Hair Dryer Be Gone

By far one of the best things about not having hair is the maintenance-free look. I save an hour everyday not having to blow dry and straighten my thick hair. I cannot exactly tell you what I do with that time, but today I did spend an hour with a hair dryer. My roommate’s dryer shorted out and I volunteered to run to the store to pick up a new one. Once there I realized how funny it was for the bald lady to be picking up a hair dryer. So I did like most do and picked up a few other things not to bring attention to the funny purchase. The cashier gave me a sweet grin when the hair dryer rolled up on the conveyer belt.

The story has one more twist. Back at the apartment, we discovered that I had picked up the exact hair dryer that my roommate did not want. Little did I know there were hair dryer user preferences. I reluctantly agreed to exchange the dryer. Now I’m in the return line; a bald girl, a hair dryer, and a big cheesy grin on my face. This was followed by another hair dryer purchase and cashier experience before rescuing my roommate from her wet hair. My interesting afternoon led to a continued thankfulness for not having to use a hair dryer on a daily basis.

Compassionate Question

How long have you been on chemotherapy? A few words making up a simple question said with the most compassionate eyes. After a nice morning of snow skiing, my friend and I were sitting in the lodge resting when a lady stopped and posed the question. I had taken off my hat letting my baldness glow from the light of the fire. Smiling, I explained that I didn't have cancer, but that it was a form of Alopecia. She looked a little confused as I continued to explain. She asked if it would grow back and I responded, "Hopefully." With one swift action she reached up and pulled off her short blond wig showing me her regrowth and saying, "When it does begin to grow back it will look like this." By this point she had a bright smile and this compassionate survivor had given me hope. Her journey was much more difficult than mine, and her fight with cancer had settled into a time of remission. This beginner skier was living in the moment and spreading her hope.

Chilly Nights

The furnace went out last night and the thermometer outside registered below zero. Since most of body heat is lost through the head, not only was my bald head chilly but also the rest of my body. Can icicles form on baby hair? Probably not inside the house, but this leads to the question of what caps to wear on cold nights. I purchased a cap from Slumbercap.com not to long ago. The quality product and service from this store is great. The cap has good uses under itchy wool caps or wigs, but it's made from basic cotton and not my preference for sleeping. For my personal comfort I prefer to sleep without a cap, but if needed a fleece lined or super-soft cotton texture works the best. Both Target & Old Navy are good, economical choices for these types of winter caps. Upon its return, my hair will be deeply valued on cold winter nights.

Doctor Dread

I'm a twentysomething with very few health problems. Besides the nuisance cold or cough, I've had no serious ailments since losing my hair. After a recent night with chills and a high fever it was time to go to the doctor. No problem, right? Not exactly. Although I am completely comfortable with my baldness around people in my everyday life, I have an unhealthy stigma of what a doctor would say about the alopecia. In short, I have not been to doctors because I was afraid of what they would say.

Swallowing back irrational fears, I put a wig on my clammy head for my first doctor's visit in a long time. The nurse asked me about family history and then she asked if there was anything else. In an uncharacteristically shy manner I said, "Yes, I have Alopecia." She was surprised because the wig was hiding the baldness. Then, she sat down next to me with a friendly smile and told me about her sister-in-law who also had Alopecia. This was such a relaxing experience and I was so thankful for the healing time she spent with me. Later, the doctor was very nonchalant and did not really talk about the Alopecia.

Dreading the doctor was so silly. I am continually growing, and it is hard to say that I will ever be 100 percent comfortable with my baldness. In the most beautiful way, the personal growth will be so much sweeter than any future hair growth.

2007 Photos

Photos taken with Alopecia Areata Universalis.