What it’s Really Like to Lose Your Hair as a Woman
Wondering what it’s really like to lose your hair as a woman? Last week I shared my experience during my first PRP treatment with Dr. Rapaport. Are you following along?
Today I’ll share a little bit more about my hair loss and how it’s affected me in so many different ways!
Disclaimer: I was supplied with PRP Hair Treatments on a complimentary basis by Dr. Rapaport in order to test them first-hand. All opinions stated are my own.
My PRP Journey for More Hair
Androgenic Alopecia
If you’ve been following my PRP Journey you already know that I suffer from Androgenic Alopecia caused by PCOS. Did you know that as many as 1 in 10 women are affected by PCOS and many go undiagnosed for years? Since there is no cure for PCOS, early diagnosis is key. Beginning early treatment can help reduce the risks associated with PCOS like obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, hypertension and even infertility. These are just a few of the more serious risks that come along with PCOS but of course, there are also other not so serious issues like acne, excessive hair growth, and male pattern baldness otherwise known as Androgenic Alopecia.
I wasn’t actually diagnosed with PCOS until I was in my late 20s and by then I was already suffering from several symptoms including infertility. I’m one of the few lucky ones and was able to conceive without any medical treatment although it did take me what seems like forever but I’m finally a mommy!
Do you know anyone suffering from PCOS? Do they also suffer from hair loss?
Or maybe you’re suffering from PCOS yourself. Did you lose your hair as a woman and face loads of struggles like I did?
What It’s Really Like to Lose Your Hair as a Woman
Last week I mentioned I would share with you how life changing hair loss has been — what it’s really like to lose your hair as a woman — so here goes!
Remember that I started suffering from hair loss when I was in my late teens so some of the things a typical young woman enjoys became an ordeal for me.
Going out dancing
Not only did I have to worry about making sure I could hide my bald spots, I also worried that if I would break into a sweat while dancing all of my concealing hair products would fail and my scalp would be exposed.
Going on dates
I feared that whoever I was dating would notice that I had thinning hair and would lose interest in me because I was going bald. With so many insecurities women already face this isn’t something we should have to worry about! Allowing anyone to touch my hair was a big NO NO! There was also the worry that a guy might want to touch my hair and I’d have to swat his hand away and make up some excuse on why I don’t like my hair touched.
And then there was the time I made the mistake of leaning my head on my dates shoulder, forgetting he was wearing a crisp white shirt and left blotches of black powder all over his shirt. Can you image my panic as I casually tried to wipe it off before he noticed? It was not fun!
Going to the beach
I LOVED swimming and am a total beach bum but hair loss has really changed how I enjoy the beach. I rarely go swimming even though I would much rather be in the water than laying in the sun. Going in the water means wetting my hair or having to worry about not wetting it and it just becomes stressful. Not enjoyable!
The few times that I do go swimming I make sure to have my head wrapped. But then I have to worry about the wrap falling off if I get hit by a wave and that is just another stressor I don’t need.
What can I say, to lose your hair as a woman is no fun but I just made the best of it with lots of head wraps!
Being in the sun
I would never be caught dead in direct sunlight without a head scarf or at least a pair of sunglasses to prop on top of my head. Before I wore concealers I worried that bright light would further expose by scalp. Now that I wear concealers I worry that it will be noticeable in direct sunlight or that the heat might cause it to run. The concealer I wear is a powder type substance and it sits right on my scalp, if you look at it in the right light you can totally tell something is wrong with my hair or scalp.
And then there was the time I left my head wrap at home and my scalp actually got a horrific, I mean red lobster type, sunburn while I was vacationing on the beach. Ouch!
Getting a massage
Now this one probably sounds silly but I learned the hard way. I happily joined Massage Envy and thought I’d treat myself to a nice de-stresser once a month. After all, I deserve it! Don’t we all? Well, it was everything but stress-free. I didn’t realize that my concealer would rub off all over the head rest and of course how about the massage therapist that insisted on rubbing my scalp when I made it clear I didn’t want my head touched. He ended up with this dark powder all over his hands and then rubbed it all over my face as he massaged my temples. So much for de-stresser!
Luckily it was dark and he probably couldn’t see what was happening, I’m sure he just assumed I was dirty and that’s why his hands were covered in soot by the time he was done with me. Oh well. But needless to say, it was absolutely not the relaxing hour I signed up for. I definitely learned my lesson and wrapped by head from them on and went as far as making sure that NO SCALP massage was noted on my chart.
Going to the Gym
Sweat and dark brown powder is a recipe for disaster!!!! No need to say more!
Dealing with Hair Loss
Has your life been affected by hair loss? To lose your hair as a woman is devastating, right? This is just a short list of the things that hair loss has changed for me… but I can go on for days. This still affects my everyday life every time I leave the house. How has it affected you?
[Tweet “Dealing with #hairloss as a woman can be devastating! You’re not alone! Follow my #morehair journey #PRPHairTreament #spon”]
My Journey – From NO HAIR to MESSY HAIR
Next week I’ll get into my second PRP treatment and share my one-month side by side photo, as well as a behind the scene video of the process.
Sneak peek to next week’s post… I had my second treatment without any topical anesthetic, just to get an idea of how painful it would be. I’ll share my thoughts on that!
I hope you stay tuned and continue to follow my PRP journey for more hair! You can also catch up on anything you missed by clicking here.
In the meantime, you can learn more about Dr. Rapaport and his PRP Hair Treatment by clicking here.
Remember to use our unique NYCTechMommy discount code ‘PRPHair10Tech’ when booking your PRP appointment with Dr. Rapaport online and receive 10% off. Also, make sure to mention the discount code at the office when you arrive for your first visit so that they know I sent you.
[Tweet “56 Million Americans deal with #hairloss. 40% are #women. Are u one of them? #prphair #spon”]
Are you suffering from hair loss too? Comment with your biggest struggles below. You are not alone! I would love to hear from you. Signing off, for now ~ xo
