September is Alopecia Awareness Month

September is Alopecia Awareness Month. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that causes sudden, patchy hair loss. Sometimes alopecia areata develops into a more severe form; alopecia totalis (total loss of scalp hair) or alopecia universalis (total loss of scalp and body hair).

 

Alopecia areata, a condition that affects men, women and children worldwide, is not very well understood. There are over 4 million sufferers in the USA and 90,000 in the UK. Studies have shown a genetic link in approximately 20-25% of cases.

Click to View Belgravia's Alopecia Areata Treatment Success Stories

For some it is a short-term, acute condition and the hair returns. For others it is long-term and chronic. Whilst custom alopecia areata treatment courses have helped many Belgravia clients with patchy hair loss to regrow their hair, as yet, there is no treatment for alopecia totalis nor alopecia universalis.

Although British celebrities with alopecia, such as Gail Porter and Matt Lucas, have helped publicise the conditon, it continues to be under-reported in the media. It is hoped that this month will increase people’s understanding of not only the physical aspects of alopecia areata but also the mental and emotional trauma that this type of hair loss can cause.

Yorkshire PR firm Raw Sunshine came up with an idea for how people without autoimmune hair loss can support those affected. Bad Hair Day is the national day of awareness for alopecia areata and first took place on 29th September 2009. The campaign encourages people across the UK to forget their usual hair care routine can leave the house with Bad Hair.

It is hoped that by having a Bad Hair Day, non-alopecia sufferers will reflect on how hair affects our personality and identity and help raise awareness of the condition. Participants are encouraged to hold events each year and help raise money for hair loss charities such as Alopecia Awareness, Alopecia Areata Support Community, BeBold, and Alopecia UK.