Bald can be beautiful (Or what everybody should know about Alopecia Areata)

I was totally ignorant about Alopecia Areata. I knew nothing about the disease until filmmaker Dante Nico Garcia approached me and inquired if I would be interested to do an interview with singer/performer Abby Asistio who is suffering from Alopecia Areata. 

That drove me to do research on what it is all about. I’m glad I did the interview. I’m glad that I have now a better understanding of the disease. I’m glad I was able to share my conversation with Abby with Bottomline audiences around the world. I hope that there will be more awareness about Alopecia. Every Bottomline is a journey that allows me to learn, discover and challenge legends and truths about life. The particular episode opened my heart and mind to the difficult battle that people living with Alopecia fight and live with. 

According to medicinenet.com, Alopecia Areata is an acquired skin disease that can affect all hair-bearing skin and is characterized by localized areas of non-scarring hair loss. Alopecia Areata, as a rule, is rarely associated with any other external or internal medical problems. Most often these bald areas re-grow their hair spontaneously. Alopecia Areata is rare before the age of three. There seems to be a significant tendency to inherit Alopecia Areata from ancestors.

While according to www.webmd.com, Alopecia Areata is a type of hair loss that occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks hair follicles which is where hair growth begins. The damage to the follicle is usually not permanent. Experts do not know why the immune system attacks the follicles. Alopecia Areata is most common in people younger than 20, but children and adults of any age may be affected. Women and men are affected equally.

The world has myopic standards of beauty when it comes to women. A woman cannot be bald if she is to be beautiful. Well, not until the likes of Abby came out bold and bald. It was tough for Abby as it is nightmarish for girls around the world suffering from Alopecia. Everybody expects a young girl in elementary or high school to have nice hair because it’s a person’s “crowning glory.” For 20 long years, she had to cover her head with wigs, bandanas, scarves not just trying to cover her hairless head but more importantly, to hide herself from a public that did not understand, a public that was cruel, a public that was ignorant, a public that sneered at her and even a public that loved her. The bandanas and the wigs protected her broken, defenseless spirit. And she did this for 20 long years. Of course, she questioned why she? She would look in front of the mirror and asked why. But she never wavered in her faith in God but she did ask Him without rancor and anger. She did wait for answers. And yes, she silently cried but kept on fighting and moving forward. What a brave girl, this Abby.

Abby was diagnosed with Alopecia when she was four years old. She did not know what it was. Her parents had more difficulty handling it. She was brought to every person who had a potential cure for the disease like albularios, doctors, herbalists and even faith healers.

It was harder when she was growing up and was shamelessly bullied. She was disabled by people and by herself. She remembered a time in school when in front of everybody, someone grabbed her bandana to expose her head. All she did was cry amidst the jeers and sneers of kids. This is why it’s important for Abby to come out so that people will understand people with Alopecia. That this is not contagious. That this is not something we should laugh at. That this is an ailment and it is wrong to ostracize, to deprive people with Alopecia.

After 20 years, Abby has come to terms with herself and has accepted with all her might that this is what God has given her and that she is in a journey searching for a purpose. Her courage to come out in public is inspiring and empowering. “I have no hair and I am proud to be who I am because hair should not define the spirit of a person.” 

It is “next to normal” to see guys without hair but for a woman, it is “hilarious.” As a young girl, it was a bit disturbing to see girlfriends with cute boyfriends. She had moments when she would not know how to behave when a guy would put his arms around her shoulders because she was afraid her hair might accidentally be pulled. There was that haunting, nagging insecurity that young boys and men would initially be interested but would back off when they learned that she had no hair. The fear was always there. It was not easy to pretend and to hide that everything was fine. But a lot of this, Abby says was also her own making. She was contributory to how people treated her. She cooperated as it seemed to be the natural choice.

Abby became a Christian in 2003. With God she found peace, equanimity and serenity.

Alopecia Areata is not a dreaded disease. We can help someone suffering from it by being compassionate. It is not as known as other ailments in the country. For a person with Alopecia, it is good to be part of a community that shares common experiences. It’s good to know what others are doing and it’s liberating to know that you are not alone. It takes a village to journey together towards acceptance and peace. Abby has an organization that is a support group to those with Alopecia who don’t know what to do and where to go. Visit her blogsite www.abbyasistio.com.

Inner beauty comes from within. It manifests on the outside. Sparkle inside, you will glow on the outside. Yes, it’s not easy. It takes courage, scars and bravado. But it can be done. Abby Asistio did it.