SHEDDING LIGHT ON ALOPECIA FOR WOMEN
+ Sponsored Post by Hush & Hush
“Honey, is that a bald spot?” is one of the top questions you never want to be asked, especially not by your almost husband-to-be. But the answer was, unfortunately, “yes,” that’s when I found out I had a patch the size of a golf ball missing in the back of my hair. I had alopecia areata.
When I was 26, I suffered from stress-related Alopecia. At the time, I was planning a wedding to the man I love, building our soon-to-be-dream house, and working full time. I knew I was stressed, sure, but I had no idea the toll that that stress had taken on my body. It also felt like since it was good stress, I should be fine right?
Two weeks before my wedding, my fiancé (now husband) and I were cuddling on the couch one night and he pointed out what he thought was a spot on my head. To my horror I had found about a golf ball size of hair missing in the middle of my scalp. That’s when I knew I had a problem.
I immediately called the dermatologist, with whom I was working with at the time and he explained to me that I had alopecia areata, an auto-immune condition where the body’s immune system attacks its own cells instead of bacteria and viruses - with alopecia this condition targets the hair follicles specifically.
I just kept thinking, “What did I do wrong? Will I lose all my hair? Will this last forever? How much will I lose before my wedding?”
I realized just how attached to my hair that I was. I would always get compliments on how full it was. This started to terrify me because what if I lost it all?
My doctor helped me by getting cortisone injections directly into the bald patches - which is not always an option or successful, but I’m beyond grateful that, in my case, it was. But mainly, I had to make a mental shift and not let myself stress anymore about it. This is extremely hard to do, but it’s honestly a mental state I had to get through to help my body get better. I was able to get a hairpiece to fill in for my wedding day and was lucky enough that most of my hair grew back after that.
I remember telling myself that God has a plan, and worrying will not change the outcome. I tried my very best to focus on my mental health and overall wellness.
I’ve since learned that I am far from alone; 21 million women in the U.S. currently suffer from Alopecia, according to the New York Times. That number is insane compared to how alone I felt when I went through this experience.
Now, whenever I discover a small spot missing, I tell myself not to panic and to let it go because honestly, not stressing is the best thing that I can do for my body. I have also started using DeeplyRooted supplements to help with healthy hair growth by Hush & Hush. These supplements are packed with biotin and ashwagandha to help my hair grow thicker and stronger. I can’t wait to share my hair growth results with you all!
My goal with this post is to help women know that you aren’t alone and to help alleviate the social stigma attached to Alopecia and to know that while it’s a sensitive subject, don’t suffer in silence.
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