Comment by Barbara Fowlks on December 27, 2010 at 11:18pm

I like Tanya don't wonder. I just tell people up front "I have alopecia areata. It's an autoimmune disorder in which my body attacks my hair and causes it to fall out in spots. I got tired of wigs and weaves so I shaved it off." Several people have even asked how long I have been in treatment and my reply is "oh about twenty five years."

Comment by Tim Irvine on December 28, 2010 at 1:02am

I feel your pain. When I was a kid in school, the whispers were every thing from he was in a bad car accident to he has cancer, leukemia, or whatever sounded really bad at the time. The funny thing was few ever made a point to ask. I try to remember that when I was a kid, there was this woman in my hometown who had this condition that to me seemed rather gross. She had (for lack of a better word) some sort of growth on her neck from her collar to her ear. I would see her around town when I was with my parents and it always made me so happy it wasn't me. I know I stared way too much, and looking back, I know I never bothered to ask or find out what was actually wrong with her. I think in some ways, the way I saw her was the way many people saw me, perhaps not to that degree, but I think it's along those lines.

I think we spend so much time apologizing for having Alopecia to the rest of the world, we may never consider that having Alopecia could someday turnout to be a blessing. I mean, what if it turned out that our condition someday was the key component to curing some of the worlds diseases? I have often wondered this.
But for now, I make no apologies for something I can't control. Yes it can still bother me, but I choose to not let it.

:0)

Comment by Mary on December 28, 2010 at 1:16am

Check out my recent blog - it doesn't bother me so much now when people asume I have cancer.

http://www.alopeciaworld.net/profiles/blogs/why-ill-never-again-be-...

Comment by Angie P on December 28, 2010 at 1:39am

See, this kind of stuff cracks me up. People can be so crazy. If I found out someone actually thought this, I might start acting snarky and begin touching all their stuff and pretending to sneeze on them and such. :D

And then when I tell them I have alopecia, asthma, arthritis, AND possibly lupus (all auto-immune issues), I'd stand there and giggle while their eyes bugged out.

I know, immature ... I'm sending myself to the corner. :(

Comment by Tallgirl on December 28, 2010 at 2:30am

People repeat whatever you say about yourself, so you can put either the most positive or most negative spin on this. Depends how you want others to visualize you when you are not around, and what direction you want this to go in terms of professionalism, job references, dating, respect, etc.

Comment by Dominique Cleopatra on December 28, 2010 at 6:02am

In the book "The Art of Seduction" it says that if you tell people about a certain "hardship" (e.g. alopecia) and put a positve spin on it, seemingly unfazed, then it can actually be quite seductive. Has anyone experienced this?

Comment by Kimberly Duncan on December 28, 2010 at 7:57pm

Angie way too fuuny love it. When I first told my friends I had AA, one of them instead of being understanding all she asked was, was it contagious. At first I was mad and hurt now I just chalk it up as her not knowing and ignorance.

Comment by Mary on December 30, 2010 at 10:51am

Well said, Carolina!

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