Reclaiming What It Means And Looks Like To Live With Alopecia: Four Women Share Their Stories

Sparingly talked about until it turned the topic of Chris Rock’s joke, Alopecia is a situation that deserves to be seen as extra than simply the muse of an Oscar meme. “Merely put, Alopecia is hair loss. It may be of many sorts, the commonest being alopecia areata (an autoimmune dysfunction that normally leads to patchy hair loss) and androgenetic alopecia (male or feminine sample baldness),” says Dr Manasi Shirolikar, Advisor Dermatologist and Founding father of On-line Consulting Model drmanasiskin.com. Jada Smith broke her silence on the Academy Awards slap final week on her Fb Watch present Red Table Talk with an episode devoted to this situation. “147 million individuals are dwelling with Alopecia, together with me. There’s a lot disgrace round having alopecia and if you go bald, and also you don’t have a alternative” she says.

We reached out to 4 Indian girls dwelling with this situation to share their journey to feeling assured in their very own pores and skin and redefining societal magnificence requirements:

Dwelling With Alopecia

Supriya Surender – “Beauty just isn’t restricted to a cookie-cutter picture”

“Through the Summer time of 2013 I seen a bald spot situated behind my ear. A visit to the dermatologist confirmed the spot was brought on by Alopecia Areata. For 2 years the bald spots got here and went however at all times remained localized in the direction of the nape of my neck. Might 2015 is when every part modified. I had grown up with very thick Indian hair and was used to shedding, however that Might I seen I used to be shedding SIGNIFICANTLY extra hair at an alarming charge. My dermatologist informed me I used to be experiencing an Alopecia Areata flare-up’, which means my immune system had gone off the rails and was staging a large assault on my hair follicles. We tried experimental medicines, however nothing labored. In a matter of three quick months, my hair was gone. I used to be a bald girl, and I used to be devastated.”

“My relationship with Alopecia Areata was tumultuous and it took me years to make peace with a illness that triggered me a lot ache. Through the fall of 2017, I shared my hair loss story in a social media publish with my shut family and friends. Whereas it was scary to cease hiding behind my secret, it was liberating. Reclaiming my energy and proudly owning my story was step one. Now I’m at a degree the place my ache has reworked into goal and I’ve discovered my peace. I created my weblog & social media platform, Baldieboo to share my story and join with different hair loss warriors around the globe. They gave me the braveness to do issues I had utterly written off after turning into a bald girl. Date, experience curler coasters, exit in public WITHOUT a wig, go to the workplace with out a wig, and a lot extra.”

“I really consider being a bald girl must be rebranded. Society has taught us that bald equals sick, and Hollywood has taught us that bald equals the monster, the villain, the witch. Why? All it takes is a fast social media search to see that bald is not one of the above. Take a look at the ladies who’re rocking bald. They’re freaking attractive!”

Suhani Parikh – “ My definition of magnificence has advanced over time. After I have a look at somebody assured of their pores and skin or somebody who’s variety to others, or humble, or filled with goal, I discover them to be lovely.” 

“I used to be recognized with alopecia on the age of 4, nonetheless, it solely introduced as small dime-size bald patches that hid amongst my thick Indian hair. It was across the age of 11 that I began to lose the hair proper on the prime of my head and that’s after I couldn’t cover or cover from my situation anymore. Alopecia runs in my household and since my dad and aunt had been already dwelling with the situation, all of us knew what was certain to occur. That information, in fact, didn’t make it any simpler dropping my hair as a teenage lady. For the primary time in my life, I turned my very own worst critic and I bear in mind wanting up on the posters of Bollywood actresses taped as much as the wall of my bed room, wishing that I had hair like theirs.”

“I distinctly recall doing my hair and checking to ensure that no little patches had been seen wherever my hair parted. This reminiscence later served because the inspiration behind my first kids’s ebook “Shreya’s Very Own Style”. The ebook is my total expertise dwelling with alopecia and my self-realization in 32 pages. After I considered specializing in my writing a couple of years in the past, I had initially got down to write a novel. However being knee-deep in elevating my 18-month-old twins, all I might consider had been concepts for youngsters’s books. After I regarded into what image books had been out there, I discovered that no more than a few self-published books spoke to my very own expertise of patchy hair loss. So, I got down to share it. I ended up creating what I hope to be a strong useful resource for youths and households. “Shreya’s Very Personal Fashion” doesn’t give attention to the exterior lack of hair or the bullying one may face, however somewhat on what one goes via internally. My hope is that it turns into a useful resource for youths dwelling with alopecia in addition to a software to domesticate empathy.”

“Over time I’ve come to phrases with having alopecia and am appreciative of the angle on magnificence it has lent me. I really like the readability with which I’m able to have a look at myself, these round me and the world. I additionally favor to name alopecia a situation somewhat than a illness, since I do know that it can not cease me from doing something I would like in my life. After many years of hiding behind a wig, I’m lastly not afraid of the feedback or questions or what individuals may assume in the event that they see me with out my wig on. I’ve discovered energy and confidence that I hope my kids see and embrace for themselves.”

Monisha Varadan – “Magnificence is accepting who you really are.”

“My hair loss began round 2010. I used to be at INSEAD, which is without doubt one of the finest enterprise colleges on the planet and subsequently the stress ranges had been fairly excessive. At that time my hair loss wasn’t too dangerous as a result of my hair is simply naturally thick, so you possibly can’t inform and I blamed it on the stress. However finally, the patches began rising from coin dimension to larger and larger. I knew it was Alopecia Areata at that time. By 2014, it had turn out to be about 50% of my scalp so I used to be barely capable of cowl it. My journey turned fascinating after I obtained married in 2014 as a result of each time I obtained pregnant, my physique simply recuperated utterly and all my hair would develop again. This could final from the third month of being pregnant to the ninth month of being pregnant, and perhaps about 4 or 5 months after that after which your entire factor would fall off. My endocrinologist didn’t have any solutions as to why that could be occurring.”

“I discovered mainstream drugs to be very disappointing by way of how they tackled Alopecia as a result of the one answer they gave me was to inject steroids into my scalp, which I didn’t wish to do as a result of it was fairly painful and there are uncomfortable side effects such as you may develop a moustache. There are additionally some very long run uncomfortable side effects of steroids, which I actually don’t like. In 2018, April, I obtained my first wig. It’s been 4 years now and I’ve been okay with the wig a bit and with the truth that the hair drops and comes again. However this time it has been the worst as a result of now I’ve Alopecia Universalis which implies I’ve even misplaced my eyebrows and I don’t have any hair on my physique. In some methods, nice, (laughs) however in some methods, fairly disturbing. It’s difficult to just accept your bodily look in a world the place there’s a sure expectation of magnificence.”

“It hasn’t been simple and I always query what this situation means to me. I can’t conceal it this time, as a result of I don’t have eyebrows. It’s fairly clear that I don’t have any hair of my very own. so may as effectively personal it.”

Paromita Gupta – “I really feel snug being bald. I do. It’s not a lie. Actually, it has helped formed the individual I’m at present and I’m tremendous happy with myself. “

“I used to be 10 years outdated after I began experiencing hair fall in ridiculous quantities. Inside per week, I misplaced all of my hair. Initially, a couple of normal physicians ascribed my hair fall to after-effects of typhoid or to some fungal an infection. My dad and mom sought medical therapies throughout fields – allopathy, homoeopathy and even Ayurveda. I bear in mind having to rub some onion paste on my scalp. It was ridiculous. I went round stinking like a meat marinade. Lastly, a dermatologist in Siliguri was capable of diagnose the difficulty and ascribed the trigger to a number of causes – stress, thyroid, anaemia and others.” 

“At first, when individuals made enjoyable of my appears to be like, I used to really feel dangerous. That feeling, in time, developed into one thing else – I started to affix of their laughs. What I regarded as a daring and courageous act as a child turned out to be extra damaging. As a result of each time I laughed with them, I inspired and supported the act of being made enjoyable of, and betrayed my shallowness. We’re conditioned to consider that folks ought to seem in a sure method. I additionally needed to get away of the stereotype that I used to be conditioned to consider – that bald girls aren’t lovely or value contemplating somebody you’d ask out. I began taking delight in the way in which I regarded. After all, this didn’t occur in a single day. It took me every day affirmations to turn out to be conscious of my ideas after they would stray in the direction of the darkish abyss of feeling nugatory, all as a result of I had no hair. I began actively taking part in Human Library, Bangalore chapter occasions. It was an important alternative for somebody grappling with points like me to discover a discussion board to voice our experiences.”

“I’ve just lately been recognized with vitiligo. Say howdy to the poster-child-of-all-dermatological-problems However that is additionally a strategy of loving your physique it doesn’t matter what. It’s difficult and troublesome to maintain your self constructive if you’re confronted with such conditions however what you make of it’s what issues. Somebody just lately informed me that you possibly can be India’s Winnie Harlow! I may be India’s Paromita Gupta.”

Ask The Specialists 

Are some individuals at a larger threat of creating Alopecia?

“Sure, in case you have a household historical past of balding then you will get androgenic alopecia in males and in girls, hypothyroidism or hormonal imbalances, stress, and diseases play a significant causative position,” says Dr Manjot Marwah, an Award-winning Celeb Dermatologist, and Hair Transplant Surgeon. Advisor & Director at Dr Manjot’s Clinic. 

What are the therapies out there for Alopecia?

“There are a number of therapies out there these days to regulate hair loss though all alopecias aren’t curable. There’s Platelet Wealthy Plasma (PRP), mesotherapy, stem cell and regenerative medicinal choices out there and hair transplant surgical procedure is probably the most rewarding and satisfying possibility out of all of those” says Dr Manjot. 

“Dietary supplements within the type of hair nutritional vitamins and oral medicines reminiscent of minoxidil and finasteride are a few of the widespread ones. Topical serums containing peptides, minoxidil and finasteride are additionally an possibility. Minoxidil is probably the most promising remedy and has probably the most information backing behind it as effectively. When used as directed, minoxidil can stimulate hair progress and stop additional hair loss. Hair loss will be staved off with remedy, however as and when the remedy is stopped, hair loss can return. The therapies (particularly the peptide serums, minoxidil and oral dietary supplements) are protected to make use of lifelong, however at all times communicate to your dermatologist first, earlier than experimenting.” provides Dr Manasi. 

For those who preferred this, we additionally did an article on LGBTQ+ organisations in India