Saturday … Its OK

All my 60 plus years I have fought against Alopecia (and GPs , who wanted to blame anything but not psychological disorder and reluctant to consider holistic methods of cure even if they knew about them)

Fortunately, it has mostly been a private battle; unnoticed by others except my hairdressers who soon learned the technique to tell me gently that there was cause for concern again. (not that I knew the answer or the cure) Having said that I usually knew when the baldness was about as the skin where the hair had been yesterday was surprising cold; It is remarkable how warming hair is, even a few tufts.

Sadly, on more than one occasion the effect has be total; for many months I was completely bald.

No one can tell what has caused it; although I can make some calculated suggestions. Sometimes, it comes back as quickly as it went often it takes longer seems like weeks or months.   

There is no rhyme or reason; as child and teenager my hair grew back my natural dark brown. Then after a particularly troublesome time in my early twenties I lost much hair and it grew back white. It continued in this way, so by the time I was 30 my hair was white as snow and has been ever since.

It continued to go and come and it wasn’t until I turned 40 and the birth of my last daughter I decided to study the condition more closely and take some action.

It had been easy to say the the Alopecia was just to do with anxiety or stress levels.  Or worse blame myself using poor quality shampoo, bad diet, hair spray etc etc.

While it I am not about to apportion blame to parents who had neglected to see that their  little girl had genuine and treatable emotional and hormonal disorders. It did soon become clear that Alopecia is not just about hair loss and baldness.  

Even now after years of ‘therapies’ treatments, change of diet etc. I am not sure if any of it has worked. Sufficed to say  I am OK, the psyche is complex, I am complex … The condition doesn’t appear to upset the rest of my life.  I lead a rich and fulfilled life, my garden is a testament to that. A tiny patch 3 metres x 10 metres of delight. ..

Sadly these last traumers have taken their toll; my recent hair loss is considerable.  I have gone beyond the careful combover and strategically placed scarf.  If not just for vanity I wear a hat; I wonder who would choose to shave their head,  even in the lovely sunlight the wind is still keen.