LIVING WITH ALOPECIA
Approximately 147 million people in the world suffer from a form of Alopecia, and while this is only a small percentage of the human population – it is still a lot of people. In many ways, Alopecia is a disregarded illness. Many people only see it as losing your hair, and they do not look further to discover what else it means. There are plenty of emotional effects to losing your hair, and it is not a condition that
gives you fair warning – it comes very suddenly and unexpectedly.
While there are plenty of physical symptoms, it is essential to remember the mental impact that a condition like this can have. We are often too quick to brush aside a person’s distress, tell them to get over it, and move on. It is not as simple as all of your hair falling out because Alopecia is actually an autoimmune condition that is classed as a chronic inflammatory disease. It tricks your immune system into seeing your hair follicles as foreign bodies, causing it to attack them and your hair to fall out. It affects men, women, and children of all ages and can vary in terms of severity.
Alopecia affects every person differently. Coping with this disorder can often be challenging for the individual, as well as for friends and family members of the affected person. The physical symptoms of Alopecia can cause some individuals to feel uncomfortable about the way they look. Wearing scarves, hats, or hairpieces can reduce feelings of self-consciousness about physical appearance, thereby combining some of the negative emotions associated with hair loss.
Some of the hardest things to come to terms with are:
- Feeling unattractive
- Loss of confidence
- Questioning sense of self worth
- Changes in body image
- Acceptance of self
- Dealing with the reactions of other people
- Being mistaken for someone who is “sick” or has cancer
- The unpredictable nature of the disease
- Wondering “Why me?”
- Not being able to do anything about it
- Feeling alone, withdrawn, and isolated
- Sadness and Depression
- Embarrassment
- Anger
Self-esteem is defined as a person’s own emotional evaluation of their worth or worthiness and encompasses an individual’s judgements, attitudes, beliefs, and emotions about one’s self. Depression, anxiety, and stress are all associated with Alopecia and have the potential to negatively affect an individual’s behaviors, judgements, and interpretations of the world around them. The process of coping is made doubly more difficult by society being enamored with appearance.
Hair symbolizes beauty, individuality and/or belonging to a particular social or cultural group. After being diagnosed with Alopecia it’s normal to experience denial and the need to continuously search for answers or even block out reality. A period of grief ensues with physical and emotional isolation, withdrawing from loved ones, and immense fears about being rejected or stigmatized by the community are also common. Individuals might find it difficult to tackle the concept of “no cure” and often experience frustration and
despair with treatments that don’t get results.
There are three main forms of Alopecia, and this is what determines how major your condition is. Alopecia Areata refers to general patchiness and losing partial amounts of hair on your head. Alopecia Totalis describes complete hair loss on the head, with no patches left behind. Alopecia Universalis is where all hair on the body is lost, including eyebrows and eyelashes, and is the most severe form.
Typically, it is a painless condition, although there are some that experience skin irritation as a result of it. Alopecia does not usually cause any physical pain, but it can cause emotional distress and discomfort. It is important to remember that emotional pain is just as valid and important as the
physical variety, and it can be as (if not more) debilitating.
It's most important to realize that there is no correct way to cope with living with Alopecia – your coping strategies are as individual as you are. Accept that it is an emotional trauma and allow yourself to grieve. Lean on those close to you working towards a sense of self-acceptance to feel stronger.
Most importantly, keep things in perspective - its only hair and you are still you.