As an Alopecian, the hardest part of hair loss for me is that I am assumed to be sick, or more specifically, to have cancer. Not only don’t I have cancer, but beyond my immune system’s assault on my hair follicles, I am absolutely healthy. Bummer? Yes, but life goes on and I choose to move on with it.
A couple of years ago, I conducted a two-part survey exploring the emotional...
I might be in the minority, but I am okay with Facebook’s decision to censor The Scar Project’s photos of topless women exposing the scars they’ve accumulated in their battles with breast cancer. Here’s why:
1) Just because I have mastectomy scars and reconstructed breasts does not mean I want to see the scars and breasts of other women. I want the choice and can...
If I told you there was an online “hair loss support” site dedicated to supporting those of us (men, women, and children) with hair loss, maybe you’d think, “That’s great!”
If I told you that among the topics covered there was “What Your Hairstyle Says About You,” and that under that topic, we are told exactly which hairstyles we need to don in order to...
Sounds like Bald Barbie is in the works and she’ll have company. MGA’s Bratz and Moxie Girlz are losing their locs as well in solidarity with Bald Barbie and all the doll-loving young girls out there coming to terms with hair loss. One small step for bald girl-kind. Top her off with a beaubeau® and we’re talking one giant step for Bald Barbie fashion.
Being the fashionable...
More and more studies are telling us that breast cancer screens lead to unnecessary treatment. I think it all boils down to your focal point, population vs. individual. Medical recommendations based upon population-level outcomes differ from those based upon individual outcomes. The numbers tell us that the screening often does more damage than good. According to the latest study in the news, one death from breast cancer...
Not so fast Myriad Genetics. Back to court with you so the judicial system can reconsider the decision to uphold your patents on OUR BRCA genes. Good news for we BRCA mutation carriers, bad news for you. Or is it?
Myriad’s stock rose 56 cents on Monday, following the Supreme Court ruling that their right to patent our genes needs to be reconsidered. That’s after it had fallen a week ago following...
I’ve wasted so much time wishing my hair would grow back. I’m done with it. I don’t even want it to grow back because it just falls out again and I have to ride the same old roller coaster. So I have a new wish. Here it is: I wish I had male pattern baldness.
No, it’s not because I’d prefer to be a bald man. Male...
I want hair. I so want hair. I want it to grow thick and long and luscious and to never stop growing.
Careful what I wish for. While I so miss a normal head of hair, I’ve never mourned the loss of the hair on my legs and armpits. The loss of eyebrows and eyelashes is the icing on the alopecia cake, but there is an upside down version of this hair...
Alopecia made the list! Of “My Extreme Afflictions” that is. It’s a series on ABC’s news show, 20/20, in which they are covering some truly bizarre health inflictions. It was emotionally difficult to watch the alopecia segment, but as it was sandwiched between Extreme Hoarders and children suffering from progeria, we alopecians were provided some important perspective on our condition.
The memories and emotions came...
What does a woman do when she wakes up and discovers half of her eyebrow missing? No, it was not one of those college pranks in which mischievous things happen while sleeping. This is alopecia rearing it’s ugly head again. My 11-year battle with this disease has provided tears, joy, disappointment, embarrassment, resignation, strength, growth, wisdom and now, half an eyebrow.
I’m resigned to the fact that the productive follicles I’ve enjoyed...
