𝗞𝘂𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗲𝘆𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗔𝘁𝗯𝗽 𝗯𝘆 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝘆. 𝗗𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗶𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗼

Hair is one’s crowning glory and is often linked to one’s personal identity. For others, hair loss can have complicated consequences.

One of the causes of hair loss is Alopecia Areata (AA) which is an autoimmune condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the hair follicles instead of defending it.

AA took the spotlight in the recent episode of GMA Network’s “Royal Blood”, a murder-mystery that revolves around the death of an ultra-rich family patriarch and how his heirs, including his newly found bastard son, emerge as the prime suspects.

Napoy Royales (Dingdong Dantes) is the illegitimate child of business tycoon Gustavo Royales (Tirso Cruz III). His half-siblings — Kristoff (Mikael Daez), Margaret (Rhian Ramos) and Beatrice (Lianne Valentin) — view their half-brother as a threat to their share of their father’s fortune.

In a recent episode, in an altercation scene due to the illicit love affair between Margaret’s husband and Beatrice revealed Margaret’ thinning hair due to alopecia as her wig was accidentally pulled by Beatrice. She then attempted to commit suicide due to depression.

There are three main types of AA, namely Patchy, Totalis and Universalis.

In Patchy Alopecia Areata, hair loss happens in one or more round, coin-sized patches on the scalp or other parts of the body which over time can get bigger. It is also commonly known as “poknat”.

In Alopecia Totalis, the person loses all or nearly all of the hair on their scalp.

In Alopecia Universalis, there is a complete or nearly complete loss of hair on the scalp, face and rest of the body.

The cause of AA is not fully understood, but it may arise from a combination of genetic and environmental influences. Anecdotally, a new cycle of hair loss occurs after one goes through a period of stress.

The degree of hair loss associated with AA varies in severity that can affect persons of any age. It is a condition that has substantial and wide-ranging implications, affecting a person’s physical, mental and emotional health.

A study noted that AA hair loss may be seen in terms of abnormality and as a failure to conform to the norms of physical appearance in society.

Due to the link between hair and identity, especially for women, the AA experience may be psychologically damaging, cause intense emotional suffering and lead to personal, social and work-related problems.

A person with AA had to deal with a roller coaster of emotions, which includes loneliness, isolation, grief, social phobia, embarrassment, anger, self-blame, self-pity, guilt and lower self esteem.

In severe cases, AA persons are at higher risk for developing serious depressive episodes and chronic anxiety or paranoid disorders that may lead to suicidal tendencies.

I myself had patchy AA for three cycles in a span of almost five years which started with a patch as big as a 25 centavo-coin. The last cycle occurred in 2009  with two patches that almost combined. At one point, I had to wear the “Muslim cap” to hide the bald spot that resembles a monk’s tonsure.

AA has no cure. But I addressed AA through several means to help hair re-growth. I applied topical ointment (Dermovate) although there were suggestions that I should try steroids injection. I also had weekly head massages for better blood circulation.

I tried to avoid stress-causing activities, which was somewhat difficult because of my work as a lawyer.

I even visited a folk healer in Antique called Sorhano who performed a ritual. He whispered in my ears and extracted something that resembled tiny worms. He then instructed me to use a local oil made from coconut and luya (ginger) every night with prayers.

The Royal Blood episode coincided with the celebration of Alopecia Areata Awareness Month this September.

Established in 2013, Alopecia Philippines is a non-profit organization that holds special campaigns and events to spread AA information.

With awareness, understanding, compassion and empowerment, Alopecia Philippines hopes that through their consistent efforts, more and more Filipinos with the condition would know that they are not alone, they are supported and that it is indeed possible to rise above Alopecia.

“It helps to have a family that you could go through the ups and downs of your journey with. On the other hand, awareness helps those without the condition understand what alopecia entails – physically, emotionally and psychologically, so that they would be more kind, sensitive and considerate of those with it,” says Abby Asistio, Alopecia Philippines Founder and President, who has had alopecia since she was just 4 years old.

The organization will celebrate its 10th year anniversary with a gathering on September 23, 2023 dubbed as “HAIRstory: A Decade of Alopecia Philippines”.

(𝑃𝑒𝑦𝑢𝑝𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑘𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑈𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑃ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠. 𝐴𝑡𝑡𝑦. 𝐷𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑠 𝑅. 𝐺𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑐ℎ𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑟𝑠’ 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑙𝑜 𝑉𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑧 𝐵𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝐵𝑢𝑙𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑛 𝑙𝑎𝑤 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑠. 𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠, 𝑒-𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑙 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜@𝑠𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑧.𝑐𝑜𝑚, 𝑜𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙 09175025808 𝑜𝑟 09088665786.)