From Totally Bald to Hair Regrowth in One Month! (UPDATE: Six Month Regrowth Pictures)

I first noticed my hair falling out in the spring of 2009.Being a black woman who had been wearing braids off and on for many years, I thought braiding my hair too tight was the problem. I took out the braids but my hair continued falling out. I was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata a year later & given 5 weeks of Prednisone. Needless to say, that didn't help at all. As I continued losing hair I researched the different types of alopecia on the internet. When I started losing my eyebrows & eyelashes I knew I had Alopecia Universalis. I tried to decrease the stress in my life & kept praying that one day my hair would spontaneously grow back on its own. While on vacation last year I met a man with the same autoimmune disease who told me about Xeljanz. Finally! A cure!!! But the drug costs over $3000 a month and my insurance would not cover it. My cousin was familiar with the fact that there are discounts available for many expensive medications. I called Pfizer and found out they have a hardship program (Xelsource)for low income patients which allows you to receive Xeljanz ABSOLUTELY FREE!!! They will mail you two forms for you and your doctor to fill out and once it it is verified that your income is low enough and your insurance denies coverage they will Fed Ex Xeljanz directly to your home for FREE! They send you a 30 day supply (two small pills a day) each month. What has really inspired me are the photos of another AU sufferer whose hair started growing back after a month on Xeljanz. She has been on it 6 months now and recently had her first haircut in 4 years. She is sporting a cute, short hairdo. Check her out at Pikore.com the alopeciaexperience instagram. I just started Xeljanz 3 weeks ago on July 28th and hope to be posting pictures of my hair regrowth soon to share with all of you! UPDATE: Saw light blonde, spiky hairs on September 1st after one month on drug! Went to doctor this week and now have dark terminal hairs, mixed with blonde, on my scalp and eyebrow and eyelash regrowth. UPDATE: 3 months, hair getting darker and longer, eyebrows growing in on both sides, a few eyelashes on my left upper lid. See pictures below. UPDATE: 4 months, started taking Biotin and upped doseage to 3 Xeljanz a day. Tons of new growth in resistant bald patches and scalp hair is longer and darker. Eyelashes emerging from both sides. I bought my first mascara in 6 years. Waiting for a few more lashes on right side to use it. Have lots of eyebrows on both sides. Go see my doctors this week on Thursday. They will be TOTALLY shocked and amazed at my progress since last appointment in September. Keep the faith everyone. Xeljanz works!!! UPDATE: Third Doctors' Visit: My doctor's are at the Dermatoligy Clinic at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Boy were my they EXCITED about all my hair growth during the last 3 months! The last time they saw me I had tiny white spiky peach fuzz, with a few dark terminal hairs mixed in. This time I have long dark patches of hair almost an inch long, with regrowth of about 80 percent of my scalp! In between the dark patches, I have short spiky blonde regrowth in my former bald spots. That regrowth is barely visible on camera right now but the doctors saw it and ran their fingers over my entire scalp. Two sets of doctors, nurses and residents came into the room at separate times because everyone could not fit into the examining room at once. Plus I brought a friend with AU and his parents with me to meet the doctor's. Everyone was laughing, happy and amazed at my growth. Each set of doctors took pictures of my complete scalp, eyebrows and eyelashes. The doctors want the pictures for a future Grand Rounds or Dermatology Conference so they can present my case to other doctors and medical students at the University. I'm so happy that my regrowth on Xeljanz will be used to give hope to others! More details below about my friend with AU who came with me to see the Clinic and meet the doctors.

Views: 13365

Attachments:

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

That is fantastic news !! So happy for you !! Looking forward to your pics! How mg of biotin do you have ??
Thanks Singh! To be honest, I take varying amounts throughout the day whenever I remember. I had some 10,000 mcg left over from a previous time that was still good. But I carry a smaller bottle of the 1,000 in my purse. I didn't take anything but Xeljanz my first two months because I wanted to know that ALONE was responsible for my hair regrowth. But now I've added, not only Biotin, but Cod Liver Oil (Omega fatty acids) and D3 (sunlight deprived winter conditions) as well. Since my hair is growing, I can focus on some other aspects of my health like losing weight right now. I just started drinking alkaline water (a pH of 9.5) and taking Chromium Piccolinate to suppress my appetite and regulate my sugar. I'm going to start walking 3 miles a day and working out with weights. I'M READY to have a new body along with my new hair, lol! I will be giving an update soon on my other "Xeljanzers" discussion re how Xeljanzers in Europe can get it in Turkey. And how to go about ordering it, etc. I had brunch yesterday with a man from Turkey whose son has AU, and he is going to help us!
Hey Singh, re-reading my previous reply and yours I realized therewith be some confusion. I upped my Xeljanz dosage to 3 pills a day. I don't take any set amount of the Biotin. I'm almost out of the 10,000 mcg and will get more soon. I still have half a bottle of the 1,000 and that will ride me over.
Thanks so much for the info ! Looking forward to your amazing growth pics ! I have started a new discussion called calling out to xeljanz people could you be kind enough to comment on that ?
Yes, I will post on it. Here are some new pictures from this morning.
Attachments:
Looks great !! So happy for you ! :))))

And I started that do I can show my dermatologist but thank you anyway looks great. And was going to go turkey but now am abit worried to go..
Singh, The gentleman I met FROM TURKEY Sunday, whose 32 year old son wants to take Xeljanz is talking to his friends and family to find a good pharmacies there. I will ask him best city to fly into, where to stay, etc. He and his son are planning to come with me to UCSF for my next appointment on December 10th. They are hoping there will be a cancellation that day, and he can be seen as well. We have a gentleman from Turkey to guide Xeljanzer's trips over there now!
4 Month Update pictures
Attachments:

Wonderful :-)...very happy for you.

Thank you Nicolas. Saw my doctors on Thursday. They were so excited and took lots of pictures. Below are some of them:
Attachments:
How long has you been on
I started July 28th Jcortez05. So about 4 and a half months ago. If you go up to the top and read the beginning of this discussion, it will give you my background as well as my major updates. Let me know when you see those first tiny whitish/blonde hairs. At first you may only see them in the light. They are short and spiky like a porcupine, but then they start turning darker and getting longer. Have faith, you're on your way!

RSS

Disclaimer

Any mention of products and services on Alopecia World is for informational purposes only; it does not imply a recommendation or endorsement by Alopecia World. Nor should any statement or representation on this site be construed as professional, medical or expert advice, or as pre-screened or endorsed by Alopecia World. Alopecia World is not responsible or liable for any of the views, opinions or conduct, online or offline, of any user or member of Alopecia World.

© 2024   Created by Alopecia World.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service