Causes of alopecia, like genetics, hormonal changes, or age, may lead to symptoms of alopecia. You can opt for suitable alopecia treatments, like minoxidil or PRP.

The Disease That Slapped: Alopecia And Its Daily Life Struggles

Introduction

While the Oscars do not really contribute anything to society, the 2021 Oscars did. The famous Will Smith slap increased awareness for the hair loss disease known as <a href="https://merisehat.pk/disease/alopecia">Alopecia areata</a>. 
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Alopecia is a very common condition that is highly prevalent in Pakistan, especially in males. Men are known to suffer a lot more than women, with around 72% of males suffering from alopecia and only 28% women<a href="#accordion">[1]</a>.&nbsp; 
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Alopecia is a complicated disease to understand. It&#39;s not just vanity that makes it so hard to talk about alopecia, but the fact that even though there are treatments available, they aren&#39;t very effective.&nbsp; 
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It is scary because it causes much more than just hair loss; it can negatively impact your self-esteem and overall health.&nbsp; 
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Understanding Alopecia

You might be wondering what it&rsquo;s like to have alopecia. If you have it, you know that it&#39;s hard to explain to people what&#39;s going on and that they don&#39;t really understand. You feel like you&#39;re losing control of your hair, your identity, and sometimes even your emotions when everyone around you is used to seeing a full head of hair on every person they meet. 
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It makes it difficult for people with alopecia to interact with their social circles and at their workplace, where their appearance is seen as an asset or even a sign of professionalism depending on the industry they chose for work (for example, banking).&nbsp; 
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In fact, studies show that employers are more likely to hire someone who looks &quot;attractive&quot;, over someone who is unkempt or disheveled looking. This is because outward appearance is associated with competence and intelligence among others factors such as reliability, which make up part of our overall experience interacting with other individuals within any given social context<a href="#accordion">[6]</a>.

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You feel like you have to explain, defend, or apologize for your alopecia. It&#39;s hard to explain, and even harder to understand. You continue to defend and justify your choices to your friends and family members who haven&rsquo;t walked in your shoes, and don&#39;t know what it&#39;s like living with the condition.&nbsp; 
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And then there are the people who think they know exactly what you&#39;re going through because their aunt/uncle/brother-in-law/dog had some kind of hair loss once. But here&#39;s the thing: just because someone knows someone who has dealt with alopecia doesn&#39;t mean they know what it&#39;s like for YOU personally! 
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It is very common, especially for women who deal with alopecia, to suffer from psychological disorders including depression and anxiety<a href="#accordion">[6]</a>.

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It&#39;s the one part of your body that you can control, and it&#39;s the one thing you can style to show off who you are and how you feel. Your hair is an expression of yourself. It tells people who you are, what makes you happy and what makes you sad.&nbsp; 
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It&rsquo;s been observed that younger people who suffer from alopecia are prone to emotionally suffer from the hair loss the most.&nbsp; 
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There always comes a point where most people completely shave off their head and start owning it, but before that happens, younger females tend to generally get affected by it the most<a href="#accordion">[3]</a>.

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Hair loss is not just vanity, it&#39;s a real medical problem. Alopecia, or hair loss, is a condition that affects millions of people. It&#39;s also the most common autoimmune disease in the world, with around 2% of the population suffering from it<a href="#accordion">[4]</a>,&nbsp;both men and women being affected alike. Not only is this condition very common, it&#39;s one of the most misunderstood conditions people suffer from at some point in their lives. 
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Some people with cancer or other conditions (such as diabetes or thyroid disease) might experience temporary alopecia, which would go away once those underlying health problems have been treated successfully. However, for others who suffer from permanent forms, like baldness, there isn&#39;t much to do, except treat themselves psychologically via therapy sessions.

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It&#39;s obvious that something isn&#39;t right, so people are going to wonder what&#39;s wrong with you. They might ask questions or make comments, and it could be embarrassing when they don&#39;t know why you&#39;re going bald and you do. You would probably want to avoid the topic, but then people would just think there&#39;s something more serious going on if they don&#39;t hear an explanation from you. 
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They might also assume things based on your appearance. For example, if your hair loss is noticeable enough (and not normal), people might assume it&rsquo;s cancer or some other serious health problem &mdash; even though this isn&#39;t necessarily true!

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It is important to note that there are no good treatments for alopecia. There is no cure, and even the most effective treatments have side effects<a href="#accordion">[5]</a>. One of the most common medicines used in alopecia treatment, minoxidil is known to cause contact dermatitis, itching, and even burning in the area where it is applied<a href="#accordion">[2]</a>.&nbsp; 
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If you decide to try a new treatment, it&#39;s best to do your research and consult a professional doctor before you commit yourself or spend any money on it. 
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While some people might achieve results with over-the-counter shampoos and moisturizers, these products are unlikely to have any significant impact on your condition. Unless, they are used continuously and consistently over long periods of time. These products also don&rsquo;t serve the purpose if you have severe or advanced hair loss, because they do not address the underlying cause of your hair loss, which is often autoimmune.

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Alopecia is often mistaken for cancer and this could be extremely frustrating. The best way to handle these comments is by saying: 
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<ul>
	<li>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s alopecia. It&#39;s a real disease.&quot;</li>
	<li>&ldquo;Don&#39;t worry, it&#39;s not contagious.&quot; (If you are wearing a hat, take it off)</li>
	<li>&quot;It&#39;s not a choice or lifestyle; I have no control over my hair loss.&quot;</li>
</ul>

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Conclusion

Living with alopecia comes with its own set of struggles that are not just limited to the disease itself. A lot of it is because of how the disease is perceived by the public. However, the newer generation is more progressive and accepting of different appearances of people. Although your alopecia might not be completely curable, or have remission a lot of times, always consult your healthcare practitioner before subjecting your skin or your body to any unknown substances or remedies.

Key Points

<ul>
	<li>2% of the entire world population suffers with this autoimmune hair loss disorder, known as alopecia.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>In Pakistan, around 72% of the sufferers are men.</li>
	<li>Alopecia is known to cause severe self-esteem issues.</li>
	<li>Psychological disorders, like depression and anxiety, are common complications of alopecia, but there is no definite scientific connection between the two.</li>
	<li>Public perception of the disease is very different. The patient might experience discriminating attitude, particularly in professional settings where their hiring rate is impacted due to their appearance.</li>
</ul>

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[1] Amer Ejaz, K. J. M. S., 2009. Pattern and profile of alopecia areata in Pakistan. Journal of Pakistan Association of Dermatologists , 19(3).

[2] Drug Office - HK, 2016. Drugs for Alopecia. [Online]  Available at: https://www.drugoffice.gov.hk/eps/do/en/consumer/news_informations/dm_35.html#d [Accessed 11 Aug 2022].

[3] Healthtalk.org, n.d. Alopecia (young people).

[4] Miteva, A. C. V. F. a. M., 2015. Epidemiology and burden of alopecia areata: a systematic review. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol., Volume 8, pp. 397-403.

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