Hi!

I'm Lyndsey and I'm 23 and from the UK. I'm a university student (about to graduate soon), studying History, Philosophy and Politics and have a place to do an MA in International Relations and Diplomacy next academic year. I'm about to get married to my boyfriend of 6 years and I have alopecia areata. I am just having my fourth bout of it now and shaved my head yesterday. 

My alopecia first started at age 15. I found a small bald patch on my head and I lost a lot of hair and got a lot more and bigger patches very quickly and I made the decision to shave it off. I wore bandanas to school and you could see where I had shaved my hair, as it didn't fall out around the hairline. I got bullied horribly as someone started a rumour that I had cancer and then it developed into a rumour that I was pretending to have cancer for attention, which was horrible. I was just really quiet and withdrawn as it had all happened so quickly that I didn't even know what was going on or what was wrong with me. By the time I eventually got to see a dermatologist my hair was growing back though. 

The second bout was at college and this time I was more prepared. I told everyone I knew what was happening straight away so that no horrible rumours could be spread. I was concerned because I was now in a serious relationship and when I was 15, my boyfriend (who wasn't particularly serious, but still, broke up with me). My boyfriend, who I am still with now, was really supportive and always has been. When I shaved my head the second time, he took the leading step and actually pulled my headscarf off while we were being intimate and just didn't let it faze him and let me know that he still found me beautiful. By pure coincidence I was babysitting for a woman who had alopecia and hid it, I didn't even know. She was great for advice and support, she lent me a wig whilst I got mine on the NHS sorted and showed me how to do my makeup to cover eyebrow and eyelash loss. This time my hair stayed out for two years and I was able to make it part of my identity. I got several very different wigs and swapped them round all the time, I didn't hide the fact that I had alopecia, partly because of what had happened at school I think. I also did a magazine article, where I had a wig styled by Trevor Sorbie and a Living With Strand for Channel Four's Embarrassing Bodies, where I was also lucky enough to have a custom made wig done by Trendco. I really enjoyed the chance to raise awareness.

Around this time I went to uni and I just turned up without hair and then everyone knew straight away. Uni is a much different environment than school and people were genuinely curious and polite, it was actually a good conversation starter and it was when my hair started to regrow again, in second year, that people stared as they were used to me without hair haha! After this, though, I had to take some time out of uni as I became very unwell with bi-polar type I disorder. The stress of being in and out of hospital made my hair fall out yet again. When I finally got back to uni after two years out, and everything settled back down, my hair regrew again. 

Now I have just finished the majority of my final exams. My mom and brother are having health problems and I think the stress has triggered this fourth episode of alopecia. I have lost a considerable amount in just over a week but that's how my hairloss seems to happen, quickly and quite aggressively. I have never lost all my hair but it always seems to fall out at the front or the crown etc where I can't hide it, especially as I naturally have quite fine hair. It's not really fazing me though. I have a loving partner, friends and colleagues at my part time job, who are all used to this and I have fun wigs to play around with. I felt a bit down about my appearance for the first few days but treated myself to having my nails done etc and to be honest, I'm just so glad that things settled down with my bipolar (I've had 9 long hospital stays and several psychotic episodes), and that I can finally move on with my life. Getting married, starting my MA, hopefully moving abroad with my partner and studying by distance learning. 

So I guess I just wanted to say hi and give you my story and let anyone know that I am here to chat and for support if you want to ever. Maybe if you're around my age, or dealing with alopecia at school and uni, or with dating etc. I just want to help in whatever way I can so message me anytime :)