A group of British models are campaigning on behalf of alopecia sufferers everywhere by insisting their condition is not a problem. We look closer.
Alopecia
According to that wonderful British institution, the National Health Service, eight million UK women suffer from alopecia. That enormous figure covers women who have developed what is commonly called female pattern baldness, where the hair thins evenly across the top of the head, as well as a number of other conditions like post partum hair loss… a temporary issue experienced by young mums as their body rebalances itself following birth – during the pregnancy they will likely have had amazing lush hair while their systems were in overdrive. The compensating dip in condition after delivery can last up to a year before the hair returns to it’s pre pregnant state.
The women involved in the campaign are unusual in that the majority lost all their hair at a very young age, some before their teens. This form of alopecia is called alopecia totalis and can involve the distressing loss of all hair from the body. Particularly challenging for very young children and their families it can have devastating social consequences. Through the support of family and friends many can come through the experience stronger, the ladies involved in this campaign are great examples.
Fashion is Alopecia
Liverpool based Claire Namukolo was the founder of hair loss charity Hair Heals, a support charity helping anyone suffering from hair loss. Claire herself has experienced a variety of hair problems, everything from traction alopecia through the use of tight braids to post partum hair loss. Already involved in the fashion industry through her annual event Liverpool’s Urban Hair Show, she came up with the idea for Fashion is Alopecia. A promotional campaign to get the fashion industry to recognise that bald women can be beautiful. She teamed up with a couple of models, Eve Betts from Wales and Nichola McAvoy from Manchester, and organised a photo-shoot – Eve and Nichola both suffered from aggressive alopecia at a very young age.
HIS Hair Clinic
Claire has done great work organising a photo shoot for Eve and Nichola and then promoting it to the point where it was aired on the BBC, you can see the short video by clicking here. It strikes us as a great way to kick off alopecia awareness month and we look forward to many more positive stories breaking as the month progresses.
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