Alopecia happens at a young age, and also in women. The reason is usually strong, permanent stress. Marta Kawczyńska, a journalist, fell ill with alopecia areata. She decided to tell about it publicly at the request of Agnieszka Pochrzęst, a colleague in the trade.
- She was only three years old when the first bald spot appeared on her head. The dermatologist diagnosed alopecia areata. Then they were healed in no time
- The disease came back years later, when Marta was already a student. Then she broke up with her first love. Hair started falling out in handfuls
- Marta had to face the trauma of hair loss for a woman
- The most difficult thing for her was not the baldness itself, but the fact that people, seeing her in a headscarf, began to give way to the tram. Still, she says shaving her head was cleansing for her.
Agnieszka Pochrzęst-Motyczyńska, PAP: At what age did you start going bald?
Marta Kawczyńska: The first bald spot on my head appeared when I was three or four years old. The dermatologist diagnosed alopecia areata. She was healed quickly. The spot was overgrown and I had peace for many years. I started going bald again when I was 21. I was in the second year of my studies. Then I lost about 60 percent. hair.
Was the hair falling out in handfuls?
Differently. I know a girl who woke up and the braid was lying next to her on the pillow. For me it is so that first my hair becomes tangled and then it falls out. They go bald. There are also so-called exclamation point hair. It is short, broken hair, the torn off ends of which are thicker and darker than the roots. When I started going bald, I was afraid to wash my head. I cried because my hair was coming out in handfuls and I couldn’t do anything about it.
Alopecia areata is one of the psychodermatological diseases. Sudden hair loss is believed to be nervous and stressful. Is it confirmed for you?
Stress certainly influences disease recurrence and its course. When I broke up with my first love in college, studied and worked at the same time, I had a lot of stress and sad moments, then my hair began to fall out. A few months ago I had another strong relapse. Usually I have a lot of long stress, and two or three months later my hair starts to fall out.
This time, not only the hair on your head fell out, but also your eyelashes and eyebrows. The disease got worse. Alopecia areata has become complete. Is that why you shaved yourself bald?
I had a few hairs left so there was no point keeping them on my head. I’d rather shave them than look at them. Now I know what girls and women feel when they lose their hair due to chemotherapy. First, I screamed when my hairdresser shaved my head, but then I felt relieved. When I looked at the bald head in the mirror, I saw that it is not that bad that I have a shapely head. People close to me supported me a lot, some joked that I look better and more beautiful than with my hair. That head shave was cleansing for me. Although I had to accept my appearance again, because hair loss is a trauma for a woman. I often joke that I still have hair on my knees. I hope this is a sign that my hair will start to grow back. This is one of the theories about alopecia areata. Although I know cases where the hair did not come back.
What was the most difficult thing about this disease?
When people saw me wearing a headscarf, they started to give way to me on the tram. It’s embarrassing to have to explain to strangers that I don’t have cancer. Sometimes I see people staring at me. I prefer to ask directly what is wrong with me than to look sympathetic or cast glances. I have no problem explaining to someone what is wrong with me, what this disease is.
Some patients choose a wig.
I don’t want her yet. Wigs reimbursed by the National Health Fund look like a hay bundle, with natural hair they cost 8-10 thousand zlotys. zloty. It’s not about the price, but the fact that I don’t want to wear someone else’s hair. I prefer colorful handkerchiefs, turbans. At work, or when I’m with a friend, I keep my head open, because everyone knows about my illness. And I’m not going to be ashamed of her myself. He is part of me.
It is estimated that from 0,15 to 2 percent. the population may be affected up to the age of 50. The peak incidence is in childhood. 60 percent all cases are revealed up to the age of 20. It’s a large group of people. They are not seen among us.
Because they stay at home or hide them under their wigs. When bald spots appear, you want to cut yourself off from the world as quickly as possible. In countries such as England or France, a man with a bald head would hardly be noticed. I would have heard faster there that I look cool, but it arouses unhealthy interest in us. Our society is not used to being different. I have the impression that it causes fear and anxiety. I don’t want to hide, that’s why I dared to publish my photo with a bald head on Facebook. I had a lot of positive comments. Dance therapy has also given me a lot.
What did she help the most with?
For me, psychotherapeutic care is an element of treatment, and thanks to dance therapy I managed to accept my new appearance again, find myself in my body, accept the current situation. I know that I will not heal myself, because it is a condition that can be cured. That baldness will come back at times of greater stress. Hair falls out, grows back and falls out again. Accepting a disease, especially one that is visible, is a very difficult path, but the sooner it is done, the better. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease. The immune system attacks the hair follicles because it considers them “foreign”. It begins to destroy the hair follicles. Nobody knows why this is happening. Certainly, the development of the disease is influenced by stress. The mechanism is not fully known. The genetic factor is also important.
Has anyone in your family suffered from it?
In my family, this disease occurs every second generation. My cousin is also sick. Grandma’s hair fell out during the war, but no one diagnosed it then. One of the newest theories says that Helicobacter pylori may influence its development. I did the research and I don’t have it. There is always hope that someone will find a remedy for this ailment.
Marta Kawczyńska, journalist. She worked, among others in Gazeta Wyborcza, Super Express and the tvp.info portal. He works in dance and movement psychotherapy (DMT). This method works with children, disabled and socially disadvantaged people. Her passion is cooking and dancing.
Photo K.Kamiński / PAP