Hair loss is a difficult condition to deal with at any time in life but when you’re seven years old and you lose all your hair it’s particularly difficult. School can be a hard enough place to negotiate at the best of times and it’s always more difficult coping with the playground if you somehow stand out.
“come to my school please”
Young Harry Jacobs from London wrote to Premiership footballer Jonjo Shelvey 22 to invite him to come to his school as he also suffers from the condition. He wrote “Can you come to my school please, but first to my house. I can take you to school then to meet my friends.”
The footballer who knew the difficulties of alopecia at such a young age went one better and invited Harry to come to Swansea to be mascot for the day and lead out the team. His family were put up in a hotel for the night and enjoyed executive tickets for the game.
Autoimmune condition
Alopecia areata can start at any age and affects males and females equally. It’s an autoimmune condition where they body mistakenly recognises healthy hair cells as a foreign invader like a bacteria or a virus. It usually starts as a small bald patch about the size of a 10p coin.
Sometimes the condition can disappear as fast as it arrives but often it will spread to larger patches and can occasionally end up with total hair loss called alopecia totalis which is what JonJo and Harry both have.
There isn’t really any effective cure for the condition but for adults one option could be Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP) where organic pigments are injected into the scalp to create a shaved and layered buzz cut. It’s a low maintenance and permanent solution that is surprisingly realistic.
To find out more about alopecia or SMP complete the form on the right or call us on 0121 516 1767 to arrange a free and confidential consultation.
