what i wish i knew about alopecia in Black women
“Alopecia in Black women” is something I have typed on the internet way too many times simply because I was looking for answers. It’s part of why I even started this hair as art series in the first place. It is also why I made a youtube video with my Black dermatologist friend to give us a basic alopecia rundown.
1. you are not alone
47% of Black women struggle with alopecia which means – you are NOT alone even if you feel alone. I hadn’t realized it was so prominent which is exactly why i want to talk about it.
2. there are different types of aloepcia
One of the important things I learned about the most common types of alopecia in Black women is that there are different reasons why different types of alopecia occur. I am mentioning this because when I went to the dermatologist they kept saying – you have alopecia because of your braids. But I was confused because my edges were intact and my spot seemed to appear during the school year when I was highly stressed. Through interviewing my friend I learned that the alopecia I have is alopecia areata. Alopecia areata is known for being inflammatory which is autoimmune and can be due to stress and vitamin deficiences not braids.
3. get your blood checked
I didn’t chat about this as much as I should have BUT vitamin deficiencies can also lead to hair loss. For example, in Madame Joyce’s video with Enitan they talked about iron deficiency anemia contributing to hair loss. Mind you, I have iron deficiency anemia and so do so many Black women. So before trying treatments, etc it might be worth asking for blood to get checked for any vitamin deficiencies. This is not sponsored but I do recommend checking out Black girl vitamins because their vitamins actually taste good and are catered for Black women.
4. see a professional for assistance
I have waited too long in the past to get help. Like my friend said in the video oftentimes as Black women we wait until the last possible moment to get help. But it’s better to get help earlier than later especially to avoid things that may be more serious than expected. For me, i’ve noticed that the creams haven’t worked for my alopecia BUT when I got the shot at the dermatologist, my hair grew back. Alopecia in Black women can be resolved but sometimes we need a professional to get the help we need!
