A Few Things to Know About Alopecia
It was sometime in the fall of 2014. I woke up, being the mother of three small children...I was in a normal morning rush. I remember having a few loose hairs on my face and noticing my pillow had quite a few hairs on it.
I’ve always had a love hate relationship with my hair. I have baby fine natural curly hair. It’s not the easiest to care for. My hair was just past my shoulders and I remember being very pleased with the length.
Feeding the kids and putting a cartoon on, I rushed to get into the shower. As I ran my hands threw my hair, hair stuck to them in clumps. I can remember being in shock. For the next few weeks I had to ball hair up in my hand and throw it into the garbage can.
I kept cutting my hair shorter and shorter, hoping it would help. Eventually It effected my self-esteem. I have some what of a receding hairline, random fingertip circles of missing hair on my scalp, patches of hair missing on my legs, and a patch missing from one of my eyebrows.
A friend of mine struggles with trichotillomania and she shaves her head. I desperately wanted that control over my Alopecia. She talked me through it and gave me some advice. Drink a glass of wine, buzz your hair, take a shower, put some makeup on, some big earrings, and dress up. So, I did. I bounced back and forth from rocking my baldhead to wearing wigs. Currently I’m growing my hair out.
Alopecia’s definition is: The partial or complete absence of hair from areas of the body where it normally grows; baldness.
Now most people get diagnosed with:
Alopecia areata (hair loss in patches), Alopecia totalis, (lose all hair on the scalp), or Alopecia universalis (lose all hair on the body).
My medical chart literal says, “Unspecified Alopecia”. I have a genetic condition called Classical Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. My geneticist suspects my collagen mutation affects my hair. That and I never lost my baby hair, I still have it.
September is Alopecia awareness month and here are few things I wish you to know:
1. Alopecia in not contagious.
2. We didn’t do or not do anything to cause it. (Seriously keep your advice.)
3. Being bald is just as beautiful as having long locks.
4. I might have a full head of hair today but next month it could all fall out again.
5. We don’t have cancer. Please, don’t assume we do.
6. I have the right to cover, or not cover up my hair loss, in any way that makes me feel confident.
If you have Alopecia, know you’re not alone. There are lots of support groups and communities out there waiting to help. Remember to be your own kind of Beautiful.
To Follow Karrie please visit her Blog at: https://bendyandbodacious.wordpress.com
And Follow her journey on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/bendynbodacious