I have a rash in the centre-top part of my head. It itches, but on a scale of one to ten it’s only like a six. I’ve had worse thanks to eczema. Eczema and wearing a wig isn’t the most comfortable combination as you can imagine, but it is a combo that I deal with quite often, as eczema is a common associate for those suffering from alopecia.
My hair started falling out when I was 11 years old. Why? Doctors had many and no answers at the same time. “It’s stress. Are you stressed sweetheart?” “It’s puberty.” “Puberty?” My mother repeated. “Yes,” the doctor shrugged. “Everybody’s body deals with it differently.” The one doctor I remember the most was a short, stubby white lady with freezing cold hands that stroked the 50p-sized bald patch at the back of my head. This type of hair loss is called alopecia areata, which currently affects two in every 1,000 people in the UK. She examined it with a large magnifying glass. “It’s nothing to worry about,” she chimed. “I can see the hairs growing back already.”