Hair Loss: It's Not Just a Cosmetic Concern

    May 2018 in “ Academic Medicine ”
    Ajay Kailas
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    TLDR Hair loss can cause significant emotional and psychological distress.
    The document highlights the significant psychosocial impact of hair loss, as experienced by two patients, Cindy and Adam, during the author's dermatology rotation in medical school. Cindy, a woman in her 50s, was deeply distressed by her hair loss, which was diagnosed as female androgenetic alopecia. Her hair was a crucial part of her identity, and losing it made her feel like she was losing a part of herself. Adam, a 16-year-old male, was also affected by early onset male pattern baldness, which led to him being teased by classmates. The author reflects on the importance of hair as a source of identity and how hair loss can affect cultural identity, such as in Sikhs with traction alopecia and African American women with central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia. The author emphasizes the need for medical professionals to take hair loss seriously, acknowledge its potential to cause emotional and psychological distress, and provide support and hope to patients. The names and identifying details in the essay have been changed for privacy.
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