Young Boy Raises Alopecia Awareness

Reuben (centre) with his pals

After losing some of his hair to Alopecia, Strathearn youngster Reuben Lamont, aged 8, decided to shave his head completely. After being diagnosed with the condition at the end of 2013, Reuben made the brave decision to shave his head, and held a party with four friends Brodie Ramsay (9), Alexander Miller (5), Campbell McGregor (8), and Carter Hendry (9), snooker legend Stephen Hendry’s son, who showed their support for the youngster by having their heads shaved too.

Graphic design

Reuben was lucky enough to have a cool graphic skull and robot design drawn on his head (complete with scary spikes!) by talented 25 year old makeup artist Kayleigh Dewar, a friend of the family, whilst photographer Dino De Luca joined the party to capture the end result. The whole family are grateful to Kayleigh and Dino for turning what could have been a difficult day into something the whole family could enjoy.

Raising funds for charity

His family plan to carry out fundraising events to support the Alopecia charity Be Bold, and Reuben’s mum commented: "We wanted the decision to shave his head to come from Reuben. It’s been a really tough time for him but he’s been so brave and his friends have really helped too."

Support for children with Alopecia

When looking online for advice and personal accounts by children affected by Alopecia, Reuben and his family struggled to find any support. This inspired Reuben to set up his own Facebook page, ‘Reuben’s World’, to share his experiences and help other children diagnosed with the condition.

Celebrities with Alopecia

Celebrities who have experienced Alopecia include Gail Porter, who hit the headlines after she stepped out with visible hair loss after the breakup of her marriage several years ago. Gail began experiencing patchy hair loss before losing her hair completely to Alopecia, and today she is proud of her bald head, choosing not to conceal her hair loss with hats or wigs.

Why Alopecia occurs

The cause of Alopecia Areata is unknown, but it is considered to be an autoimmune disorder, with around 1 in 1,000 people affected during the course of their lifetime. Alopecia Areata usually begins with sudden patchy hairloss due to follicles entering the telogen or ‘resting’ phase. If it is left untreated, it can develop into Alopecia Totalis or Alopecia Universalis which is why it is vital that parents of children experiencing hair loss seek medical help as soon as they become aware of the issue.

The Belgravia Centre can only offer Alopecia and other hair loss treatments to adults, but your GP should be your first port of call if your child is experiencing any type of hair thinning or hair loss. They should be able to recommend treatment or diagnose an underlying trigger for the condition, which can often be brought on by extreme stress or shock.