Pictures of Alopecia Areata Hair Loss (What Supplemental Iodine Did to Me)

Here is a timeline of the hair loss I experienced in late 2007-2009. I had almost no hair on the left side of my head for a good year.  I thought it would be a good idea to document this in case someone else with alopecia areata finds their way to this site.

How Did It Start?
Supplemental iodine (Iodoral) is what triggered this autoimmune attack. I have no idea why, but that's the only thing I had changed during this time. I don't think natural doctors take iodine seriously enough at all. It's also important to note, I do NOT have Hashimoto's and there is NO family history.

None of these pictures are to be reposted on any other websites without my express permission.

I woke up one morning and had this spot. This is from Nov 21, 2007

Then it started to get a lot worse. This is from December 28, 2007

Continues to progress. It wasn't growing back. This is from February 3, 2008.

It got so bad in these next few months, I was afraid to take a picture. This next picture is from July 11, 2008. This is my hair at its worst. My doctor told me that I may never have hair here again or if I did it would be white. I was devastated. 

I started to get my amalgams out and things were looking better. In this picture I was amalgam free for 7 days and was on day 3 of my detox. This picture is from Sept 16, 2008.

 
Round 4, Day 3 of detoxing. This is from October 19, 2008. There was a new small spot of hair loss just above my ear, but also some more fuzzy hair growth. Approx. Round 7 of detoxing. 

This is from November 15, 2008. Look at all the growth!!

This is from January 14, 2009. Look at the growth. All of the loss that used to extend much higher up and back behind my ear has filled in. The only spot that remains is what I originally lost at the end of '07. I haven't been chelating due to severe reactions, but it is nice to see the other spots growing in.

This is from June 29, 2009! My hair is almost completely grown back. The new growth was about 4-5 inches long and was close to blending in with the rest of my hair.

By 2010, all of my hair had grown back and my hair is extremely full and there are no signs of alopecia areata. This post is a nice warning that even "natural" supplements may give one severe side effects. Just because you can buy it online or at a store doesn't mean it comes without potential consequences.