hello from jenny!

So as Victoria has already said I'm Jenny :-).

I've had alopecia for almost three years and hopefully in my posts I can give my advice and experiences.

Let me start with a little more background. When I first started with alopecia it was incredibly tough. I didn't know what was happening and no one seemed to be able to give me an answer. After being referred to a dermatologist and undergoing tests it was discovered it was alopecia and within months I had lost my hair, eyebrows and eyelashes.

I didn't know how to cope with it all. I felt like a different person and had to learn beauty routines all over again. I started off by wearing hats (it was November) and that was ok with me after a while. I then moved on to scarves and eventually wigs.

It does feel very surreal that all of that was almost 4 years ago! Back then I didn't know what alopecia really was or didn't know where to get any support from. Alopecia uk has been amazing from providing really helpful information to giving much needed support.

I was involved in the alopecia uncovered project and was photographed without my wig and that picture has been in various exhibitions and even a book!.

I wouldn't say I'm completely comfortable with my alopecia even now. I have never left the house without something covering my head and don't know if I ever will. But I am a long way away from where I was with it all 4 years ago.

And this brings me to why I wanted to be involved with the blog. It's a place for people to come to, just to read comforting words from people who really get what alopecia is, find out answers to questions and just know they are not alone. But also to raise awareness. It is so important that more and more is done to raise awareness to make people see it is a real condition that affects people in so many ways.

So keep checking back for more posts from time to time from me and everyone else :-)

Jenny