Diva-Interrupted's Story

[Diva-Interrupted]

Hello All. I turned 31 this year (2010). I have been suffering with alopecia aerata since 2006. That year was the first time that thinning got so bad that I had to institute the "comb-over" method. :shakehead: It worked for a while but since its progression, I'm strictly bandana/ hair scarf any time I go out in public now. I've been keeping this secret from EVERYONE with the exception of my parents, bro and bf, and just recently revealed it to my best friend of 15yrs. I've been getting kenalog scalp injections off and on since mid-2008 but the results have not been as swift as I prefer..... It is just now that I am coming to terms with the fact that my hair loss is a MEDICAL condition and not just another unfortunate asthetic "deformity" to lump in with all my other insecurities. i have had severe skin issues all of my youth so I'm used to having embarassing conditions. June 2010 was the first time that i allowed myself to actually take the trooper mask off and have one good hard cry abt what I have been going thru dealing with alopecia for 4yrs (wow its really been that long?)..... Hair loss is devastating for EVERYONE, but my hair is so much a part of my identity for a special reason. I was the outcast ugly duckling all the way until probably mid-high school...not alot friends...always picked on for my multiple and severe skin condtions... but even back then the one thing I could always count on being complimented for was my long natural hair which in the Black community is considered a rare commodity. Even tho the ugly duckling days are over I still feel that my hair is a large part of my comfort in my looks. and it's crazy because I have this long flowing hair coming out of my bandana but my hairline is half gone... its like looking at two different people fromt he front angle and the back angle. (even my doctors reoeatedly say so)....
My main reason for coming to this site is to find a community where I won't feel so alone... and maybe force me to accept what I already know-- that beauty is not just your hair.... so, hello community! *half smile*