Alopecia Articles

Living & Wellbeing

Adolescents with Alopecia Areata: What Caregivers Should Know

A lot of kids just want to fit in.1 But for too many, hair loss makes them stand out. For the one in 1,000 children and teens diagnosed with alopecia areata (AA), an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack the hair follicles, hair loss can create practical challenges.2,3Youth with AA might feel too self-conscious for selfies, refuse to go out without a hat, or decline invitations to swimming parties or sports leagues for fear their wigs will fall off. In a 2017 study of 69...

Living with Alopecia: A Young Woman’s Path to Self-Acceptance

Six years old is a young age to become a patient advocate for a health condition. But Laura Pellicano had no choice. In the summer between kindergarten and the first grade, she lost all of the hair on her head, and then soon after, her eyebrows, eyelashes, and all body hair.  Laura has alopecia universalis, the most advanced form of alopecia areata, a condition that causes hair to fall out on the scalp and/or the body. She dreaded returning to school. “The kids had questions and it's definitely...