This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Stony Brook chapter.
September is Alopecia Awareness month. I was diagnosed with Alopecia Areta 7 years ago, and I wish I had someone to tell me their experience or reassure me that I would be okay. No one in my family or life had Alopecia, not even my friends. I understand that a lot of people don’t want to share what they have. At first, I didn’t want to either; I was embarrassed with myself and afraid of what others would say. However, as social media keeps rising more each day, I see wonderful women and girls speaking out about Alopecia and just being beautiful.
For the women who were just diagnosed with Alopecia, I’m going to share my experience with you and what I’ve learned from my dermatologist:
- Being diagnosed with alopecia means that I have an autoimmune disease, which means that my immune system is attacking the hair follicles causing hair loss. HOWEVER, do not let this make you think that you’re sick or contagious for that matter. You are not!
- Now, I have Alopecia Areta which is hair loss but in patches; however, there are other types of Alopecia as well. There is Alopecia Totalis, which loses hair on the scalp, and there is also alopecia Universalis which is hair loss all over the body.
- The case is usually unknown. I remember asking my mom about my family’s medical history trying to find an answer in there. There isn’t a precise answer to Alopecia and it’s hard to grasp that. You need to not stress yourself into looking for the answers that no one has yet. It will only hurt you in the end. The body works in mysterious ways, but it comes back 10x’s as strong. Never forget that you will overcome this and win your battle.
- You will go through cycles of loss and regrowth. So far, I’ve experienced four cycles of loss and regrowth. My first patch is still trying to regrow and now it’s much smaller so don’t lose hope! Yes, it took time, but please trust your body. Your hair will come back. While cycles were happening, I would fix my hair in different styles or get it cut differently. Flip your hair, get bangs, extensions, wigs, etc. Anything you want to make yourself feel better. I still flip my hair to one side to cover up some patches.
- What you can do when you see your dermatologist ask to get a corticosteroid shot right on the patch. According to NHS Choices, a corticosteroid shot is used to stop your immune system from attacking the hair follicles. DON’T do what I did and run right away to get these shots. I didn’t do any reading or even look at any ingredients to see if I could be allergic to something. Please do some research and talk to your dermatologist about these shots. I said yes right away because I was a kid and was afraid. It’s fine to be nervous and afraid, don’t get me wrong. Just please read into it more though.
- According to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, there are over 6.5 million Americans living with Alopecia Areata. 6.5 MILLION. You are most certainly not alone in this. Whichever type of Alopecia you have, you are not the only one.
- There is no cure. Now, this wasn’t something I liked to hear. No one likes to hear that there isn’t a cure. NEVER let this discourage you, sometimes Alopecia Areta can be here for a while and then leave for good. Yes, Alopecia can take a hard turn and make you feel at your lowest. That’s true. I felt so low for a while, but is it worth it? I’m so much stronger. You are very strong; you can do this. You can handle anything that comes your way and you know you can. Do not let this destroy you! You have countless of people to help and support you. Your friends, your family, your significant other, your pets, anyone that loves you are all here to help you with this. Fight it back, embrace it and show that you’re not going to let it control you.
- Some people look for surgical options. I remember trying to do that before. After breaking down in his office, my dermatologist did say that my last resort could be a hair transplant. Mind you; this is the last resort if nothing worked at all. I was talked out of it though; a support system is what helped me fight through this.
- Hair can fall out in other places aside from your head so remember that I mentioned before that there are other types of Alopecia. Once again though, this shouldn’t discourage you. this should not make you feel any less pretty or healthy. You are not sick or contagious.
- Lastly! Love yourself. I cannot stress this enough. You are still beautiful at the end of the day. Who and how you are as a person makes you beautiful. There are some strong women who have Alopecia, just like you and me, who are amazing. Be amazing with them; everything will be okay, this too shall pass.Gif courtesy of WiffleGif