she is beauty, she is grace, she is balding
content warning and disclaimer: this is a brief post about a health issue, specifically autoimmune hair loss. i'm not soliciting diagnoses, treatments, advice, apologies, sympathy, or proof-of-work cryptocurrencies.
alopecia areata is an autoimmune skin disease that typically leaves you with coin-sized bald spots. here is one, for example:
i found that spot a couple of weeks ago, and an even bigger one on the back of my head the next day. fortunately, i come with a lot of hair which became extremely obvious to andy (best human) as he painstakingly surveyed my scalp for spots.
i started treatment for the alopecia specifically on monday, which entails getting all the bald areas injected with steroids over a few monthly visits. the injections are quick and shallow, like getting little tattoos. the hair is expected to grow back, but if not i will probably get actual little tattoos there.
such sudden hair loss has unsurprisingly lead to me instantly and emotionally detach from all of it. i mean, many of my follicles have betrayed me, and there is no telling how many more will continue to do so! i think about cutting it all off daily, but i know my lane and cutting hair is not in it.
[note: i took a break from writing this to book a hair appointment with a proper professional ✔️ how amazing, the power of blogging!]
by the way, nothing makes me more frustrated than the pattern of doctors thinking i care more about the hope of my hair growing back than i do about actually fixing what's triggering the autoimmune response. hey doctors, what's your damage? please advise lol!
this post exists simply to let folks know that–yes–hot and smart women face hair loss too, and also to announce that i am now able to make fun of other peoples hair loss and it won't be punching down. i won't do that because it's not my style or of my energy, but i can if i wanted to. people who have lost more hair than me would disagree – but i don't make the rules, i only make the magic.
xoxo jenn
