© 2022 MJH Life Sciences and AJMC - Managed Care News, Research, and Expert Insights. All rights reserved.
© 2022 MJH Life Sciences™ and Clinical Care Targeted Communications, LLC. All rights reserved.
Ebony describes the lifestyle modifications she made after her alopecia areata diagnosis, including her daily makeup routine.
Ebony: The general lifestyle modifications I’ve made include wearing wigs daily and having to explain myself to coworkers and classmates. Some people have made me feel very uncomfortable regarding my appearance, and they would put this negative stigma on me as if I’m sick. I’ve had to explain myself on multiple occasions just to reassure everyone around me that I’m OK. I’m fine. I just can’t grow hair. When it comes to wigs, I remember constantly adjusting them, wearing wig tapes or some type of adhesives to make sure that all my hair would stay down, then putting headbands over it to make sure it’s secure.
Every day I go to lengths to cover up my symptoms. I would say it takes at least 15 minutes for me to do my makeup, including my eyebrows. My eyebrows take the longest for me to do. Sometimes they could be a little stressful, but I’ve definitely nailed the art over the years. I remember not wearing makeup at all. I wear glasses daily. When I’m wearing glasses, I don’t wear as much makeup because they cover my eyebrows. When I go to events and things, it takes at least 15 to 30 minutes. Not as long as it used to.
Transcript lightly edited for clarity.