Alopecia education generally comes in two forms: your doctor and Google.

Is it enough?

Doctors may give you your initial alopecia areata diagnosis, but it’s likely you’ll still have plenty of questions after you leave their office. We commonly hear that women walk out of a doctor’s office without understanding what having alopecia areata means for their daily lives.
In the beginning, it’s common to feel kind of hopeless. Or, like they simply have a cosmetic issue they must learn to deal with. If this is you … you’re not alone!

As for Google, you can certainly find good information online. In fact, maybe that’s how you found us! But there is also a lot to sort through—good and bad, fact and fiction—and there is also plenty of clinical information that just comes across as confusing unless you hold a medical degree.

So, to begin, there are a couple of things we want you to know:

  1. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition. This means that, unfortunately, your body is attacking healthy hair follicles and causing hair loss.
  2. You are still you. While not life-threatening, alopecia areata can be devastating for women. It can take a significant emotional toll, especially if your diagnosis means that you will lose the majority or all of your hair. But what makes you special and unique is not gone—you are still you.
  3. You do have options. We will strive to bring you information on research and treatments as well as plenty of beauty and style tips to help you regain self-confidence.
  4. You are not alone. Perhaps the worst outcome of this disease is that it causes too many people to feel isolated and ashamed. Our community stands ready to welcome and accept you just as you are, no matter what phase of alopecia you’re in.

Alopecia Areata Education Quick Start

Here are some of our blog posts to get you started as you seek to inform yourself.

Understanding the Lives of Women with Alopecia Areata

Our Alopecia Areata Patient Survey Results

Bald Girls Do Lunch conducted an online survey for adults identifying as female and having any type of alopecia areata. A total of 181 surveys were received from respondents in the United States and Canada.

How has alopecia areata affected your personal life?

How has alopecia areata affected your professional life?