Looking for advice/personal experience regarding severe alopecia areata 🙏🏻
I am 43 years old, and until a few months ago I had naturally long, full, thick hair. At the beginning of May 2026, I suddenly discovered a round bald patch on my scalp. Within a short period of time, additional patches appeared, and I began experiencing very heavy hair loss all over my scalp.
I was examined by a dermatologist and was later diagnosed with Alopecia Areata. At first, I used Dermovate, but as the condition continued to spread and the shedding became more severe, I privately consulted Professor Anna Lyakhovitsky. She decided to treat me with intravenous steroids at Sheba Medical Center — a series of three monthly steroid pulses.
Unfortunately, despite the treatment, the hair loss continued. There were even periods when I felt that the shedding was getting worse and the bald patches were becoming larger. At the same time, I also noticed small hairs and stubble growing in some of the affected areas.
After the third steroid pulse, on August 11, I had a follow-up appointment with Professor Anna. During the examination, she assessed my condition as SALT 60, with a strongly positive hair-pull test. On trichoscopy, she did see short, thin hairs as well as hairs that appeared to be growing.
Her conclusion was that I have severe alopecia areata with an insufficient response to systemic steroids. She therefore recommended starting Ritlecitinib (Litfulo) 50 mg once daily.
At the moment, she wants me to start Litfulo in about one month, after completing the required tests.
I really want to make sure I am doing everything correctly and not overlooking any options. I am therefore looking to hear from people who have experienced something similar, as well as doctors or professionals who specialize in severe alopecia areata:
• Is there any additional treatment worth exploring before starting Litfulo or alongside it?
• Has anyone transitioned from steroids to Litfulo and successfully stopped the shedding and regrown their hair?
• Is there anything I should be doing during the month while I wait to start Litfulo?
• Are there any additional tests I should ask for?
• Most importantly, if anyone knows of a specialist or clinic with particular expertise in severe alopecia areata and can recommend another direction or second opinion, I would be very grateful to hear about it.
I’m not looking for promises or a “miracle cure,” but rather genuine personal experiences, evidence-based medical information, or additional options that may be worth discussing with my doctors.
Thank you so much to anyone who takes the time to read this, share their experience, or point me in the right direction. 🙏🏻💜