Alopecia and Mental Health: are we exaggerating?
ALOPECIA and MENTAL HEALTH
There have been two situations that made me think about talking about this subject.
The first is that on another social network, I posted a video in which I talked about the use of hair toppers as MY solution to MY androgenic alopecia and I received a comment that says...
"What a poor and mediocre remedy"
When I read the comment, I have to admit it bothered me a little and although I know that each person has the right to comment whatever they want, this comment made me think about the effect that alopecia has on our self-esteem, especially in this era of social media.
Social media has allowed anyone to say anything about our physical appearance and the truth is that these comments can, without a doubt, end up affecting us.
The second situation is that when I have consultations with women who have alopecia, I have realized that they need to talk, they need someone who understands them and that someone be someone who is going through the same thing.
That is why I have been researching a bit and I found some very interesting studies, so I want to share them in case they help you.
Studies on alopecia and mental health
I found these studies:
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22714757/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022202X15309635
These studies seemed very interesting to me, because sometimes one may think that we are being too dramatic, that we are exaggerating too much.
Is that so? Are we exaggerating? The study shows that although objectively alopecia is not a serious illness, we are not going to die from this, it can indeed take away our desire to live.
The study says that alopecia causes anxiety and distress deeper than one might think.
Alopecia, despite being a "benign" medical condition, affects people in such a serious psycho-emotional way that it leads in many cases to a reduction in their quality of life.
The emotional burden of hair loss can be compared to that caused by many more serious or potentially fatal chronic illnesses.
So, we are not exaggerating and the negative impact of hair loss on Mental Health is totally real.
In addition, this study has a table of emotions and these are emotions that women who suffer hair loss have expressed, among which are:
- Grief
- Sadness
- Depression
On the other hand, I was watching another video of a professional dermatologist and he says that many women come to his office crying.
Also, when they talk to me, as I said before, I notice that feeling of sadness in some people and some have had to see a psychologist.
In addition to all of the above, another feeling associated with alopecia would be shame. Many women don't want to turn on their camera when they talk to me, because they don't want to show themselves as they are to others and show their real situation and that is why many women don't tell anyone that they are going through this moment and because they see it like that, as if it were something to be ashamed of..
The added frustration or helplessness, when they have been trying treatments and none works, increases their low self-esteem or loss of confidence.
We have to understand that having hair is not just an aesthetic matter, but also a sign of identity for many women, since being pretty and looking good implies having abundant, long, shiny hair and not only at a personal level, but this is transferred to society.
So, when feeling social pressure, this causes social stress or shyness, when for example you don't want to expose yourself to certain situations, you don't want to go to certain events, you worry about going to a job interview and thinking about how your hair is going to look, to which is added how you can end up feeling about the appearance you have, by not being satisfied with your body image.
There are even women who no longer look at themselves in the mirror or who feel older than they really are because of the lack of hair. I don't know which of these emotions best reflects your state of mind or your feelings.
As for your hair loss, having little hair never affected my self-esteem, but I must acknowledge that when I wear my hair prosthesis, I feel much better, I have more confidence, especially in new situations in which I am going to meet new people; the natural hair topper helps me feel more secure.
All the feelings you have read about so far, and that you may be feeling right now, are normal feelings that can be caused by the lack of hair, to the point that they are real feelings backed by medical studies.
So NO, in many cases, it is not an exaggeration.
It is curious that scientific studies are needed to demonstrate or validate that alopecia can affect your mental health, but well.
What can I do?
Let's see what to do so that this doesn't affect you on too deep a level.
I was looking for more content about alopecia Mental Health or alopecia and depression and I came across this video:
It is from a psychologist who herself has alopecia and as you know, I don't intend to give any advice as a professional, neither dermatologist nor psychological, so I thought of sharing this video, since she, as a professional, highlights 5 very interesting points.
Going through the grieving process of hair loss
The loss or that Grief, when one loses her hair, can be something painful that can affect you on an emotional level.
Understanding that this can happen and that it is normal for it to happen would be the first point. Accepting the reality of both the hair loss and the feelings it is provoking in you is totally normal.
What you tell yourself
The second point this psychologist mentions is to pay attention to the words you tell yourself, how you talk to yourself, if you look in the mirror and you are telling yourself that you are worthless, that you don't look good, that you are not enough, that you are not pretty.
Be careful with those words and think about how you talk to a friend. What things do you say to a friend? Well, use words with the same kindness and goodness to talk to yourself.
How does alopecia affect your life?
The third point is to be aware of whether alopecia is preventing you from living the life you used to live or you are no longer attending events or activities that were important to you.
Although it is true that alopecia can affect us and perhaps some things in our life have to be modified, the fact that you are losing your hair doesn't have to stop your life completely.
Take care of who surrounds you
The fourth point would be this. Surround yourself with people who make you feel loved and who support you.
Many people around us may say things to us that are not the most fitting or that may perhaps hurt us, with examples such as: "no, it's not that big a deal" "I think you're exaggerating" "I think you're becoming obsessed with the subject" "I think you look fine" etc.
In cases like this, it could be that, for them, the alopecia problem is not that important, but for you it is, so remember: that what is important to you must also be important to others.
Sometimes, it can even happen that you go to the doctor and they don't give it the importance it should either because they don't consider it that serious, you go to the hair salon and they start recommending something and tell you.. "be careful, your hair is falling out"
All these situations, on the one hand, make you a little more aware of the subject, but at the same time they still inhibit you.
So, trying to find someone who understands you, who has gone through the same thing will surely be useful to you.
It is better to find people who support you in the decisions you make, whether you want to look for a solution or whether you want to make decisions such as shaving your head or not, whether you want to have a transplant, etc.
Look for someone who, faced with the possible options you want to look for for alopecia, is someone who helps you see the pros and cons of each situation and who makes you feel valued and supported at all times, and not just someone who wants to sell you a product or operation that you DON'T need.
Alopecia moves a lot of money and you could find those who want to take advantage of that too.
Watch your feelings
The fifth point would be to be aware of when these feelings of sadness or anxiety last over time and become so intense that they prevent you from leading a normal life.
In this case, you would need to look for professional help. It is true that it is normal to feel sad or to feel a little helplessness or even anger at not having hair, but if these feelings prevent you from leading a normal life, that's where you have to be alert and look for that professional help.
There are some forums on the internet or some support groups that can be useful because, as we have said, talking to someone who understands you can be quite good.
Now, also be careful, because it can be a little overwhelming or stressful, when you are reading stories of other girls who haven't solved their problem or the opposite, when they have solved it and you haven't.
You have to have a little balance in that, in terms of the time we dedicate or knowing whether what we are analyzing or the information we are looking at is being useful or good for our health.
Conclusion
So in general, we have seen that for many women, having alopecia can cause certain feelings of being misunderstood, of sadness, helplessness, loneliness, etc.
These feelings are normal, but they must not prevent you from having a routine and we have to protect ourselves, taking the necessary measures and surrounding ourselves with people who support and help us, not people who bring us down. Hoping this article has helped you, don't forget that I am willing to give free consultations regarding the use of natural hair Toppers.
So if you need it, just write to me at this whatsapp and we'll arrange an appointment: https://web.whatsapp.com/send/?phone=34672289777
