September is Alopecia Awareness Month. Sponsored by the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, it’s a month of special events and educational programs encouraging people to share their stories and to learn more about this condition. The theme “Look at Us” is a rallying cry to build pride among the alopecia community.
Alopecia areata is a common autoimmune skin disease resulting in the loss of hair on the scalp and elsewhere on the body. It usually starts with one or more small, round, smooth patches on the scalp and can progress to total scalp hair loss (alopecia totalis) or complete body hair loss (alopecia universalis).
It affects approximately two percent of the population overall and is very unpredictable. Hair can grow back in or fall out again at any time, and the disease course is different for each person.
Living with alopecia can be a real roller coaster, but we can help. Many of our Allusions clients – and even some of our staff – experience alopecia, so we have developed a keen understanding of the condition and offer solutions and support for people with this very common disease.
As Lila, 27, an Allusions client with alopecia said, “I did this for me. I wanted to take control of my life. Now I have the hair I’ve always dreamed of.” And you can too!
