Alopecia Isn't Just Hair Loss...

I don't know whether I've said this in passing comment before on my reviews, but I'm pretty sure it's somewhere: for the past few years I've suffered with alopecia and it has increased in its charge against the system in the last 18 months for reasons I'm not willing to discuss right now. But in the last 18 months alone I have had seven blood tests, two dermatological scans and most recently, you guessed it, another blood test. So, we all know that alopecia is all about hair loss and as you can imagine, I have lost an awful lot of hair. In my first struggle with alopecia it was clumps of my hair that came out, but more recently it was a more 'drop everything' approach where I would more than often wake up with less and less hair every day until finally - yes, I have no hair. It's all wigs.

There's the 'big confession'. To be honest it's not that big. I tend to wear wigs to keep my head warm more than anything else.

I've been wearing wigs for about a year and it's not been too bad. But what I don't like is the common idea that alopecia is only hair loss so I'm here to tell you what else you could have (and I definitely have) when you have alopecia...

(Of course, this is depending on the level your alopecia is at, if you have spotting then this probably won't apply to you. With alopecia areata and alopecia universalis, you could definitely have the accompanying issues. If you do, get a blood test for Vitamin D, B12 and Zinc).

Alopecia Isn't Just Hair Loss...

1. Nail Changes

Splitting is so common and it hurts like hell. This is where the nail splits from the skin on the inside causing bleeding and a horrific burning sensation. This happens to me a lot, especially on my thumbs and middle finger, which can make it hard to type.

It's characterised by first of all, the skin inside your nail turning a very pale white and then flaking off, this will cause pain and a bit of bleeding. I usually use a cut-up plaster method where you make an small incision on either side of the plaster, folding them over the wound so that it stays on and you don't get blood everywhere.

Great thing to do here is to eat properly. Lots of salad foods can help keep things under control but nothing can really stop it from happening entirely.

2: Eye Changes

Be prepared for having really really dry eyes to the point that anything will just make them expel water. Eyes are frequently itchy and if you have poor eyesight anyway like myself, it's likely to get worse. One thing I noticed when I started to suffer quite badly with this thing is that my eyes became a lot more sensitive. Of course, I have the type of alopecia where you lose your eyelashes too and if this is you, then I would highly recommend getting fake lashes if you don't wear glasses. This isn't aesthetic, not having eyelashes or any protection in front of your eyes is actually really dangerous.

This is super ironic because as I was typing this section on 'eye changes' guess what happened? My eyes have now swollen up. I swear to God you cannot make this shit up.

3: Dry and Flaky Skin

Stop using scented creams on everything and for the love of God invest in a jar of coconut oil, especially for that burning scalp of yours. Not only will it cool your scalp but it's also a bloody good way of getting rid of the dryness for the entire night (or day if you're staying in). Your lips will do the same, you may feel them peeling and dry and of course, they will bleed. Coconut oil is best. Next is probably lip balm (and gosh don't buy vaseline, it'll make things so much worse). You want to make sure you get good coconut oils and I would also recommend some unscented soap - at least one, purely for the scalp.

***

Conclusion

So, we have come to the end of a fairly short article. At the current moment, I can't see through my left eye and my middle fingers' nails have split and thus, I think I'm going to check out for now and perhaps close my eyes today.