There journalist Rai Laura Aprati recounted the dramatic loss of hair from evening to morning due to thealopecia. The loss of hair and all body hair was in turn caused by a fibromyalgia. “Nothing was the same as before,” confessed the reporter.
Laura Aprati and hair loss due to alopecia
I woke up one morning and I no longer had a hair on my head. I looked at myself in the mirror and I didn’t recognize myself: ‘Who is this person?’, ‘What happened to me?’. Within three days I no longer had a hair on my entire body: nor eyelashes or eyebrows. A shock. From that moment on, nothing was the same as before.
So he confided to The Republic the Rai journalist Laura Aprati. L’total alopecia aerata it is an autoimmune disease that affects the 0.2% from the world population. In his case, the alopecia was caused by a specific disease:
Woman suffering from alopecia areata in a stock image.
My alopecia was the consequence of fibromyalgia, but it was the baldness that weighed on me the most from a psychological point of view: you have to go to work, attend meetings, but it’s no longer you. The external appearance is crucial in relationships with others, even more so if you are precarious: the illness puts you in a corner.
Buying the wig
The journalist went to the doctors, who initially were unable to give an answer that would explain what happened. The woman thus decided to buy one wig:
I bought myself a wig and discovered an unknown world: the hair market, where people profit from weakness and fragility. An adhesive wig could cost more than 2000 euros and two were needed for maintenance. There is a lot of speculation surrounding wigs. Human hair is purchased for very little money, but in the shop it costs a fortune. Synthetic wigs are cheaper, but if you wear them and it’s hot it’s like having a plastic hat on your head.
Treatment with a new drug
Laura Aprati found support in other doctors and undertook a therapeutic path with a drug newly released:
I was lucky to have doctor friends who helped me. Thanks to them, I was able to access a new drug from the United States. I started the treatment last year and have seen a great improvement. In a couple of months I will be able to take off the wig and my eyelashes have already grown back.
The journalist is now fighting for this illness come recognized by the Health Service and to let people know that one cure exists. In tackling the path, Aprati underlines the importance of the right mental attitude:
Alopecia is invasive especially in the mind, if you are not strong enough it overwhelms you. The disease defines you, but if you laugh, it may not be over yet, but you are definitely close.
Photo source: 123RF / Instagram
