“Alopecian” – A Language Guide

ALOPECIAN
[Pronunciation: al-uh-pee-shee-an]

Noun (Informal): A person who has a form of the hair loss condition known as Alopecia or Alopecia Areata.

Plural: Alopecians

Examples:

• Alopecian women and girls often have a very different experience with the condition than men and boys, but the common assumption that alopecia is ‘easier’ for males is incorrect.
• Having been an alopecian for most of my life, I have a very different experience in crowded, public spaces than people who do not have such a visible difference.
• As an alopecian, I loathe being called an alopecia sufferer.

What NOT to say to someone with Alopecia

Hi, I’m Gemma. I’m 22 years old and I’m a registered nurse. I first lost my hair last year when I was 21 and working at a nursing home. I’d worked at this nursing home for 2 years already so I was well known by all the residents. However, I soon discovered that sometimes elderly people say whatever they want without really thinking about it, which, let’s face it, if I had lived a whole life censoring myself in society, I’d stop trying when I was old too.

One day I was having a particularly emotionally hard day at work, and I decided to write a response to every comment that had been said to me since I started losing my hair, and created this list of things not to say to someone with alopecia.