]

a guy I work with got it, he was back to normal in a short time, but while he had when sympathetically called him Patch

 

[LSUmiss]

My husband has it & get a small bald spot on his head or facial hair from time to time. The dermatologist told him it was autoimmune & nothing really to do but wait. It usually grows back eventually.

 

[ols386]

When my now adult daughter was 5 she had it, the doctor didn’t know for sure what caused it. He gave us a prescription for her and it was a medicated shampoo. I can’t remember what it was called, since it was 30 years ago. She was prescribed to use twice a week (course, I used it on her), and her hair started to grow back pretty quickly. She never ever had a problem again. I don’t think gluten was a thing back then. Or if it was, I didn’t know anything about it.

ETA: I thought alopecia areata was just a general term meaning “hair loss.” My mistake. I just looked it up, and it is hair loss associated with auto immune.

 

[because]

I know a young lady who lost all her hair around 6 due to alopecia. She is now a freshman in college and she has been proudly rocking her bald head since she first lost her hair. As long as I have known her, she has never worn a wig. She is the most beautiful, self-confident, young woman I have ever met. Gluten free had no effect.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

The only auto immune that has a known trigger is celiac. And that trigger is gluten.

There may be anecdotal evidence of gluten free treating other auto immune diseases, but that is all that it is, anecdotal evidence.

 

[mjkacmom]

Oh yes! Dd14 has had it for a few years. At first it was just a patch, but then she lost about 90% of her hair (so fun as a 7th grader). She got steroid shots every 6 weeks for years (very painful, bloody), new hair would grow, old hair would fall out. About 6 months ago, her hair was almost all back, different color and texture.

Right now it appears to be thinning, and breaking off, it’s shorter than it was a few months ago. Her dermatologist says there are very promising treatments being tested, off use drugs like those for MS. Until then, dd will gets shots and use steroid cream.

She has celiac, hasn’t eaten gluten since the age of 6.

 

[SC Minnie]

My mother has alopecia areata. Her hair started falling out after a very stressful period 20 years ago. She has been completely bald since. When it first happened she tried all kinds of things but nothing helped.

 

[clori]

My dd17 was diagnosed with alopecia areata at 2.5. At its worst at around 5 she had lost about 60% of her hair then it gradually grew back. Over the years there have been some spots here/there after that. First there are some known medical issues that can cause/contribute to hair loss so assuming those have been ruled out (severe anemia, lupus etc) it is typically classified as an autoimmune disorder. Severity and duration vary from person to person. I don't think going gluten free makes any difference unless you have gluten issues such as celiac disease. One thing with alopecia is that there are no treatments guaranteed to work and what might work on someone doesn't help another person. In addition, no treatment at all is also an acceptable course to follow for alopecia. When my dd's hair has grown back it has been when we weren't trying any treatments. If you aren't already familiar with it look into NAAF (national alopecia areata foundation( which offers support groups, summer programs etc. An additional group though for kids is CAP - children's alopecia project which specializes in alopecia support for youth.

 

[ols386]

My mother has alopecia areata. Her hair started falling out after a very stressful period 20 years ago. She has been completely bald since. When it first happened she tried all kinds of things but nothing helped.

I’ve read that stress can have something to do with it.

 

[AncientSoul]

Isn't alopecia areata an autoimmune disease? It wouldn't hurt to try out the gluten-free diet. If it isn't the gluten, maybe it could besomething else in your diet? My daughter gave me the health book "The China Study" and it states that there is a correlation between the consumption of cow's milk and autoimmune diseases. Not sure if you consume milk, but maybe you could cut milk of your diet and see if that helps. Doesn't hurt to try.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

My XH has/had it. It flares up when he is stressed. When he went to Iraq he came back completely bald. He went to a dermatologist and had injections done. Every now and then I'll see a small patch but nothing like it used to be.

 

[laughinplace199]

My DD18 was diagnosed about a year and a half ago. She has incredibly thick curly hair and we only found the bald spots because I was trying to flat iron her hair for her. She had two or three spots the size of half-dollar coins. Luckily, her hair is so thick she was able to easily cover the spots.

The dermatologist said it's an autoimmune condition and it can be triggered by stress. Right around that time she had AP exams, SAT's, proms (dating a new guy), and a big varsity crew race. I could definitely see stress being the trigger at that time.

DD went to the dermatologist every 4-6 weeks for about six months to get injections in her scalp. They also prescribed her a lotion to use on the spots. By the end of the 6 months, her hair had started to grow back and there were no new spots (so far, fingers crossed). They said it can come and go her whole life - there's no predicting. DD has a good sense of humor about it now. The hair that grew back is much shorter than the rest of her hair and often curls the "wrong" way, causing it to stick up on the top of her head. When that happens, she jokes about it and calls those pieces her horns.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Isn't alopecia areata an autoimmune disease? It wouldn't hurt to try out the gluten-free diet. If it isn't the gluten, maybe it could besomething else in your diet? My daughter gave me the health book "The China Study" and it states that there is a correlation between the consumption of cow's milk and autoimmune diseases. Not sure if you consume milk, but maybe you could cut milk of your diet and see if that helps. Doesn't hurt to try.

A gluten free diet is low in fiber and many other essential nutrients. So, there is harm in just trying a gluten free diet.

 

[mjkacmom]

A gluten free diet is low in fiber and many other essential nutrients. So, there is harm in just trying a gluten free diet.

It really isn’t. The amount of fiber people get from what gluten free eliminates is minimal. I don’t think it’s particularly healthy, because you can still eat other simple carbs like rice and potatoes. Plus, there is gluten free pasta, pizza, rolls, waffles, muffins...

 

[because]

A gluten free diet is low in fiber and many other essential nutrients. So, there is harm in just trying a gluten free diet.

How in the world is a gluten free diet low in fiber when it is packed full of fruits and veggies and high fiber grains such as whole grain rice, flax, etc?

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

It really isn’t. The amount of fiber people get from what gluten free eliminates is minimal. I don’t think it’s particularly healthy, because you can still eat other simple carbs like rice and potatoes. Plus, there is gluten free pasta, pizza, rolls, waffles, muffins...

I've been gluten free for many years. (10+) Something that every single doctor has said is that most people with celiac are missing many essential nutrients. This is in part because our flour isn't fortified. It is also in part because we don't get enough fiber.

Keep in mind gluten free doesn't always mean what people think it means. People eating gluten free need to cut out wheat, rye and barley. When they eat bread, rolls or any other baked item, it is mostly white rice flour. Gluten free doesn't mean replacing bread with fresh fruits and vegetables.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

How in the world is a gluten free diet low in fiber when it is packed full of fruits and veggies and high fiber grains such as whole grain rice, flax, etc?

In over ten years, I have never purchased flax. Not once. Whole grain rice? Not a prominent ingredient in gluten free baking.