We had some great questions about my guest blogger's first post...
Here are some answers that she has put together for you below:
al-oh-PEE-shah
Q. When you say you have lost your hair, what do that mean?
A. Exactly that. I have no hair on my head. Not one strand.
Q. What is it the name of the condition?
A. The condition is called Alopecia. Although I am by no means an expert, research tells me that it is considered an autoimmune disease, in which the immune system, which is designed to protect the body from foreign invaders such as viruses and bacteria, mistakenly attacks the hair follicles from which hairs grow. This leads to hair loss.
Q. Are there varying degrees?
A. There are a number of different types of Alopecia, but the ones I am most familiar with are:
Alopecia arreata – bald patches appearing typically on the scalp
Alopecia totalis – complete baldness on the scalp
Alopecia universalis – complete hairloss on the body
Q. How do you get it?
A. Now this is a very difficult question to answer. In short I do not know and neither do the medical profession. There is no known history in my family. There is no known medical cause. There is no way to catch it and there is no way to cure it.
Q. Is this a serious illness?
A. Alopecia is not a life-threatening disease and it does not cause any physical pain. In fact I have to say I am very healthy person. However let’s be clear this affects a person’s appearance dramatically which is of course a serious matter. The main effects of alopecia are primarily social and emotional however in the case of alopecia universalis, the loss of eyelashes and eyebrows and hair in the nose and ears can make a person more vulnerable to dust, germs and even bright sunshine.
Q. Does the hair grow back
A. Its apparently possible – who knows, I am not betting on it
Q. Is there a cure/treatment
A. To my knowledge, neither
