Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia

[SarahVaughter]

From Kalea:

NEWBIE HERE. i'm trying to figure out how to post a message but have not figured it out yet so i thought i'd just jump in here cause wow, MY skin sure is starting to fall apart. some of it i suppose i should just accept: i will be 60 on july 3. however, four months ago i was diagnosed with frontal fibrosing alopecia: there is a distinct pattern to it: everyone who has it loses their hair up to the midline of thehead. i am very fortunate that i have curly hairl. my hairdresser has been able to style my hair so that the remaining layer of it, not too thin or bad looking, cover what is happening underneath. i am still, natrually, devastated that this is happening. i am now taking Plaquenil for inflammation (i do have total systemic inflammation, inflammatory autoimmune disease....i'm doing all i can do to address the whole package...)but the disease keeps progressing. i have a custom made wig on its way soon.....i just hope my hairdresser can style it to look like my hairstyle just a bit.......oh how i wish i wasn't having to deal with this. it is just one of several autoimmune diseases i have. and now it looks like i might have vitiligo....i've been noticing for several years that on both arms there are noticeable white spots...what looks like a loss of color on the skin. now i see it has progressed....it is going on all over my arms. not very noticeable as i am fairskinned, but still you can see what is happening.

i have always had a high forehead but not i truly look freakish......what i am noticing are odd areas of "denting" almost; ridges and white patches occurring on the top of forehead, and there are seeming areas that look like they have been outlined or something...many of them. over both eyebrows it looks as if there are actually ridges...very hard to describe.

i dont' see my dermatologist for a check up on the fibrosing alopecia for a couple of months.....and i started looking on the net for any kind of information i could find, with my lack of descriptors for the situation. if there is anyone here who might be able to help, i would so appreciate it. i am really feeling awful about all of this.....it's just been one thing after another for me...........................i've been as "strong" and positive as i can be all along...but this hair loss thing, m y body attacking the hair follicles and killing the, is more than i can take.

thanks for reading....blessings to all..

kalea                

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Sarah Vaughter:

I understand how mentally painful it is for a woman to be balding.

 

Have you tried Finasteride or Dutasteride?

 

It seems that even though the hair follicles are mainly attacked by the immune cells in fibrosing alopecia, there is still a hormonal aspect present because fibrosing alopecia affects almost exclusively post-menopausal women and treatments with anti-androgens has been successful.

For example:

Successful treatment of frontal fibrosing alopecia with a combination of oral dutasteride and topical pimecrolimus

Abstract

....We present the case of a 55 year-old woman with FFA, who was treated with oral dutasteride, a potent 5a- reductase inhibitor, and topical pimecrolimus. We observed a significant and sustained control of the disease, as well as some hair regrowth with

insignificant adverse effects.

The full study is here:

https://http://www.dermattikon.gr/magazines/_1/KATOULIS%20EN.pdf

To understand the role of finasteride or dutasteride, please read my reply #8:

https://http://forums.owndoc.com/dermarolling-microneedling/Dermarolling-for-thinning-hair

Dermarolling or Minoxidil will not help with this type of hair loss.