Alopecia is an autoimmune condition which causes your hair to fall out.
This isn’t necessarily just restricted to the hair on your head – it can also mean your body hair too.
I have Alopecia Universalis, which means that I don’t have a single hair on my body, and I have had it since I was 8 years old.
It is the rarest and most severe of all the forms.
Here are 14 things you only know if you have Alopecia.
1. You are always cold
Our body didn’t build its hair system for vanity, hair is there for a purpose and it’s difficult to regulate your body temperature without it.
All my friends know me as the girl who sleeps in 10 layers of clothing at night.
2. Dust is your arch-enemy
Because I don’t have any eyelashes, I’m always getting dust in my eyes which can be really frustrating.
I’ve have found that wearing false eyelashes makes a big difference.
3. Sunglasses are the Holy Grail
Without eyelashes to shield your eyes from the sun, they need protection.
4. It can be a real struggle
In the past I found it hard to explain to people what I was going through, especially when I had no one to talk to who understood.
5. You will get stared at
Sometimes when I walk out the house without my hair on, I feel like I’m naked, screaming ‘hey, look at me,’ because people do stare and the stares can be long.
6. You can’t catch it
It’s not contagious.
7. There are many moments of laughter
My mum had guests over one day when I was younger, and I took my wig off and left it on the sofa.
After they had been talking for a while, one guest put their hand out and started stroking my wig thinking it was the cat.
8. It’s difficult to accept yourself without hair when society doesn’t
People without hair are not thought of as healthy.
Even though there aren’t always serious health issues associated with losing your hair to Alopecia, society continues to enforce the tragedy.
I wish everyone knew that I am, and always will be, the same person, but just without any hair.
9. At first you don’t feel normal
A modelling agent once ‘explained’ to me that no brand would want a girl with no hair wearing their products, even though many models wear wigs in photos.
It’s the stigma of being associated with someone, who in their eyes, isn’t ‘perfect’.
I understand that, but I don’t agree.
People should embrace the beautiful differences.
10. You need an extra hour to get ready in the morning if you plan to go out in stealth mode
Eyelashes were not designed to be stuck on to eyelids without eyelashes already on them.
And who knew that the positioning of your eyebrows can totally change what you are trying to convey?
11. You save a fortune on waxing
And shaving and laser hair removal.
12. All your wigs have different names and personalities
I forget that I am wearing a wig most of the time and, every day, I get to choose who I want to be.
One year I wore my neon green wig to Wimbledon and lots of people came up to me and gave me high-fives.
That was the first day of my new life with Alopecia where I felt normal again.
13. People think you’re seriously ill
If I go out in public without my wig on I sometimes feel really guilty, as most people think I have cancer and feel sorry for me.
For me, the saddest part about having Alopecia is the fact not many people know about the condition or understand what it is.
As a Young Person’s Ambassador for Alopecia UK, I’m trying to spread awareness.
14. You don’t need hair to be happy
I never have to shave and I can change my hair colour and style in a matter of seconds.
I don’t have to worry about getting my hair wet when it rains or when I go swimming, I don’t have to worry about bad hair days.
If I’m too hot all I have to do is take my wig off.
I even take it off sometimes when I’m eating soup, so my hair doesn’t go in it, which always makes my sisters and I laugh.
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