Posted on 06/01/2008 3:40:13 PM PDT by youturn
My nephew (12) was recently diagnosed with Alopecia. he has lost all his hair on his head. Are there any Freepers familiar with childhood Alopecia who can lend support? I'm wondering if anyone has had any success with anything besides steroids.
i knew a girl in high school who had it- get him a wig~!
yes, everyone will know, but it is still better than the alternative.
This poor girl was a wreck until she got one- then she was very attractive- and yes we all knew it was a wig.
Wish I had better advice, but this is all I can offer- it really helped (make sure it is a good one) Kids can be very cruel
Today, he might be able to get away with the bald look- it is kind of in fashion
All I know is that my friend grows her hair and cuts it off for these kids. They can get free human hair wigs.
Another friend came down with this when he was about 35.
There is probably lots of information and support groups on line.
I understand that a bald head is terrible for a girl. Don’t want to give bad advice, but is a bald head that bad/unusual for a teenage boy? When he grows older it’s becoming increasingly acceptable. I’m not familiar with this disease, but I assume that the loss of hair is a purely cosmetic problem?
Have the family also take him to a dentist, and have his teeth checked. This is a problem for this friend.
Also, there might be some issues with him playing sports. I don't know if it's for certain, but this friend has trouble with hot weather, and needs to be careful for regulating his body temps.
Finally, prayers for your nephew. It's a tough road to hoe.
From what I have read, in at least half of cases, the hair eventually grows back. Corticosteroids are not worth the bloating/weight gain side effects. Either the hair grows back or it won’t. If not, it’s wig time. That’s just all there is to it.
I knew a little girl name Cloactia.. is that the same?
The Environmental Health Center - Dallas is a world-class center for conditions like this. A great book is Theron Randolph's An Alternative Approach to Allergies: The New Field of Clinical Ecology Unravels the Environmental Causes of Mental and Physical Ills. (It's 20 years old, but still informative. I see someone is offering the used paperback edition for $4, including shipping.)
I just read that adrenal tumor can be easily ruled out with a focused x-ray study. This is to see if there is pressure on the area that produces androgens. Suppressed gestogens (estrogens) can also stimulate too much testosterone, causing hair follicles to remain in the rest state. I found all of this on the web today.
He started out with a spot the size of a quarter about 2 years ago and went through a short steroid treatment. The spot of hair grew back.
Then the week before this past Christmas he lost it all in about a week. He went through 2 treatments of the injections in the scalp but it proved to be too painful. We are all in the process of just trying to accept it.
Yes, a bald head on men is somewhat popular right now but a bit of a shock on a 12 year old. Some kids at school were a bit mean at first but the school has explained it and things are much better.
It isn’t fatal and one can live a regular life with it but it’s still heart breaking to watch the little guy go through it.
He took an oral medication that cleared it right up.
Alopecia effects all the hair, including the eyebrows. That's the tough part.
sw
Yes, we hold our breath waiting for more hair in other places to fall out. So far it only affects his head hair. It affects everyone differently.
An autographed picture from Howie Mandel might help boost his spirits.
Topical steroids, anthralin, and minoxidil are additional therapeutic modalities that have been used with mixed success over the last several years.
Topical immunotherapy is relatively new in the treatment of alopecia areata and has been showing promising results in many patients. The contact sensitizer squaric acid dibutylester (SADBE) is an ideal immunogen in that it is a strong topical sensitizer, is not found in the natural environment, does not cross-react with other chemicals, and is not mutagenic by the Ames test. After sensitization by application to a small patch of skin, SADBE is applied to the areas of alopecia on an individualized schedule; concentration is based on tolerance and hair regrowth response. People who are "responders" may note initial hair regrowth after approximately 12 weeks of treatment.
Topical tacrolimus is an immunomodulatory macrolide that has been used with great success in the treatment of atopic dermatitis and has recently been shown to have beneficial effects on alopecia areata-like hair loss in a mouse model.[3] The reports, to date, on efficacy in humans have been less satisfying; in fact, a presentation by Dr. Vera Price at the Alopecia Areata Research Symposium noted that topical tacrolimus did not work for alopecia areata.
Another immune-modifying topical agent, imiquimod, which is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of genital warts, has also been used in the treatment of alopecia areata but, again, with mixed results.
Poor little guy!
Rosemary essential oil is a folicle stimulant and can help reverse premature balding; Obviously this is not the same thing, but he could give it a try.
And even if it doesn’t work, he’ll smell fabulous.
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