Nicole del Cardayre | Staff Writer | Attack of the white blood cells
Reaching for the back of her head, she glides her hand across the smooth patch of skin nesting at the bottom of her scalp.
She looks like a normal teenager; however little does everybody know, hidden beneath that full head of hair are patches of baldness.
She has Alopecia, an autoimmune skin disease that results in hair loss on one's scalp or body.
According to the national foundation of Alopecia Areata, Alopecia is an autoimmune disease that impacts 6.6 million US citizens at least once throughout their lifetimes.
Alopecia is caused by the body’s confusion of hair follicles with foreign invaders, foreign invaders are germ infecting agents that usually attack one’s immune system. Hair loss occurs when the body’s white blood cells attack the hair follicles as they are mistaken for foreign invaders.
Sophomore David Shen has Alopecia Universalis, the strand which results in total hair loss of one’s body.
“Alopecia has impacted my life since I was 5 years old. It made my hair extremely thin and have bald spots, and eventually I lost it all,” said Shen.
Shen’s scalp regenerates new hair every week but only in certain patches. Because of this, Shen gets a haircut every weekend to even out his patches and eliminate any questions regarding his hair loss.
“It doesn’t really affect my confidence that much because I learned to cope from a very young age and always knew I was different,” said Shen.
Although Shen does not feel the emotional burden of Alopecia, that’s not always the case.
Sophomore Brian So was diagnosed with Alopecia Totalis at age 4. This is a more severe form of Alopecia which results in total loss of hair on one’s scalp.
Since Alopecia Totalis is a more aggressive form of Alopecia, it can sometimes affect the facial region.
“It’s annoying when certain parts of hair on my body fall out like my eyelashes because then my eyes get super watery and it looks like I’ve been crying,” said So.
Over time hair regrowth occurs; however, the rate that one’s hair grows back depends on the person.
“My mom made me do kung fu when I was little. The instructor told me that it doesn’t matter what you look like on the outside, it’s what your like on the inside,” said So.
The effects of the disease go beyond just the person afflicted. Junior Kirsten Clark grew up in a household where Alopecia Universalis was present.
“Ever since I was little I never thought anything of my dad's alopecia. Sometimes people would comment on it and say things like, ‘does your dad shave his eyebrows off?’ I would then explain that it was an autoimmune disease, not an odd fashion statement,” said Clark.
Because of the disease’s irregularity it is hard for people to know if and when they are going to develop Alopecia.
“When I was little, my mom never let me cut my hair because she was afraid I would get Alopecia too. She made sure my hair was long enough so if I got Alopecia I could make a wig out of my own hair,” said Clark.
One source of treatment is the use of topical steroids such as Clobetasol (Clobex), or Betamethasone (Luxiq). By applying these topical solutions to a fresh patch, supposedly one’s hair will grow back faster. However, the usage of topical steroids does not always work for everybody as Alopecia is a very unpredictable disease.
“I stopped using the topical treatments when I reached middle school because I realized that I didn’t really care anymore what people thought,” said So.
The least impactful version of Alopecia is the subtype Alopecia Areata. This version results in patchy hair loss throughout one's scalp that can either be in a pattern or random.
This version of Alopecia is the one that I have had since I was seven years old.
I came home from school one day and discovered a dime-sized patch of baldness front and center on my head.
In seventh grade I lost about one-third of my hair. I didn’t feel comfortable wearing my hair down or in pony tails. In class I would always be rearranging my hair trying to make sure it was perfect.
Playing sports with Alopecia has always been the toughest challenge. Before every practice was a 30-minute ritual of creating the perfect ponytail, pinning down every one of my baby hairs and arranging the others in a way that would cover up the smooth patches of skin with no hair.
As I got older, my patches would come and go, however the way Alopecia impacted my life changed drastically. Now that I am a sophomore, I realized that I don’t care what people think or say about my hair.
For the most part I have grown out of my Alopecia both physically and mentally; however, it will always be a part of me. I will always wonder if new patches will develop or if I will eventually lose all the hair on my body.
Alopecia is not a disease that can kill or create fatal injuries, however the emotional impact created by the autoimmune disease is just as harmful.
“When I was in second grade I hid under the desk because I was scared of what kids would think when they saw the patches on my head,” said So.
Although there is no cure for Alopecia, scientists have created treatments that act as a bandaid to only help initiate hair growth.
However, the impact that the disease has on people’s confidence level is more destructive than the disease itself.
The National Alopecia Areata Foundation was founded in 1981. Since then, it has created many support groups to help organize a safe community for people of all ages.
Through living with Alopecia, one learns to deal with the emotional toll that living without hair can impart.
As more awareness is being spread about Alopecia, people are realizing that it is not to be feared but instead, understood.
“Living with Alopecia isn’t bad at all, it almost characterizes me,” said Shen.