I was 15 years old when I found out that I had alopecia. I was doing what I love most, playing basketball, and when I flipped my head to put my hair in a ponytail, my mom noticed that I had a bald spot.
My mom and I googled every possible reason behind my hair loss, which we all know is never a good idea because then we just assume death and the rest is downhill. Damn you, WebMD. Luckily, after a fifteen-minute visit with my dermatologist, we discovered the culprit was alopecia areata.
For those that don't know, alopecia is when your immune system attacks your hair follicles, causing your hair to fall out. The result, for me, is totally smooth patches on the head, where the hair should be. No one knows why it happens, but it does.There are three different forms of alopecia:
- Alopecia areata (hair loss in patches).
- Alopecia
totalis (lose all hair on the scalp). - Alopecia
universalis (lose all hair on the body)
That's it. It's literally as simple as that. No pain, no sickness, nothing. I lose my hair, I put some medicine on it, and it grows back a few months later. Ta-da. Recently, my alopecia has been "tricky" so I had injections in my scalp to help, and while that sounds awful, I didn't feel a thing. And then I just go about my life.
But just because there are no negative physical side effects, that doesn't mean that alopecia doesn't suck.
I get it, I have a bald spot on the top of my head the size of a golf ball, in plain sight. Most people don't know what alopecia is, so they're intrigued and curious.
But instead of staring at my bald spot, ask me about it.
I'd be more than happy to talk to you about it, trust me.
You see, my bad hair days are a little bit different than yours. My bad hair days consist of trying to part, position and hairspray my hair just right so that it covers my bald spot(s). But, lo and behold, hairspray isn't the most reliable thing in the world, and sometimes it just doesn't work, leaving the bald spots open for the world to see. And honestly, it's a huge blow to your self-esteem.
I love myself, alopecia and all, and I wholeheartedly understand that you're curious glances aren't ill-intentioned. And that's why I'm writing this article, to educate you in the tiniest way. The bald spots make me who I am, and I want to share that with the world.
