Crowned Regal - My Alopecia Story:
A story about my journey to self acceptance through shock, shame, guilt, denial, strength and other things inside of me that ultimately lead to a rediscovery of myself.

It Wasn't the First Time 
Any picture that I've ever seen of myself as a baby I was bald. According to my mother's account, she was required to take medication while she was pregnant with me because there was a possibility that she may have been exposed to a contagious disease. She claimed she needed to take the medication to protect herself and me from possible exposure to the disease. My mother felt this may have been the reason I was born with little hair or no hair at all.  Her story was that I had a few wisps of hair on my head and by the time I was a few weeks old my head was bald as a bean.  Everyone thought it was cute...and you know what?... it was acceptable to be a chubby little bald baby. Life was easy. A good bath from my mommy, a little Johnson's Baby Oil on my head, throw on a baby bonnet with matching clothes and I was "good to go". Fast forward to today; being bald as an adult woman is so much different from being little bald headed baby. It comes with a lot of negative stigmatisms, misconceptions and emotions. Most importantly, the reason that I am bald today is far different than from when I was a baby and in no way was related to my Mother's account of having to take those medications .

I have Alopecia. I love my new crown (read what's in a name). I believe that I came into the world bald, I will leave this world bald, therefore, I have been hereby, "CROWNED REGAL!". Although I have come to love my new crown, nobody told me how heavy wearing that crown would be.

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What's Alopecia?
Alopecia is an autoimmune condition that results in hair loss, and the autoimmune reaction appears to be the immune system's mistaken attack on its own hair follicles. Hair can be lost from any part of the body. In some cases alopecia doesn't involve any specific medical conditions or disease symptoms but  it's effects can be devastating on an emotional and social level, especially in women diagnosed with the condition. Alopecia, in and of itself, is not a life threatening condition. Most people afflicted with the condition live normal happy and healthy lives. Alopecia can also be as a result of another disease or treatment from some other complicated medical conditions. For example, alopecia in cancer patients are as a result of chemotherapy treatments. Most people may have heard of the term "Alopecia Areata", however there are many types of alopecia and in some cases patients are diagnosed with more than one type. I was diagnosed with  Cicatricial Alopecia or Scarring Alopecia(read more here). I have a form of this type which is known as Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia (CCCA) and Alopecia Totalis?(read more here) Why did I phrase my diagnosis as a question? Because, that's how it was presented to me. While it was evident that my scalp showed signs of scarring alopecia, there were other areas of my scalp that were shiny, thin skinned, with no signs of hair or scars. In addition, I have other health issues that cause my autoimmune system to behave strangely. What everyone, including myself was sure of, was that I had severe hair loss. I was going bald. I was told it was going to be permanent.

Where do I Begin?
First, I will start off by letting you know that my hair, nor lack there of, does not define who I am. Sounds like a song of empowerment, strength and grace from a strong and powerful woman doesn't it? The answer to that question is yes and no. It is a very strong and powerful statement, however, there was a process I had to go through before I actually believed any of those words in that statement. In the beginning of this journey not one of those words applied to me.

I was diagnosed with this condition when it was too late.  It was discovered during my very first visit to the dermatologist that I had extensive permanent damage to my hair follicles. Within minutes of my visit my doctor knew a biopsy was necessary to determine just how extensive the damage was. The other observation which was made at that time was that I had some sort of fungal infection which required heavy doses of antibiotics, externally and  internally. The physicians assistant  accompanying the doctor introduced me to a tray which looked to have about 10 syringes on it. She asked if I was ready for steroid injections to help with calming down the spreading of the alopecia..."Hold it!...You know how a car sounds when it screeches before coming to a complete halt?...."errrrrrrr!"...eh, hold on there cowboy, I ain't ready for 'no injections.!".  

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