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Rasa Andrikienė from Kaunas, who recently celebrated her fortieth anniversary, smiles today. The positivity and love for the woman’s life were not stopped by the insidious medical diagnosis heard, nor by the loss of all the hair on the body.
PHOTO GALLERY. Within 2 weeks, the Kaunas woman lost all of her hair.
On the contrary, those life lessons even strengthened the woman, because today she said “no” to ordinary hair wigs and goes out bareheaded.
The hair began to curl into strands.
Rasa tv3.lt from Kaunas, who works as a psychotherapist and paints on silk, says she has enjoyed long, lush hair all her life.
“I have never heard of this disease before. I remember that February 18 was on the birthday of a girlfriend’s daughter and she had long, lush hair down to the middle of her back. Just that weekend, somewhere in the 20 or 22, my hair started to fall out very hard, ”says the interlocutor.
At first, Rasa struggled not to survive due to the hair loss, but only after a couple of days, according to the woman, the hair loss became completely abnormal: the hair began to fall out in strands and even strands.
Others praised the “new hairstyle” after wearing the wig.
Without expecting anything, Rasa rushed to the store and bought a variety of hair-strengthening products:
“Initially, I tried using a variety of ointments, from castor oil to medications. But I anointed them and they didn’t help anyone. In fact, the hair began to fall out not for days, but for hours, ”the woman recalls the mildness of the disease and says that in two weeks her hair is almost gone.
“I looked like a doll with a hairline on my head and naked all over when she was raised. Then I realized I had to go to the doctor. When I went to see him, I heard a diagnosis of alopecia and was referred to a doctor. dermatologist.
The doctor hinted to me that, unfortunately, there is no cure for this disease and that for a week I can lose all my hair. That’s what happened … “
Standing in front of the mirror one day, Rasa realized what had really happened. The woman’s hair was only ten percent, so the woman realized that it was time to say goodbye to the remaining hair as well.
“It was grainy looking at that photo, so I shaved them off. Then I realized that I would have to buy a wig because, after all, I could not go out with so much hair on the street.
I bought a wig, people didn’t even realize I was wearing it at first, they asked me why I cut my hair, they praised my new “hairstyle”. An acquaintance asked me if it was a pity to cut my hair, then I thought inside so that you would really know how much hair I had left … ”, recalls the interlocutor.
The wigs said no
Rasa walked in the wig for about two weeks, but the woman quickly noticed that she was hot, uncomfortable, and her head was beginning to itch. After joining the association that unites people who had heard the diagnosis of alopecia in Lithuania, Rasa realized that it was certainly not one or two. Therefore, the woman decided to hide under artificial wigs and went out with her head uncovered.
“Now I know many women who have been ill since childhood, adolescence, other women have hair loss after childbirth, but before no one knew what the disease was here. And now it can be said that it is an autoimmune disease that can happen to anyone, and its treatment, unfortunately, is not available. The hair can even slip, grow back or not, ”says the woman.
Rasa says that after seeing her naked, her Facebook friends did not forgive the woman who knew pleasant words and comments, and according to the woman, it inspired her even more confidence.
The woman hopes that one day her hair will grow back, but she has heard stories from other women that even after her hair has grown back, the fear of such a disease does not go away.
“They told me that even when hair grows back, women are afraid to go to the shower, afraid to go to the hairdresser or comb their hair,” he adds.
He walked home with a hat for two weeks.
Rasa is happy that the disease only requires hair all over the body, so far it has not been established that the disease affects other organs as well. However, for many people, the uncovered head in Lithuania is still associated with various oncological diseases, so Rasa has become used to having pitying looks on the street during these months.
“It was very important for clients to make sure that I did not have cancer, but no one on the street knows that, so they look at me with compassion. Emotionally it is a very strong experience, but my patients are very happy with me and they say that I was able to show the ugliest moment of the disease in public and that inspires others ”, the woman smiles.
The Kaunas resident with alopecia does not hide that the hair shaving process was not without tears, but after that, Rasa even wore a hat at home for a few weeks. Would you ask why? And the reason is in the heart of little Rasa’s daughter.
“My daughter said without thinking to that mother, how ugly you look, and it was a very painful moment for me. When I woke up one morning, I saw that my eyes were red, puffy, apparently with that inner anxiety for my mother. When her daughter asked her if she would feel better if I walked with a hat, the little girl answered yes. I walked home with a hat for about two weeks, ”recalls the interlocutor.
Now Rasa no longer hides her bare head under a hat, on the contrary, she considers it part of her style. Although in the past she kept the news about the disease only in the circle of people closest to her, today Kaunas wants to talk about alopecia and confidently say that it is definitely not cancer.
“Many people do not know about this disease, and neither do I. When I find it, I want more people to know that this is not the end of the world,” smiles the interlocutor.
About alopecia
According to the website of the National Alopecia Association, alopecia means baldness, loss of hair from the head and / or face, or from the entire body.
Studies show that alopecia does not have an “age limit.” Alopecia of autoimmune origin is also detected at 8 months. in babies, but it usually no longer occurs after about 36 years of age. Other types of alopecia, such as androgenic, can occur during adulthood and adulthood.
1-2% Populations (around 58,000 Lithuanians) are likely to experience alopecia of autoimmune origin. About 20 percent. of this group there is the possibility of developing the most serious form: universal alopecia. In Lithuania, there are 11,200 such probabilities. In reality, however, alopecia does not occur in such a population.
Causes of alopecia
Researchers do not fully know the causes of alopecia (except when alopecia is the result of chemotherapy, other health conditions, or mechanical hair damage), and effective treatments or medications have not yet been discovered in all cases worldwide. .
Alopecia is considered a health disorder, but fortunately it is not accompanied by physical pain, it does not limit a person’s physical capabilities, and the progression of the disease does not pose an immediate threat to human life.
Alopecia and quality of life
Alopecia is mentioned in various sources as a “cosmetic” problem because it does not have serious consequences for a person’s physical condition, but its psychosocial consequences can be quite serious and long-lasting. This means that alopecia affects human life in one way or another in different ways:
in psychological: Man’s relationship with himself inevitably changes, his perception of himself changes, his relationship with the changed body changes. It is often accompanied by difficult experiences, especially in the early stages of alopecia. This identity crisis is temporary and prolonged. The crisis ends when a new adaptation occurs.
A person emotionally accepts alopecia: he adapts to the changed body and discovers acceptable variants of appearance, with which he feels comfortable in the immediate environment. Adaptation is hampered when appearance problems continue to be a strong stimulus, causing anxiety and fear.
relationships with other people: surroundings: family, friends, co-workers, strangers on the street, etc. The evaluation becomes a very important factor in the well-being and adaptation of a person with alopecia.
It is also a major challenge for family members – parents raising children with alopecia. Because alopecia is not effectively treated, efforts to help your child or loved one are often crowned with frustration and helplessness. This is also not an easy situation for spouses or partners. Alopecia often unrecognizable alters a person’s physical characteristics, causing problems in the relationship between accepting and reconciling the “new” member.
at work / professional: There are psychological studies that show that employers react in one way or another to a change in an employee’s appearance. The testimonies of people with alopecia experience discomfort in the face of excessive non-empathic curiosity.
For better well-being, they may consider a more socially isolated job. There are cases in which people with alopecia are not hired because they do not meet the appearance requirements, despite their professional abilities. However, there are also cases where employers accept the change in employee appearance as an advantage.
The information was prepared by Rūta Barkauskaitė
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