Don’t Stress… You’re Only a Young Woman Going Bald!

My journey dealing with Alopecia.

My first job was working in a coffee shop when I was 18 years old. Technically it was my second job because I had a two-year-old son, but first time making money at ‘working.’ I had my long, dark hair up in a bun and had a friend come in to see me. She pointed out that I had a bald spot on the back of my head, more noticeable because of my dark hair, I self consciously thought. I hadn’t seen it yet, so naturally, I was a little shocked. What’s going on? That’s odd. It was as smooth as can be too! I tried to rearrange my hair to cover it until I got through my shift.

Once I was home, my mom helped me check for more. I had two smaller spots, at the base of my neckline, between the size of a dime and a quarter. What was this? I had always been reasonably healthy… I didn’t know what it could be…

We made an appointment with our family doctor. During the visit, my doctor decided he wanted to do a biopsy. I remember laying on the table while it felt like he was sawing into the back of my head like a piece of steak while tears were dripping from my eyes to the floor. Of course, he had numbed the area, but you cannot numb the sounds that you can still hear during something like that. It was not fun. Once the biopsy results came back, I was told I had Alopecia…