I currently find the causes of alopecia and any methods to prevent it most interesting. I became interested in the topic when a good friend of mine told me that he started to wake up in the morning with hair on his pillow. Because he never worried about hair loss at his age, it came to him as a surprise. I had previously believed that alopecia was a congenital disease, I realized from research that it can also occur from treating hair poorly – in fact, simply by using the popular chemically synthetic shampoos you can find in any store. I found out that the use of factory made surfactants in these shampoos can cause alopecia.

I told my engineer parents, and they became deeply interested as well. Astonished by the ordinary people’s unawareness of and indifference towards the downside of chemically synthetic shampoos, they decided to produce shampoos that use naturally produced surfactants. Upon further research, I learned that most hair products sold around the world uses synthetic surfactants. These products create satisfying bubbles and help hair slosh around, but also constantly irritate the scalp, leading to alopecia. This stunned me, considering just how commonplace these traditional shampoos are. ??I was hooked. I decided to attend my mother’s presentation to educate hairstylists on the science behind her naturally made shampoos. I was so inspired by her presentation that I created my own PowerPoint slides summarizing what I learned about alopecia. When I told my science teachers about it, they decided to display the looping presentation on a monitor outside the Stevenson School science building. I even wrote a short research paper that drew on what my parents had taught me during their own trials. My hope is that I can educate everyone who uses traditional shampoos on the merits of natural surfactants.

To further my understanding about alopecia, I decided to attend the NAAF (National Alopecia Areata Foundation) conference which is an annual meeting where people share information about the disease. Instead of passively learning about the disease through internet or books, I wanted to learn first-hand from people close to the disease. Flying all the way from Korea to Los Angeles, my mom and I attended the conference in an attempt to further our understanding of the disease. After arriving at the hotel where conference was held, however, we were surprised to find out that the conference was intended only for people with alopecia themselves, or their family members. I was the only participator who didn’t have the disease.

Initially, I felt extremely awkward. Although one of the staff members allowed me and my mom to attend certain parts of the conference that were more educational than personal and emotional, I felt like I didn’t belong. I didn’t know how to act when people took their wigs off and had emotional exchanges. While I was somewhat embarrassed at myself for feeling bad about those people who fully embraced their disease with pride, I also realized how hard for an outsider without alopecia to truly understand what patients are going through. From attending such conference, I think I emotionally got more attached to the disease.

Although I wasn’t allowed to participate in most of the conference’s schedule because I didn’t have alopecia, the managers allowed me to listen to prominent doctors’ discussions about alopecia. 

From attending the conference, I got to realize the severity of the disease. It was painful to see people with alopecia universals, a medical condition involving rapid loss of every hair in one’s body, having trouble with ordinary life. I was also mesmerized by the way people treated their disease. Without hiding the disease, people with alopecia proudly took their wigs off. It was amazing how they fully embraced their condition and proudly let others know what they are going through. 

Although I couldn’t attend the more emotional and personal parts of the conference, I could still get a glimpse of the purpose and mindset of the people attending the conference from their attentiveness. Every time the president of the conference introduced doctors, she warmheartedly welcomed everyone, and always took her wig off at the end of the speech, assuring everyone that no one is stopping him or her from showing off bald head. I was also surprised to see many young children attending the conference. I couldn’t imagine how discouraging it would be to attend school always wearing wig or getting all the attention without the wig. When someone on the stage told his or her personal stories about alopecia areata, even I, who does not have the disease, was emotionally attached.

From the conference, I learned that there still isn’t a perfect cure for alopecia areata. Many of the available treatments are very costly and have some negative side effects. Although there is Jack Inhibitor, which is a new way to cure alopecia that many dermatologists are looking into, it is very expensive at the moment. I was disappointed that only the people currently dealing with alopecia areata were funding the researchers. Indeed, alopecia is not a disease that leads to visible damage; however, the unseen damage is tremendous. Many people at the conference said that they have had received unfair judgment in society just for suffering from alopecia.
From the NAAF conference, the only wish I had was for more people suffering with alopecia to find out about this conference and come out of their closets. In the near future, I hope I can spread the message all the way in Korea, starting local communities that will gather people suffering from alopecia. Because most Koreans are quite shy and afraid about telling others about their baldness, my hope is to start a community here.