Hair loss is a condition that affects your appearance, which in turn affects how you feel about yourself and your relationship with the world. Hair loss in women is often the hardest to bear, as society’s perceptions of beauty and youth are often linked to the healthy, lustrous-looking hair that we see on TV shampoo advertisements.
Whilst the damaging effect of hair loss on self-esteem is to be expected in many cases, those with a hair loss condition cannot allow themselves to be overwhelmed with negative thoughts and feelings. The most common kinds of negative thoughts had by women with hair loss include:
• “I’m not attractive anymore because I don’t have hair”
• “I will never be in a relationship because of my hair loss condition”
• “People are laughing and staring at me”
These thoughts are unlikely to be accurate, but by repeating them to yourself you will start to believe them and subsequently feel worse about yourself. You need to force yourself to try some positive thinking, challenging and dismissing each negative thought and replacing it with one that will help to boost your self-confidence.
If you need reassurance that your fears are unfounded, take a look at famous alopecia sufferer Gail Porter and her inspirational outlook on life. Her recent naked photo shoot confirms that she is definitely still attractive, she has a loving boyfriend and daughter and she has had nothing but support from fans and well-wishers.