Happy Birthday Dani. I wish everyone a happiest of birthday's and also, I believe that no matter what age we turn in 2023 that everyone should celebrate it in any way that they can and do it the best that they want to with friends and family. It should be celebrated in an awesome way.
I was diagnosed with alopecia areata in 2017 at the age of 47. I have the same feelings as you; I am still learning to accept it and not feel "ugly". Prior to my diagnosis, I always had long and thick hair. My mom tells me I look like a completely different person when I have a wig on. All I can think is, "No kidding Mom, I look like a freak with a bald head and a normal woman with my wig on!" Wigs are NOT a substitute for my bio hair. Wigs don't feel normal. I have trouble wearing wigs, they hurt my head and give me headaches. The wig store told me that I could take the wig in and they will add some elastic so it's more comfortable. I need to do that. It's ok to feel bad about losing your hair. It's a normal feeling. My hair loss is permanent, so I need to get over it already! Grieving the loss of my hair is part of the process. I still, after seven years miss my beautiful hair. I recently posted a pic on FB for my family to see me as the bald lady I now am. That was a super hard thing to do but I didn't want half of my family/friends knowing and the others not. When I buy a wig at the wig store it always seems perfect. But after I get it home and wear it a few times, I feel like it doesn't look good on me. I now realize that is because I am expecting the wig to look like my bio hair. I've started adding scarves to my wigs because they are expensive and I need to wear them. This has helped to give them a different look and cover up most of the wig. Thank you Dani for sharing your feelings with us and we are beautiful and this experience makes us stronger.
