Alopecia Areata

First off, I'd like to say I'm sorry that I haven't posted in a while. I'm also sorry that I won't be writing that gear post right now but maybe sometime soon I will. I've been busy but I have no excuses for not posting anything honestly. I just haven't wanted to lately. On to a happier topic though, one which I have possibly brought up before but not something that I've discussed in detail.

I've got Alopecia. The technical term is Alopecia Areata. What is that, you're probably asking. Well, I'll tell you. It's a hair loss diagnosis which in layman's terms, is basically where the white blood cells (your immune system) mistakenly attack your hair follicles and make your hair fall out. It's most common in people under the age of 20 and there's no cure.

 Alopecia is a type of hair loss that affects many different aspects of your body but mostly, it's your hair on the top of your head. Myself, it resulted in hair loss all over my body or the absence of hair almost anywhere. What little hair I do have on my head, I shave because it looks better. I have spots of missing hair on my legs, very little on my arms and none on my chest. I've got almost no eyebrows or eyelashes. It used to be a problem in school because I have had it since I was born more or less. I did have a full, dark, curly head of hair when I was born and up until I was 11 or so I think. It's not life threatening, yet it can be deadly as well. I'm talking about bullying here. I was depressed from a young age because my entire life, except for the select few who honestly didn't care that for some reason I had huge clumps of my hair fall out which resulted in random bald spots. It didn't help that everywhere I went in school, many kids would pick on me, or avoid me like I had the plague. I hated it, I couldn't stand to be around anyone for fear of being made fun of, and that made me turn in on myself and avoid people. I became socially inept and didn't know how to react in social situations so I just didn't. I never went out for sports and never wanted to go outside and do anything. What did I do? I just sat inside either playing video games or reading books because they don't judge. You can see where this can become a deadly diagnosis. Think about it, were a teenage girl made fun of because her hair was falling out, and there was nothing she could do about it except possibly wear a wig. Same thing with a guy. It could drive someone over the edge into possible suicide and that's never, ever something that should be tolerated. I want to see a world where people don't judge you on your looks. Once judging starts, depression soon follows and it's a downward spiral. There are creams and shots that you can have injected into your scalp (who wants to do that?!) but aside from that, there isn't much anyone can do except wear a wig. Definitely not something I want to do, especially as a teenager or child.

The way I've dealt with this? I have a few friends who have made all the difference in the world for me. I've had my family help me through the tough times and give encouraging words when I felt down. I have had people talk to me about it and in general decided in my own mind that it's not something to be ashamed of. You shouldn't be gauged on how you look or how much hair you've got (or don't have). I tell people about Alopecia now instead of shying away from talking at all and with that in mind. Anyone else who has Alopecia, I encourage you to get out there and live life like you want to. Don't worry about what people think because I guarantee you, if you explain what it is, they won't bother you again about it and you just might make a few new friends in the process! That's something I never did. I wish I had but I didn't. Make new friends and educate the world to make it a better place for everyone! That's what I'm trying to do.

I want to travel the world, as I've said before, but I want to have a cause to do it. My cause will be Alopecia Areata and bullying. Alopecia itself isn't life threatening but it shouldn't be taken with a grain of salt because it affects the individual's personality sometimes especially when bullying is added into the mix. You feel unattractive and ugly and there's nothing you can do about it. I challenge you, if you ever meet someone with Alopecia and they seem down in the dumps (Anyone with hair loss in general in fact!), let them know it's okay to be different. Don't talk quietly about it so they won't hear you, just go up and act like it's nothing. Chances are, it's a child who has it, so encourage your children to as well! This is one step from bullying that I wasn't able to get because people didn't quite understand it. Share this post, tell people about it and get educated before judging. You never know, you might save a life today!