Alopecia is a medical term for hair loss. It can affect the scalp or other parts of the body and can be temporary or permanent. There are several types of alopecia, including:
- Androgenetic Alopecia: Commonly known as male or female pattern baldness, it is the most common type of hair loss, often hereditary.
- Alopecia Areata: An autoimmune condition where the immune system attacks hair follicles, leading to round patches of hair loss.
- Telogen Effluvium: A condition where a large number of hair follicles enter a resting phase, leading to diffuse thinning of the hair.
- Traction Alopecia: Caused by continuous pulling or tension on the hair, often due to certain hairstyles.
But those are just the proper terms. I have alopecia areata. This means that it's an immune disorder and it is typically triggered by an extreme, life-changing, event. I was always told that if it didn't grow back in the first 6 months then it would never fully grow back. But I am still testing that theory!! No cure. Nothing I can really do... Besides learn how to truly love myself and my bald head!!
Loving and accepting my baldness has been a life long journey that is never ending. The moment I think that I've 100% come to terms with it, something like someone calling me sir, or a child being naïve and pointing at me or saying something a child who doesn't know better (or is not taught better by their parents) would say, and it's like I revert right back to that 9 year old little girl getting bullied.
As difficult as it can still be, thankfully, I'm 36 years old now and I am a bit better at educating people rather than getting completely offended and saying something rude right back. I would say that comes with age, but I think it comes with living with alopecia for 25 years. And sometimes it takes a huge amount of biting my tongue and convincing myself to go educate them. I couldn't imagine being diagnosed as an adult. Children are so much more resilient, even though they shouldn't have to be, they just are. I think we lose that resiliency as adults, and we're so much more set in how our appearance "makes" our identity.
Alopecia is awful, and the trigger that set it off in my life was probably one of the worst things that could happen. It wasn't even something that happened to me but to a close family member (I may go into that one day, but not today).
Despite that though, I am almost thankful for my alopecia. It has taught me many things throughout my life and it continues to teach me. I wonder if I would be so passionate about creating, whether it's art, food, or even self-care products, if those circumstances hadn't happened and I never lost my hair. I wonder a lot of other "what-ifs" when it comes to my hair loss, but overall I feel like it is a blessing in disguise. It has given me something to inspire many things in my life, art being one of the most prevalent.
Although I haven't consistently created art, it's always there when I need it. I can literally throw paint at a canvas or be super aggressive with a paint brush dunked in angry black paint and still get the emotions out that I need to.
Like I said in my bio, I let art take a sideline in my life for a while. One day, I was on the phone with my best friend for the upteenth time venting to him about all the things. He said, "Sara, I want you to do something for me. I want you to start your own little art therapy sessions. Go get some paint and brushes and some cheap canvases and just paint. It doesn't even have to be anything. Just paint when you get stressed." Little did he know that his waning patience for hearing the same things over and over again would inspire me to dive back into art.
Art will always be there for you even when you can't visit the realm of stress-free creation!
And I'll end this blog with: Alopecia and Art; two things that have transformed my life into what it is today. I may not be exactly where I thought I would be or want to be, but I do love the caring, empathetic, and creative person I have become! I wouldn't be who I am today without it.