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alopecia

Heroes

Her boyfriend gently shaved her head after her alopecia diagnosis. But what he did next is so much better.

Over 4.9 million people have already watched this incredible moment unfold.

Rex Chapman/Twitter

For people with alopecia, hair is a complicated business. Alopecia is an autoimmune condition that causes hair to fall out. Sometimes it's unnoticeable, but sometimes it falls out in patches, and when those patches connect, it can become quite noticeable. At that point, some people with alopecia choose to shave their heads and embrace baldness, wear wigs, or both.

A video shared by Rex Chapman on Twitter shows a woman having her head shaved by a man with the caption, "His girlfriend was struggling with her hair loss from alopecia. Get out the tissues. Humanity."

It's clear from the get go that the woman is feeling emotional, occasionally wiping her eyes as he repeatedly runs the razor over her head. And it's clear that he cares for her—you can see it in the way he tenderly holds her neck as he shaves.

But then, just as he's finishing the final touches, he turns the razor around, and oof. Seriously, you might want to grab a tissue.

— (@)

Sweet, selfless solidarity. This is what love looks like.

People on Twitter chimed in with their own alopecia experiences and stories about going through chemo for cancer and losing their hair. Many can relate to the emotional experience of shaving their hair off and the realization that they could be beautiful bald. The woman in this video rocks the shaved head. The guy...well, a little hard to tell until he finishes the job, but his act of kindness and compassion is definitely beautiful.

This article originally appeared on 7.30.20

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New first-of-its-kind treatment for alopecia that triggers hair growth approved by FDA

The current treatment for alopecia is painful and long—this could change lives.

Canva

New treatment for alopecia.

Alopecia is something that affects people of all ethnicities, all over the world, and unfortunately effective treatment has been scarce. But there's potentially good news on the horizon for hair loss suffers. The FDA recently approved a drug called Olumiant, a systemic treatment for alopecia areata, the autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss. The drug works by interfering with the body’s confused messaging that tells it to attack hair follicles.

The world became instantly familiar with the word alopecia after the 2022 Oscars, where Will Smith infamously defended his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, after Chris Rock made a joke about her baldness. Pinkett Smith has alopecia and decided to forego treatment and instead to simply shave her head. She talked about how painful the treatments are on a recent episode of Red Table Talk. On the episode, a dermatologist explained the localized treatment, which involves needle pricks directly into the scalp with a needle containing medication. The process is lengthy and painful, and requires frequent visits for these scalp jabs in an attempt to stave off further hair loss. It’s no wonder that many people decide to embrace balding and shave their head instead.

The newly approved drug has been on the market in the U.S. since 2018 as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, and while it does have several mild to moderate side effects, one of them, hair regrowth, is what drew attention to it as a treatment for alopecia areata. The best news is that it's taken orally, and doesn’t involve any tiny jabs in the scalp.

In the FDA's announcement, Dr. Kendall Marcus, director of the Division of Dermatology and Dentistry in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said, “Access to safe and effective treatment options is crucial for the significant number of Americans affected by severe alopecia. Today's approval will help fulfill a significant unmet need for patients with severe alopecia areata."

In the clinical trials, between 32% and 35% of patients who received the higher of two tested doses had enough hair to cover 80% of their scalp after 36 weeks (compared with between 3% and 5% of patients who received a placebo). This definitely shows promise, despite observed side effects such as respiratory infections, acne, high cholesterol, headaches, fatigue, urinary tract infections and more. If you’ve ever watched a commercial for a new medication, these side effects shouldn’t come as a surprise, nor should they derail the excitement of a medication that could boost so many people’s mental health.

To date, there hasn't really been an effective noninvasive treatment for alopecia areata and while the condition isn’t life threatening, the mental effects can be detrimental. On the episode of Red Table Talk, the mother of 12-year-old Rio Allred told of how her daughter died by suicide, which she believed was linked to the bullying she received due to her alopecia. Depression, anxiety and negative body image are all risks associated with having the hair loss condition, especially in women.

While this new treatment won't be effective on everyone and it comes with a daunting number of potential side effects, it certainly offers hope for many as an improvement over the standard "needle" treatment. Hopefully researchers will continue to make progress on treatments for alopecia that are readily available and safe.

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alopecia

In January, 7-year-old Gianessa "Nessa" Wride's hair started falling out. Not just stray strands, but clumps.

It's a scary prospect for adults seven times her age, let alone a child who hasn't even mastered long division yet. Her mother, Daniella Wride, took it hard.

"I think I took it harder than she did; I would just bawl and cry sometimes,” Wride told local Salt Lake City station KUTV.

Daniella made an appointment for her daughter at the local dermatologist, but by the time she was seen, Nessa's hair was completely gone.

Photo by iStock.

Nessa was diagnosed with alopecia, a condition that results in sudden hair loss.

It occurs when the immune system attacks hair follicles, which is where hair growth begins. The condition has no cure, but is treated with a corticosteroid or, quite simply, patience. Occasionally, the hair loss comes and goes within a year, but 10% of people will never regrow their hair, especially those who are diagnosed at a young age or have a family history of the condition.

It would be easy for most newly bald kids to feel down about Crazy Hair Day at school, but not Nessa.

When Crazy Hair Day was announced, the bubbly first-grader wanted to participate. Mother and daughter worked together to come up with the perfect solution: scrapbooking stickers!

Nessa rocked stick-on gems in cool sparkly patterns, including an owl and flowers.

"She's just so funky and vibrant and she loves everything sparkly," Daniella says.

It's crazy "head" day today! I must say she looks absolutely stunning! #alopecia #alopeciaareata #crazyhairday #baldisbeautiful #gorgeous #brave #firstgrade #youthinkyourehavingabadhairday
A post shared by Daniella Wride (@daniellawride) on Mar 28, 2017 at 8:00am PDT

Nessa looked amazing, and her classmates thought so too.

"When we pulled up to the drop-off lane at school, Gianessa opened the car door and you could already hear people saying things like, 'Oh that's so awesome!' 'That's so cool!,'" Daniella shares. "Gianessa got home from school and she said that all the kids kept swarming her and telling her that they loved her crazy hair, and that they wanted to be just like her."

No matter who you are or the hand you're dealt, positivity is powerful.

It's not always easy. In fact, some days it's downright hard. But a little hope and optimism can go a long away toward making a your day a little better. And maybe someone else's too.

Here's to you, Nessa! Keep shining!

From Your Site Articles

Her boyfriend gently shaved her head after her alopecia diagnosis. But what he did next is so much better. - Upworthy ›

alopecia

Her boyfriend gently shaved her head after her alopecia diagnosis. But what he did next is so much better.

Over 4.9 million people have already watched this incredible moment unfold.

New first-of-its-kind treatment for alopecia that triggers hair growth approved by FDA

The current treatment for alopecia is painful and long—this could change lives.

This 7-year-old recently lost her hair, but her style on Crazy Hair Day was amazing.

In January, 7-year-old Gianessa "Nessa" Wride's hair started falling out. Not just stray strands, but clumps.

Nessa was diagnosed with alopecia, a condition that results in sudden hair loss.

It would be easy for most newly bald kids to feel down about Crazy Hair Day at school, but not Nessa.

No matter who you are or the hand you're dealt, positivity is powerful.

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