Michelle’s Story.

When I was diagnosed with alopecia areata at age 13, it was a very sudden life shift. I went from having long, thick hair to being bald within a couple of months, which made navigating high school particularly tricky. Developing alopecia at that formative age impacted my identity, and self-esteem, and instilled a lot of anxiety around social activities and sports.  

Now, I’m 32 and my alopecia has shifted and changed over the years, as it tends to do! I’ve had my hair grow back completely, then become sparse and patchy, to then growing back and falling out all over again. The past decade has been more consistent; right now I’m bald and have lost my eyebrows. Along the way I’ve tried many different treatments – from steroids to T-Cell inhibitors – that have been successful to varying degrees. With age, I’ve come to peace with how unpredictable alopecia is, and don’t take any medication for it. 

Having alopecia has definitely influenced my worldview, which in turn has influenced my working life. Personally, it’s taught me to develop a great sense of humour, to remember that beauty is skin deep, and to have greater sympathy for others and their internal struggles. Professionally, it’s inspired speeches about alopecia and TV projects like my SBS series, Homecoming Queens. 

I think having alopecia teaches you to be resilient, adaptive, and fearless. It’s also an ever-evolving journey. There are days when I love having alopecia (drying off after the shower is so easy!), where I miss having hair (winter is freezing!), and sometimes find it utterly exhausting (having to explain what alopecia is to new people). It’s been amazing having more public figures speaking about their alopecia, but there’s still a long way to go.

I’m excited to create more visibility and conversations around alopecia through the AAAF’s sponsorship program. I’ll be undertaking six months of horse-riding lessons, something I’ve always wanted to do. Horse-riding can be such a peaceful yet powerful experience, and horses are such empathetic creatures. I’m looking forward to the new life skills I’ll pick up along the way and can’t wait to keep everyone posted.