Alopecia means hair loss. It is different from the kind of hair loss that happens from chemotherapy (a group of drugs most commonly used to treat cancer) or from aging. Alopecia is thought to be an autoimmune condition where the immune system (the system of cells in our body that fights bacteria and viruses) for some reason, attacks the hair follicles causing the hair to fall out.
Sometimes the hair falls out in patches(alopecia areata). Sometimes all of the hair on the head falls out (alopecia totalis) and sometimes all of the hair on the entire body falls out (alopecia universalis). In the past, people used to blame stress or nervousness for hair loss. However, doctors have discovered through research that alopecia is not caused by stress. (After all, think of all of the stressed people you know with full heads of hair!) Alopecia is no one’s fault.
For some people that have alopecia, they may find that it gets worse when they are stressed, but that is true of many things that can act up in our bodies. (Eczema, cardiac issues, mental health disorders, blood pressure, for a few examples). There are different treatments that a dermatologist can prescribe to help with alopecia, but they all seem to work differently on different people.
Often, it can take a series of trial and error to find a treatment that works for alopecia on each person. Some people may choose not to treat their alopecia at all. That is ok too! It is something that each family needs to figure out for themselves. In addition to medicines, people dealing with alopecia may decide to wear wigs, hats or head wraps in order to protect their scalp or to achieve the style they want.
If they have alopecia areata they may decide to try some different cool hair dos that hide their bald patches or give them a cool asymmetrical hair style. All of these are a-ok and are healthy ways to cope with having alopecia.
One way you can be a good friend to someone with alopecia is listen to them express how they are feeling about their hairloss, be supportive and be ready to learn. There are lots of things that the hairs on our body do that you might never have thought of! Someone dealing with alopecia universalis may have challenges with their eyes watering because they don’t have eyebrows and eyelashes to protect them from the elements, for example. Being aware of these challenges can help you to be kind and empathetic.