Hi everyone!
I have spoken about my experience with alopecia on Instagram but felt that I should share it on the blog as well for those that don’t follow me on Instagram. Alopecia is an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss and can affect you in different ways. Unfortunately, there is no cure for alopecia but there are treatments (they may or may not work).
In December 2014, I was getting ready to meet my friend in the city. As I started to do my hair, I noticed a bald spot on the right side of my head. My heart dropped. I was shocked and said to myself, “what the actual f**k!” I thought maybe it could have been a ringworm because it looked similar and I had it when I was younger. I showed my sister, and she was as confused as much as I was. She did some research and thought that it could be alopecia. I immediately made an appointment with the dermatologist to find out what could be causing this.
The following week, I went to the dermatologist and it was confirmed that it was alopecia. I didn’t know how to react; all I knew was that I needed to get my hair back ASAP! I started treatments of corticosteroid injections and steroid medication pills. The injections were a bit painful, but if this meant I could potentially get my hair back – I was ok with it. I was willing to do anything to grow my hair back. I was taking 25 mg of prednisone every day, and injections in my scalp every 6 weeks. After my diagnosis, I researched as much as I could about alopecia, and honestly, this gave me more anxiety about hair loss. I found that there are different types of alopecia; alopecia areata (which is what I had – a hair falls out in patches); alopecia totalis (loss of all hair on the scalp ) and alopecia universalis (complete hair loss on scalp, face, and body). Reading this scared the shit out of me because I thought what if this happens to me, and that was my worst fear.
I had a hard time accepting what was happening. Every day that passed I noticed my hair falling out more. The bald spot getting bigger, more bald spots appearing on my head and my hair getting thinner overall. It was the worst thing that had ever happened to me. I felt like I was losing my femininity, what made me feel sexy and pretty, and day by day it was getting worse. While on prednisone, I blew up in my face, shoulders – everywhere! Not only was I feeling so shitty about my hair, but I was gaining so much weight. It goes without saying that those months were my toughest times. When I’d go out with my friends, I would drink excessively in hopes of forgetting. I became a person no one wanted to be around. It took a lot of chats with my friends to realize I didn’t want to be that person that relied on alcohol and anger to get through this.
I started taking Viviscal, over-the-counter vitamins that promote hair growth. 6 months later with continuous injections, prednisone, and Viviscal my hair was finally growing back. I was beyond happy that I was seeing results and the combination of those three things were working!
6 years later, my hair has finally grown back and super healthy. I am constantly checking my scalp for any bald spots because it’s a fear that I’ll always have. If you’re someone that is struggling with hair loss, I want you to remember that you will get through this, and no matter what, you are BEAUTIFUL!
If you’d like to learn more about alopecia – click here.
