Alopecia Universalis Recovery Story: How I Lost All My Hair at 22 and Started Regrowing It (With Photos & Tips)

July 2024 | The First Bald Patch & Early Signs of Alopecia Universalis 

I didn’t realise my life was about to change until my friend shouted, 
“OH MY GOD. You have a bald patch.” – right there, in the middle of a paintball game. 

I turned around, confused.  Me? Bald?

I thought she was pulling a prank on me, until she took a photo. 
One glance at the screen and there it was — a bald patch, slap-bang in the middle of my head. 
Not even a small one. 
A big, obvious, “how the hell did I not notice this” patch. 

The rest of my friends came over to see what the fuss was about, crowding around like I was some kind of exhibit. After a few seconds of squinting and zooming in, someone said:

“Wait… there’s another one.”

Yep. Not just one bald patch — two. How was this even happening? 

I was lowkey bothered, but I played it cool. 
I had thick hair – like, a lot of it – so one or two bald spots didn’t seem like the end of the world
I booked a GP appointment just to be safe, but deep down, I wasn’t worried. 

Little did I know… that tiny patch was just the beginning. 

August 2024 | Alopecia Areata Diagnosis & Treatment

The GP (family doctor) told me it was alopecia areata.
“Nothing serious, it’s common. Probably stress-related.”

I’d just gone through a horrible break-up, so I figured that made sense.
I convinced myself it was just stress. Nothing to worry about. 

They gave me a steroid cream and told me to use it every day for a month.
So I did.

And after a few weeks, one of the patches actually started growing back. 

Crisis averted… right?

Right?

October 2024 | When Things Started to Get Worse

Fast forward to October (my birthday month). I was partying, celebrating, living my best life – hair thriving… until it wasn’t. 

I found a new bald patch – this time at the back of my head.
It was massive. Way bigger than the ones before.
And this time, I couldn’t just ignore it. Something was seriously wrong 

I kept using the steroid cream like it was some kind of miracle fix, hoping it would stop things from getting worse – but the patch kept growing. 

I started doom-scrolling TikTok and came across people who’d started with a few patches… and ended up losing all their hair (alopecia universalis). 

I remember feeling a wave of panic – that was my worst nightmare.
Still, I told myself: That won’t happen to me. 

Spoiler alert: it did

November 2024 | Hair Loss Progression: From Patches to Clumps

November came in swinging. I wasn’t losing patches anymore — I was losing clumps.

I washed my hair every morning (controversial, I know), and after conditioning, I’d run my wide-toothed comb through. 

That’s when it would happen – thick clumps sliding out like my hair was trying to make a run for it. 

Every morning, there was hair everywhere:

On my pillow.

Covering the bathroom floor.

Scattered across the bedroom.

No matter how much I cleaned, it kept piling up.

December 2024 – January 2025 | The Hardest Months: Total Hair Loss & Emotional Impact

By December, my scalp was showing more than my actual hair.
I wore hats constantly – even indoors.

Eventually, a friend asked about it.
I didn’t say much. I just took it off and showed her.

Her face said everything.
It was bad. 

I went back to my GP, desperate for help.
They told me I’d been referred to a dermatologist – but the waitlist was months long. 

So basically… I was on my own. 

In denial, I went for a haircut, thinking it would help “blend” the patches.
It was pointless – and a complete waste of money. 

By mid-January, I had no hair left on my head

Then my eyebrows started falling out. 

Up until that point, I’d been weirdly okay with losing my scalp hair. 
But when my brows started going, something shifted.

It felt more personal. More visible. More like I was losing parts of my identity – not just my hair. 

I was still getting lash extensions back then, which probably masked the fact that my lashes were disappearing too. 
Then, during what ended up being my last lash appointment, my lash tech paused and asked: “Where the hell have all your lashes gone?”

My heart sank. 

I knew it was coming, but hearing it out loud felt like a punch. 

By February, I had nothing left.

No hair. No lashes. No brows. No body hair. No pubic hair.
I was smooth as a dolphin. 

Around that time, I saw a girl on TikTok with alopecia who’d regrown her hair using minoxidil. 
Her case wasn’t as severe as mine, but I latched onto the hope and started using it every night, without fail. 

That was also the month I bought my first wig.
And let me tell you – nothing humbles you faster than walking outside in a wig for the first time, convinced everyone knows. 

 April 2025 | Alopecia Universalis Treatment Challenges: 5 Doctors & Still No Answers

In a last-ditch effort, I flew back to Vietnam to search for private treatment. I saw five doctors: 

• One told me JAK inhibitors could help – but they weren’t available in Vietnam.

• Two had never seen a case like mine. 

• The last was a TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) doctor who told me he could cure my alopecia… but it would take years.

I left every appointment more discouraged than the last. 
It felt like no one had answers.

I was completely defeated.

But I also realised: if my hair wasn’t coming back anytime soon, I couldn’t just sit around waiting for it.

So I didn’t. 

I packed a bag and travelled across Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, and Thailand — bald, and figuring it out as I went. [Read about that trip here.] 

While I was in Thailand, I got my eyebrows tattooed – it made a huge difference and I looked more like myself again. 

May 2025 | Alopecia Treatment UK: Private Doctors & JAK Inhibitors

I’d been using minoxidil for two months straight, applying it every morning and night like my life depended on it.

At first, I felt hopeful. I started noticing tiny white hairs – vellus hairs – sprouting across my scalp.
They were soft, barely visible, but it was something.

So I kept going for the next 3 months.

But the white hairs didn’t get any longer and eventually, I had to face the truth: this wasn’t going to be enough.
My hair wasn’t coming back on its own.

That’s when I started researching other treatment options – and came across something called JAK inhibitors. 

They’re a type of medication that works by calming the overactive immune response that causes autoimmune conditions like alopecia. 

I joined a Facebook group dedicated to JAKS and saw post after post of people getting their hair back.

It gave me hope again for the first time in months.

The only problem? Not every dermatologist was willing to monitor the patients on this medication – and it had to be imported from India.

Luckily, the group had a list of JAK-friendly doctors. 

I chose one in London and booked a private consultation for £450.

And honestly? It was the best money I’ve ever spent.

Less than a month later, I started the medication. 

June 2025 | Starting JAK Inhibitors & Early Regrowth Signs

At the time of writing this, I’ve been on the medication for six weeks.

It’s still early days, but the progress has been undeniable:

My scalp, once completely smooth, is now covered in white hairs – with a few patches of black starting to come through.
My right eye has a full set of lashes again. The left is getting there.
My eyebrows are growing back.
My leg hair is fully back (not ideal, but hey — I’ll take it).

I’ve still got a long way to go, but things are finally starting to look up.

I’m so excited for my hair regrowth journey.
And I can’t wait to see how I look with a buzzcut… or a bob… or just short hair in general.

If you’re going through hair loss too, please know
You’re not alone.

Wherever you are in your journey, I hope this gives you even a small sense of comfort, clarity, or hope.

I’ll be sharing everything here on the blog – the growth, the setbacks, and everything in between.
We’re in this together.

If you want to follow along more closely, feel free to subscribe to my email list (link) or come say hi on Instagram & TikTok @lovefromki 

I’d love to connect <3

A few things this journey has taught me:

Your hair doesn’t define you.
I thought I’d lose all my confidence when I lost my hair — but I didn’t. I realised self-worth has nothing to do with how you look, and everything to do with how you treat yourself.

No one’s coming to save you.
You have to be your own advocate, your own support system, and your own strength. It’s not easy, but it’s powerful.

You’re not alone — even when it feels like it.
In the beginning, I didn’t know anyone going through the same thing. But the internet is full of people who get it. Find them. Talk to them. And if you need someone — I’m here. Feel free to reach out.

Don’t spiral into the worst-case scenario.
Take it day by day. Worrying won’t help — in fact, stress makes things worse. Smile. Breathe. Be brave. That’s enough.

Never give up.
I refused to believe I’d go from having thick, healthy hair all my life… to being bald forever. Deep down, I knew I’d get my hair back somehow. That belief carried me through more than anything else.

Take photos — even when you don’t want to.
Hair grows slowly. Progress can feel invisible when you look at yourself every day. Photos don’t lie — they’ll show you just how far you’ve come.

Look after your health — mentally and physically.
Your body needs support to heal. I changed my diet, took supplements, started meditating, moved my body, quit smoking, and built better habits. I’ll be sharing all the details in a blog post soon.

Healing isn’t linear.
Some days, you’ll feel strong and accepting. Other days, you’ll feel like you’re back at square one. That’s okay. It gets better — it always does.