We talk about the emotional aspects of alopecia, but what about the financial strains?

"Ebony Dicks reflects on how living with alopecia areata has affected her personal relationships and how she learned to navigate them:

Some challenges that I deal with include friendships and relationships. I’ve faced a lot of scrutiny for my alopecia. A lot of people who said they were my friend turned out to be someone else—they weren’t who I thought they were. It was frustrating for me because I thought all my friends over the years had my back, and they made me feel bad for my appearance. When I was dating someone a few years ago, he made a very rude comment and tried to put a time frame on when I should reveal my alopecia to him. It was disheartening because this was the first time I’d ever been in an intimate relationship. I was rejected heavily over the years because of my alopecia. When he made those comments, immediately I felt like something was wrong with me because this is something that I can’t help having. A lot of people have tried asking me to cover up my baldness. “Can you wear a wig when you come out with us? Can you wear a wig when you go to this event?” A lot of people misconstrue me getting ready every day—wanting to be dolled up, looking nice—for gaining attention. All of us deal with confidence issues at some point in our lives. At times I would talk myself into going somewhere because of the way people have treated me in the past.