In late 2004 at the age of 46 I developed an autoimmune condition called alopecia areata which left me with small bald spots on the back of my head. For several years these spots were hidden under the rest of my hair but eventually the condition progressed to alopecia universalis which caused all of my hair to fall out in the summer of 2007.

It’s estimated that about 5 out of every 250 people will develop some form of alopecia with one of those five having the type where all your hair falls out. I had never heard of this condition before it affected me. It only took about six weeks for all the hair to fall out once it started so I was a bit disoriented at the beginning. My Buddhist practice helped keep me focused on finding a way to create value in this unexpected situation. The forums at Alopecia World were quite helpful to me in those early days.

My Freedom Wig

In order to look “normal” I started wearing wigs at work and at most activities outside the home. I was grateful to find some very good quality wigs that helped me feel like my “old self”. My favorites were my two Freedom Wigs from New Zealand. Since I had lost all my hair including the eyebrows and lashes I also learned about glue-on eyebrows (who knew those existed?) and how to put on eyeliner to make up for missing lashes.

Nelson and I attempt a selfie

My husband, Nelson, has been terrific about all of this. I know from reading the forums on Alopecia World that unfortunately many women have to deal with alopecia without such a supportive partner. I felt very comfortable being bald at home. This was my pattern for many years — wigs when going out, bald at home. Ironically, I tried to avoid taking photos without my wig (didn’t want that on Facebook) so it’s not so easy to find photos of my pre-tattoo bald self to share here.

Some love for the bald head

My brother, Steve, surprised me by shaving his head for National Alopecia Day

After a few years of wearing wigs most of the time I found that my bald state started to feel more like the “real me”. I was going out without my wig more often when running errands or shopping. Even though my friends and many acquaintances knew about the alopecia I was aware that most people I met would naturally assume that I had cancer. While I felt pretty comfortable being bald in public I didn’t want anyone to worry about me unnecessarily.

I have seen photos of many women with alopecia who look wonderful bald and exhibit a ton of confidence. Hats off (literally) to them! My decision to go with a full head tattoo was partly to “cover up” the bald but mostly to explore what I could do with my bald head as a canvas.