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Support Group Helps Women With Alopecia

Throughout history, women have been defined by their hair, but for some women, a lack of hair is what defines them.

They are among the four million Americans who deal with a hair loss condition known as Alopecia Areata, a condition that can cause a great deal of emotional stress and anxiety.
 
Now a group of women with the condition have formed a group called Bald Girls Do Lunch, which sponsors luncheon get-togethers in cities around the country where women can get support and connect with other women who have the disorder.

"It brings them together and gives them an opportunity to talk to people who truly understand what they're going through," says Thea Chassin, one of the founders of Bald Girls Do Lunch. "Women with this condition are doing a juggling act. There is the very personal side of it, which is how she's feeling. She's had a changed self-image. The other part of it is the public part of it."

For many women, the group means feeling part of a sisterhood. Maryann French says "this was the first time that I was in a situation where you could be openly bald."

For Patti Burkholder, the experience was freeing. "You walked into the bathroom, there's a bald girl there! I was, like, so excited! And then the next girl came in and she felt embarrassed because she wore her wig to lunch!"

The power of community is the prime goal of the Bald Girls network. "Women are finding other people that are not that far away from where they live, and then they can keep in contact with each other afterwards," says Chassin.

While there are not currently any luncheons planned in the Pittsburgh area, Bald Girls Do Lunch is looking to form chapters in other cities. You can contact them at Bald Girls Do Lunch.org.

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