My Alopecia Story – Jamie R.

My alopecia story began about 25 years ago it started off when I had small patches of alopecia for a good number of years, it would go bald sporadically in different areas, and I would try to mask it by combing over the top, which you can get away with if its only small patches. I used to wake up with patches of hair on my pillow  Later on it developed into more severe alopecia with larger patches falling out, especially at the bottom of my neck, I could hide this easily as a short back and sides cut really short.

At one point I did shave my whole head for approximately 7 years when alopecia was bad and my head looked like leopard skin, I became an expert at shaving my head, with a wee bit of shaving foam and a razor, I didn’t even need a mirror and could do whole head by just touch, I got that fast at it I accidentally took the Gillette Mach 3 razor over my eyebrow by one time and shaved half of it off, silly me !!

 Then funnily enough my hair grew back so I stopped shaving it and it got itchy growing back in, then and I had a full head of hair for about 6 years.

In 2015  all my hair started falling out from the middle of the top of my head I was distraught over this just watching it getting worse by the day, trying to hide it, walking into work thinking everyone was looking at me, I was paranoid.

I plucked up the courage to shave it all off one Friday after work, it was really hard and difficult to comprehend and when I went to work on Monday morning the people were looking at me and staring at me I felt awkward at first, are you ok Jamie? Is everything alright Jamie? What do you say? Some people don’t get it, and some people understood it, it’s just hair isn’t it?

Then in about 2018 my eyebrows and eyelashes started falling out, that was hard for me because I used to look in the mirror and I did not recognize who I had become, I didn’t know who I was, and I didn’t see myself, only a person who I didn’t know, that was tough for a while, and then I did get to know Jamie, the new look, the new me.

I know there are many people in the world with alopecia areata, and they manage to hide it as it’s just small coin size bald patches, you might be the one reading this, don’t despair it’s not that bad.

Today I am very grateful for the breath of life in me, I am fit and healthy, and many people  in the graveyard would swap me for what I have, that breath of life, I am unique and I am now ok with who I am, Alopecia and all, bald is beautiful

Much Love.

Jamie.