Even if you have alopecia there is no need to despair. Apart from going ‘bald and proud’, you can choose to wear a wig. And with wigs being the latest trend, you don’t need to worry that someone will realize why you are wearing a wig.
Beauty Queen
Did you know that Miss Delaware, Kayla Martell, a beauty queen finalist in the Miss America 2011 competition suffers from alopecia? Apart from when she is in competition, she is quite happy to walk around without her wig. She believes that by competing in beauty pageants and letting people know that she has alopecia, she is helping other sufferers. Some women have even been prepared to take off their wigs, once they know that she prefers to go around bald. Of course, the wig she wears in competition is very realistic and it’s very hard to tell that it isn’t her own hair. By championing the cause of the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, she is helping to make the problems of alopecia sufferers more widely known.
Super Model
Naomi Campbell suffers from what appears to be traction alopecia and this was probably caused by having too many extensions, tight hairstyles, hair weaves and so on during her modeling career. She is often seen in a long wig, which may or may not be because she wants to cover up her bald spots.
Getting A Good Wig
With everyone wearing wigs and hair extensions these days, it’s very easy to buy a wig online, or find a good wig shop so you can try before you buy. For example, you can get a fun Lady Gaga lookalike costume wig for around $25 online. Regular synthetic wigs from Paula Young, Raquel Welch or similar companies are available from around $40 upwards. This means that you can afford to experiment until you find one that really suits you without it costing too much money. There are a lot of wig accessories available like comfy-grip gel-filled headbands that make wig wearing much more comfortable when you suffer with hair loss. Human hair wigs are available online too from around $400 upwards. However, if you want the very best you can pay $3000 or more for a custom-made human hair wig, but this isn’t necessarily the best solution for someone with alopecia. Ask your hair specialist for their advice as to the best sort of wig for you.
Medical Wigs
Depending on the severity of your hair loss, you may be entitled to a wig at a discount or from a charitable organization that offers help to sufferers of hair loss. You may even be able to claim your wig on your insurance. You will need to ask your doctor for a prescription for a full cranial prosthesis, or a hair prosthesis, both of which mean a wig in medical language. If you just claim for a wig, you may find your claim denied. Many insurance companies will give you between 80-100% of the cost of your wig, as long as you call it a cranial prosthesis, but they may have an upper limit of how much they will pay depending on your insurance plan. Many medical wigs are designed in such a way that you can even swim or shower in them without anyone being any the wiser. However, these sort of wigs need to be custom made, so if this is what you are looking for, you need to look for a specialist wig maker.
