The Avenue ~ Issue No. 002
In this Issue: Fellow alopecians discuss living with alopecia.
1. Living with alopecia has taught me to go with the flow, things can be really great for a while, then out of nowhere something else happens. I'll have full growth, then in a couple months find four patches. Then they'll "shift" and I'll find different ones. Some years I have to shave my head because I'll be at 80% hair loss, which eventually leads to total hair loss, while currently I have 7 inches of brown curly locks with 20% loss and hair coming out with every shampoo. You just have to roll with the punches. Life is always changing.
[- Becca, 24f, Alopecia Areata/Totalis, Reddit: r/becc-becc]
2. Living with Alopecia is being mistaken for having cancer and misplaced sympathy. No bad hair days. Perfect microbladed eyebrows lol.
[- Jennifer, @mother.of.sighs, 37, Diagnosed at 25, Alopecia Areata and now Alopecia Universalis, Reddit: u/MrsRose666]
3. Living with alopecia is like a rollercoaster, The Scream Machine to be exact. I love my bald head but on throwback Thursdays as I look at photos of myself with hair I get angry. My ability to 'choose' my hair length was stolen from me. However I still find Joy because I can choose how I react to this autoimmune disease.
[- Ericka, @joyafteralopecia, Diagnosed at 37, Alopecia Areata]
4. Learning to live well with alopecia was learning how to treat myself with care. Alopecia is not just about hair. It’s about confidence, identity, representation, and self-love. The lessons learned from living with alopecia became keys for unlocking my potential to thrive - Gabe
Are you living with alopecia? Comment below on what living well looks like for you regardless if you have alopecia or not. Share a quote or words that have changed your perspective on what it means to live well.