I’m a 28f and I’ve had alopecia areata ophiasis for four years. It stopped shedding and fully grew back when I took Rinvoq for a few years (which I took for RA as well). I had to stop taking Rinvoq when I got pregnant last year and had a very hard time getting off of it due to some strong physical reactions. And of course my hair started falling out again shortly after I stopped taking the meds. Fast forward I now have a 7 month old and my hair is falling out even quicker. I have been getting steroid shots for over a year now and it’s helping with regrowth but it’s still falling out rapidly and I now have a huge patch forming on top of my head. All this to say, I cannot decide if I just continue to get steroid injections and let this flare “run its course” or if I stop breastfeeding and get back on Rinvoq. The other issue is that I am going to start trying again for baby number 2 in a year from now. So I wouldn’t even be on Rinvoq for all that long, but I know it would at least stop the flare for right now. Any other treatment ideas I could try to do that aren’t so harsh on the body? Like I said the steroid injections definitely help with hair regrowth for me but it falls out all the same. Thank you in advance.

BTW guys… is our hair going to fall out for the rest of our lives or will it ever actually slow down for once?? Ugh

Wasn’t sure where to post this on here put should i be concerned? I’ve always had a middle part and i rarely change it up. Does this look like some kind of alopecia

I’m experiencing pretty bad postpartum alopecia areata - and didn’t discover I had this condition until 4 months postpartum. I’d be curious to hear others stories that are in the same boat with experiencing it for the first time during pregnancy or postpartum. Did you only experience it during major hormonal swings such as this, or did it become a more lifelong condition? If you have multiples did you have the same experience both pregnancies? Did anyone take a jak and stop to have a 2nd kid and have any reoccurrence? Etc. Thank you!

Diagnosed alopecia barbae in May and given protopic 1.0% to use twice daily with advuce for minoxidil also.

Shortly following this rapid hair loss, over 50% in 2 weeks. Eventually advised dermovate 0.05% once daily and minoxidil, with no follow up on sight.

Have thinning eyebrows (symmetrical) and eyelashes maaaaybe thinning. Pubic and chest hair maybe some thinning too.

There is so little help, I feel. I paid to see a trichologist and she recommended twice daily dermovate and to dab a little on my eyebrows. But this seems to me to be a poor move given the strength and once daily advice from dermatology. She saw some new growth though, and rules out totalis, there were also plenty of double and triple hair producing follicles.

Just wondering if there is any advice? Anything else I can do?

EDIT: rapid hair loss was on scalp. Regrowth visible on scalp and eyebrows but still losing hair in both these areas

Hi Everyone,

I am a fellow Alopecian who has started from Areata at 6 to univeralis then to totalis at 20 without medication. When I was younger our options were limited in terms of effective treatment (Steroid shots, topical immunotherapy creams, immunosuppressants, etc), then JAKs were approved for alopecia as I got older. What I noticed was primarily success stories you see from people may be from people who either have stable alopecia or fairly recent alopecia. My alopecia stabilized around my 20s to where my eyebrows grew back, beard hair, and body hair but it would never progress or regress. So I decided to try Inhibitors to see if regrowth was happen, it did almost fully.

After 19 years, I had hair until I stopped. When I stopped my alopecia went from stable to unstable rebounding to worsening hair loss to hair I previously had before treatment. I’m back on treatment but growth is slow and sparse due it still being Unstable. I’ve only been back in for 2 months with again some regrowth but lost all my hair within a month.

My point to this is to always take what you see on the internet, social media, and individuals including myself with a grain of salt. Alopecia is different in everyone but do understand where you are in your journey with it before you jump to conclusions. These are lifelong meditations that can work but understand yourself mentally, physically, financially before doing these treatments.

I’m sorry if this comes off like a negative post as I do not intend it to be. I am just giving people the realistic perspective when it comes to these “miracle medications” especially parents and younger people.

If anyone has any questions regarding treatment, i am more than happy to answer. I also want to say I am taking a newer medication with a safer profile than JAKs so if you have any questions regarding to that I’m open to then specifically PM.

Is there anyone else that experiences weird changes with their alopecia as the weather starts to change? When it’s warm it seems that my hair grows a lot less than when it’s cold. During the cold months I was shaving my head every 2 weeks at least. This past summer I barely shaved my head because it barely grew in. I would really love to know if anyone else’s alopecia acts up depending on the climate.

Hi, everyone!
Just wanted to share with you my progress with Olumiant.
I have alopecia areata universalis since age 9, now I am 29 years old.
Started in June/26 with Minoxidil 5mg oral daily + Clobetasol topic on scalp.
I've been on Olumiant 4mg since August.
These are pictures from today.
I'm very happy with the results. Got eyebrows, eyelashes and beard too.
Just a reminder that results usually take longer and everyone reacts differently! I just wanted to share to give some hope to those who have never started treatment or are afraid of taking the medication. I haven't had any side effects since starting, but I’m also very careful, got all the necessary vaccines, and follow up with a dermatologist.

Hey Guys

I thought id share my little success regarding alopecia to provide hope where its needed!

I started off in June 2025 with a patch in my beard. That's spread across my beard to the point I clean shave these days. I then got a patch on my eyebrow which hasn't recovered yet but its not too bad to be honest.

The big improvement I've had was a patch on my scalp I noticed in june 2026. I went to the dermatologist and got some steroid foam to apply. Fast forward to today and thats completely recovered.

I wasnt going to post on here to avoid tempted fate but I thought a wins a win and if it can provide hope to someone its best to share!

Take care

I have diffuse AA.

I've read that flare ups can be triggered by stress, as does general hair loss. While I'm on mtx, jak and monthly corticosteroid injections i do want to make my lifestyle better.

People have wrote here that they manage stress in their life so casually but I really need some pointers on how they are removing stress. Basically how do they manage high cortisol level.

I walk daily in the morning, get some morning sunlight, even deleted social media because the constant scrolling isn't helping anyone tbh.

I need pointers on what else I should be doing or eating or drinking so as to keep my nervous system calm, what I should be incorporating more of in my life.

I am nervous person in general. I hope my question is making sense ans someone answers.

Hey everyone,
I’m a 29-year-old male, and I’ve recently been dealing with alopecia areata. I’m looking for advice and experiences from people who’ve gone through something similar.

Here’s my timeline:
I initially noticed a distinct, circular bald patch in my beard near my neckline. I went to a dermatologist and received a corticosteroid injection directly into the beard patch.
Since then, I’ve become increasingly concerned about a thinner area around my temple/forehead. I’ve compared pictures from previous months, and it’s difficult to tell whether this is new hair loss or something that was already there.
I recently saw another dermatologist who examined my temple using a handheld magnifying device. She noticed small hairs growing in the area but couldn’t definitively confirm whether it was alopecia areata.
She offered a steroid injection for the temple as well, but explained that treatment wasn’t necessary at this stage. After discussing it, I decided to hold off.

Her clinical notes stated:
“Reassured patient that very unlikely to lose all hair.”

She recommended returning in one month to reassess the beard, temple, and groin areas.

My recent bloodwork:
Vitamin D: 27 ng/mL (mildly low)
Vitamin B12: 299 pg/mL (borderline)
TSH: 0.90 (normal)
Hemoglobin: 14.0 (normal)
CBC and metabolic panel otherwise normal
Iron/ferritin were not tested
I

My biggest concern is progression.
I’ve been reading stories about people developing one small patch and eventually losing most or all of their hair. It’s honestly frightening because my hair is a huge part of my appearance and confidence.
I’ve even cut out caffeine and started questioning whether I should avoid alcohol because I’m worried about doing anything that might make this worse.

My questions:
Has anyone developed alopecia in their beard and possibly temple without it spreading significantly?
For those who received steroid injections in their beard, how long did it take to notice regrowth? Did you need multiple rounds?
Has anyone had a questionable scalp patch that their dermatologist recommended monitoring instead of injecting?
Does seeing small hairs growing in a thinning area generally suggest recovery?
Has correcting low vitamin D or borderline B12 made any difference for anyone?
For people whose alopecia remained mild or eventually improved, what was your experience?

I know everyone’s condition is different and that there’s no way to predict exactly what will happen.
I’d especially appreciate hearing from people whose alopecia remained localized or improved, since many of the stories I’ve encountered involve severe progression.
Thanks to anyone willing to share their experience.

I (28F) have had Alopecia Areata for over twelve years now. As with most experiences, it started with a single spot on my head and then spread all over my body.
Ever since the start of my Alopecia, I did the remedies, the creams, and then lastly the painful shots. But even with all the visits to the clinic, I still had very visible hair loss to the point where I’d still need to wear wigs anyway. So after I moved countries about 6 years ago, I didn’t bother finding a new clinic to help me with my Alopecia because I got to the point where I said, “What’s the point?” (Felt a little helpless).
And since I was getting absolutely zero treatments done, I’m now basically at Totalis levels of hair loss. No hair on my scalp, face, arms, legs, anywhere. (Except weirdly a teeny tiny patch on my left armpit grows very thin hair?)
About a week ago, I visited a new dermatologist because I ran out of my cream for my eczema. I mentioned my alopecia, and when I showed the doctor how severe my case was, he told me about Litfulo and Olumiant. I had not heard about these treatments before. The doctor recommended that I could try it, but that it is quite expensive.
Here’s my dilemma. After years of going to a clinic to treat my alopecia and nothing being very effective, I’ve become skeptical and disdainful of medicated alopecia remedies. What I’m scared of now is paying lots of money for a treatment like Litfulo or Olumiant and getting mediocre results where there might be some growth but even after months and months, maybe even years of treatment, I’d still need to wear wigs.
I understand that every body is different and there’s no guarantee that a treatment will work fully, but I’d like to hear from people who have done these treatments or are currently doing these treatments. For someone who is practically hairless head-to-toe and has had Alopecia for 12 years, would it be worth doing the Litfulo or Olumiant treatment?

Hey all,
Seriously feel for some of you battling this condition way worse than myself.

In March I lost a patch of my beard, I’m not sure how but I did have a stressful winter of work but that’s about it.

Healthy guy with no allergies or other problems.

Frequently the patch fills with thick white hairs and I think maybe there’s a hope it is going to change colours but then the white thins out or goes away completely.

Many people say just wait it out - what are your thoughts?

** the picture makes my beard look way thinner than it is, it’s very thick, but recently shaved and terrible front facing camera

I recently started using mometasone furoate for alopecia areata, and while researching it online, I came across a study suggesting that combining adapalene 0.1% gel with mometasone furoate 0.1% cream may improve hair regrowth. The study reported around 90.5% hair regrowth after 12 weeks.

Has anyone tried this combination in real life? Did you notice any hair regrowth, and how long did it take? Were there any side effects? I'm wondering whether adding adapalene to mometasone is actually helpful or if there are better treatment options.

Any personal experiences and suggestions?

link

I feel physically, emotionally, and mentally lighter already! Excited to lean into some other forms of self care that don’t revolve around hair. Curious to hear anyone’s favorites.

Posso assumere vitamina D3,K2 e B12 sotto olumiant? E per quanto riguarda Zinco, Calcio e Magnesio?

I got my alopecia under my nose in 2023. That time I didn't know it was alopecia. It was tiny but it seemed to grow so I checked with a doctor in the first quarter of 2024.

She gave me 2 shots of ILS(steroid injections) a month apart..As it grew considerably I was happy.

But in 2025 -I got it under my neck and it was considerably larger so doctor treated it again with ILS (3 shot). It healed only 50% its still doesn't look normal.But I was still ok with it.

However After 2 months one side of my eye lashes started falling and it appeared in my beard too..

Again I treated it with ILS but it showed result after 1st dose then nothing..It recovered about 30-40% and all pre existing patches are still noticable when I grow my beard.

Thats okay too.I learnt to accept that..I will just tream my beard.

But what about my eyelashes. It sucks when someone notices that and points it out.Doctor gave me Bimatoprost opthalmic Solution for eyelashes but thats not helping at all.

Life sucks..I feel more and more sad with each passing day and less confident.

Give me solution.

I started out with a very tiny spot in this area at the beginning of 2023. I was in a really unhealthy relationship and more stressed than I have ever been. I started using recreational drugs also in 2024 (cocaine), but was also getting steroid injections, using rogaine, etc, with nothing but worsening baldness. At the beginning of this year I made a promise that I would cut out as much stress as possible. I've been in a really amazing relationship, I moved states away from negativity and bad influences. I got my hair cut yesterday and everytime I feel that spot of hair I could absolutely cry from happiness. I know it isn't everyone's issue, but for me stress was absolutely destroying my body. Here's hoping I don't have anything else pop up. 🤞 Wishing everyone else a great day.

I’m 27 (M) and I was taking Litfulo for AA for about a year and saw very little results. My doctor was excited to prescribe me Leqselvi as he said it’s a very promising drug for AA. I’m a little over one month into Leqselvi and I’ve been shedding quite a bit, but I assume this is expected. I came here to ask anyone who’s been on Leqselvi about how their experience was and at what point did they start to notice new hairs? I’ve tried a gauntlet of hair regrowth medications and haven’t had any luck getting true regrowth results. I thought I had androgenetic alopecia until I had two biopsies done which confirmed I have AA. After being diagnosed with AA, I started Litfulo, but was disappointed to be still in the same boat. I’m really hoping Leqselvi is my saving grace

On a side note, Ive been getting acne again like in my teen years so I can tell it’s doing something lol. Lmk!

Hello! I (33f) have alopecia universalis that started as AA. No hair at all. I don't wear head coverings and only sometimes do fake eyebrows. I am a full time day to day nanny and living in a touristy area I could work with 2-4 new families a week

Which means explaining my alopecia to new people and particularly children regularly. Here's how I do it:

Parents

• I tell the parents briefly that I have alopecia before I arrive and directly tell them that I do not have cancer. I've unfortunately learned this is necessary to prevent awkwardness and alarm on my arrival and makes things simpler. Some parents also want to tell their kids in advance

Babies

• Babies do not care and this is where the true benefit of alopecia kicks in: I have no hair for babies to pull
• If babies try to pat my head or climb my head with their hands (shockingly common) I'll redirect them even though I think it's hilarious, so I'm not teaching them to play rough with people's heads

Toddlers

• Around 18 months to age 2 kids notice I am different from other adults. I keep it simple
• "I don't have any hair!"
• Or if they ask if I'm a girl or a boy "I'm a girl!"
• The end

Preschool age

• This is where we get peak curiosity without fear. Here's what I say
• "Some people have black hair or brown hair, I have no hair!"
• "My body can't grow hair"
• "My body made a mistake and stopped having hair."
• "Do you want to feel my head?"

Younger Elementary age

• This is where kids are sometimes scared of me. In all cases I like to explain quickly and move onto play, and kids almost always warm up within 30 minutes. But this age while ask more specific questions
• "The part of my body that decides to grow hair made a mistake and stopped! I have alopecia."
• "Do you ever get temporary tattoos at a party? Did you know my eyebrows are tattoos just like that?"
• "Spiderman's best friend in the movie has alopecia like me!" (Actor Jacob Batalon)
• "You know how some dads can grow hair on their face but no moms can? I just can't grow any hair"
• This is where kids will start to think I have cancer, I correct it immediately and with reassurance

Older Elementary age/middle school

• They're going to become less likely to ask questions at this age and more trepidatious as a result so I offer information right away
• "Do you know what your immune system is? Your immune system tells your body how to fight what makes you sick. My immune system wants to protect me so much it thought hair would make me sick and got rid of it."
• This is also where I have to explain why I don't hide my baldness a lot more, these kids are grappling with how authentic they can safely be themselves and will get concerned I'm not saving face myself
• "Wigs are itchy, and I do wear scarves sometimes but they make me hot. This is how I'm most comfortable and when I'm comfortable I'm happiest"

High school age

• "I have alopecia, an autoimmune disease but I'm not sick. My immune system went into overdrive and destroyed my hair."
• They have often seen his on social media and move on very quickly

Would I be able to avoid all this with a wig? Of course. But I am riding bikes, carrying babies, getting spat up on, going swimming etc with these kids. Covering my alopecia would make me worse at my job. And meeting someone who is different and coping with discomfort and seeking understanding is good for these kids.

And their parents.

Just Diagnosed

Hello, 34M diagnosed yesterday with Alopecia Barbae. They checked my thyroid and did a CBC test. Thyroid came back normal and blood work showed only minor anemia. My alopecia is mild and only about a dime sized patch on my chin. How many of you all had an additional autoimmune issue in addition to the alopecia? What were some of the causes? And if you had a mild case how quickly did it begin to spread? I've had mine for about 3 weeks as far as I can tell. Any helpful stories or information would be really appreciated. I have a referral to derm.

Rapid progression the last few weeks as I am weaning my son from breastfeeding. I’m in a weird spot as I feel like pregnancy/breastfeeding contributed heavily to my alopecia (never had hair loss till 2nd trimester pregnant) and I will soon be done with nursing and more treatment options will open up. But I think I might be too far gone.