‘I am not my hair’: Albany natives bring awareness to alopecia

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Four women in Dougherty County affected by alopecia are working to bring awareness to the autoimmune immune disorder.

For many, hair loss can be a normal part of the aging process, but for some dealing with a form of balding or alopecia can take a tole or much more than just the hair on their head

”I felt like my hair loss was a loss. I felt like I lost everything that I thought that I was. My identity, myself image. I was Gina with the thick hair,” Regina Barnes, an alopecia advocate and RN stated.

According to Osmosis.org, alopecia or alopecia areata is an autoimmune disorder that can cause a sudden loss of hair. Regina Barnes says the diagnosis for many can be embarrassing and can even cause depression.

”I think people are ashamed or embarrassed because people tend to associate being bald with being ugly and it’s not. You can be bald, bad, and beautify and most people just don’t know that,” Barnes stated.

3 women from Dougherty County were instrumental in making the month of September Alopecia Awareness Month for the county. These advocates believe its important to bring awareness to this disorder and help others embrace who they are.

”We all have a flaw, mine is my hair. Yours might be something else but embrace what you got and be bold about it,” Gloria Baker, an alopecia advocate stated

Yvette Green has dealt with alopecia for 50 years and wants those unaffected to be empathic to the issue.

“It is so depressing it has a high emotional impact on people that others just don’t understand. We need you to understand that it’s more than an emotional issue it’s an actual emotional and mental issue,” Yvette Green, an alopecia advocate stated.

Yvette Green has a support group for people battling alopecia. For more information on how you can join email banyfieldsbaker@yahoo.com

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook and X (Twitter). For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app from the Apple Store or Google Play.

Copyright 2024 WALB. All rights reserved.