Hairdresser wants to share own alopecia story
Ariana Murrell, 36, will hold a support session called No Hair, Don't Care for people of all ages with the condition at the Chain Bridge pub in Boston, Lincolnshire, on 29 August.
She said going to support groups when she was younger helped her realise she was "not alone" and wants to help others in the same way.
Ms Murrell, who lost her hair at the age of 12, decided to later embrace alopecia by having butterflies and flowers tattooed on the back of her head.
Telling of her own ordeal, she said: "I went to the hairdressers one day and they noticed a few bald spots, and then within a few months my hair had all fallen out.
"Back then I thought I was the only one going through it so it was good to go to a support group and meet other people going through it as well.
"I was offered creams to put on my head and it didn't really work, so from then I thought I don't want any treatment as I don't want to get my hopes up especially if it doesn't grow back."
Mrs Murrell, who grew up in Ipswich but recently moved to Boston with her husband and children, admitted she struggled at first to accept the condition.
She said: "At 12, you want to be experimental with your hair.
"I'd just started secondary school and I was a target for bullies as I was wearing a bandana, and I would get it pulled off a few times in the corridor because they thought it was fun."
She said she chose to pursue a career in hairdressing because she wanted to "play around with other people's hair" after being unable to do so on her own.
Mrs Murrell added she still gets a lot of stares "because people are curious and are probably looking at my tattoo", but she is now encouraging people to ask questions to raise awareness about alopecia.
Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
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