I am lucky really. This may sound odd, but it's true. My name is Ben, I'm from South East England in the UK, I'm 18, and I have been bald for six months due to alopecia. Usually, you wouldn't associate that with being lucky, but I am looking past that.

The Early Days: Small Patches and Hiding in Plain Sight

My story starts when I was 14. I had my first bald patch at the back of my head—about the size of an apple at its largest. I was fine with it; it didn't really bother me as it was small and I assumed it was temporary. Soon enough, maybe after six months, it disappeared.

Around a year and a half later, the same patch came back. I wasn't alarmed, just a little irritated. The patch got bigger and remained for a year; fortunately, it was in the right place so I could grow the hair above long enough to hide it. I wasn't ashamed of it—I even showed people because I thought it was a bit different and ‘no biggie'.

The Escalation: Exams and Increasing Anxiety

When I was 17, it began to annoy me more and more. As my AS level exams approached, two small spots appeared either side of the crown of my head, both about the size of a grape. My hair was long enough to hide them, but the effort to cover them grew daily.

By June, I was struggling with despair. I was at the end of my tether and found myself snapping at family members who just wanted to help—something I still feel guilty for today. I saw specialists, tried steroid creams, and even used a dark brown "paint" spray to conceal the patches. While these "solutions" helped me relax temporarily, nothing actually stimulated growth.

"This decision was key for me: I wanted to beat alopecia, not let it beat me. I was in control."

The Turning Point: Making the Choice

Between July and September 2014, the hair loss accelerated. My patches merged, and I eventually looked like a monk—a large bald circle at the crown of my head. I wore a wooly hat everywhere, even to concerts where I was sweltering, just to avoid the fear of ridicule.

In early November, I had about 50% of my hair left. On the 10th of November, I went to my usual salon. When the hairdresser finished her usual cut and showed me the mirror, my heart sank. The patches were visible from every angle. With tears in my eyes, I knew it was time to let it go.

I told her to shave it off. I watched in the mirror as the remaining hair fell away. My mum was by my side, helping me through it. I was the one who made the decision to go bald. Screw alopecia; it didn’t own me… I owned it.

The "Big Reveal" and Life Today

The day after I shaved my head, I had a major responsibility: as Head Boy for my school, I had to lay wreaths at our WW2 memorial in front of the entire school. It was an accidental "big reveal," but it was extremely liberating. The support from my school community, my family, and my girlfriend was overwhelming.

By February 2015, I had lost 100% of my scalp hair. I’ve since lost much of my body hair and seen my eyebrows thin significantly. However, psychologically, I am in a much better place. I have decided to embrace it.

Why I Am Lucky

I am lucky because I still have a loving family, a roof over my head, and my health. Most importantly, I am still me. This condition is just a part of what makes me who I am.

Alopecia doesn’t define you, you define alopecia.