In 2023, more and more alopecia areata patients are visiting their dermatologists. If their initial diagnosis was many years ago, patients may not have visited their dermatologists for their alopecia areata in a long time. Now that there are FDA-approved medications for moderate to severe alopecia areata, a patient may want to revisit their doctor. The patient may want to ask their doctor if the JAK (Janus kinase) medication is appropriate for them. Olumiant (baricitinib) is one of the medications from Eli Lilly. Another is LITFULO™ (ritlecitinib) from Pfizer. JAK drugs that are approved ..read more

Hello Blog Readers! Are you near State College, PA this Friday, April 21st? Let's Do Lunch! Join me and our guest, Deja McClendon, a Bald Girl and professional volleyball player. Deja will share her experiences with alopecia areata from the first patch at 12 years old to becoming a bald and bold professional athlete with the Athletes Unlimited League (USA). Like many of you, she knows the challenges, the beautiful moments and everything in between. RSVP required.  Quick link to lunch tickets HERE.     ..read more

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“I have alopecia and that’s just the way it is.” — Rylee Friends, I want to share the story of an exceptional young girl and her mom. Their direct approach to talking about alopecia areata inspires and works well for people of all ages. Rylee Ducharme was first diagnosed with alopecia areata when she was just seven years old. Her mom, Johanna, found a small bald spot the size of a quarter on the back of her daughter’s head. “The spot would grow in and fall out again, but it always remained small and easy to cover with the rest of her hair” Johanna recalls. Topical treatments followed, but not ..read more

A daring grade schooler and her proud mom reveal why they choose to address alopecia areata head-on within family, school and community. Their insights on squashing bullies and using art will inspire smiles.* Rylee Ducharme was first diagnosed with alopecia areata when she was just seven years old. In December 2015, her mom, Johanna Hampson-Ducharme, found a small bald spot the size of a quarter on the back of her head. “She had long, beautiful, thick blond hair,” remembers Johanna. “The spot would grow in and fall out again, but it always remained small and easy to cover with the rest of he ..read more

My name is Hannah Frey. I’m a Bald Girls Do Lunch volunteer from Ijamsville, MD. I’m also a teen who has had alopecia universalis for most of her life. I had the pleasure of volunteering to work alongside the CEO of Bald Girls Do Lunch, Thea Chassin, on a virtual alopecia event. Being a part of this organization has truly impacted me for the better. Through this experience, I’ve definitely become more comfortable with my own hair loss. Bald Girls has a brilliant way of creating a safe atmosphere for all women who are experiencing their own form of hair loss. I saw first-hand how BGDL works to ..read more

Hello with warm, heartfelt greetings to you, our Bald Girls community and supporters. I’ve been keeping a special volunteer a bit of a secret, but no more! Today, I’m introducing Hannah Frey. You may know firsthand that people living with alopecia can feel alone and isolated, especially in a pandemic. Because of you, our teen volunteer, Hannah, gathered with Bald Girls Do Lunch virtually. Let me share Hannah’s story. It shows just how much our alopecia areata community means to this high school senior from Maryland. Hannah has been living with alopecia universalis for most of her life. Even a ..read more

Survey is live through January 31st You’re invited to participate. The International Alliance of Dermatology Patient Organizations (also known as IADPO or GlobalSkin) would like the Bald Girls Do Lunch community to be part of a unique research survey. In this project named GRIDD, the dermatology patient is the expert. Your opinion truly matters! URGENT: This survey is live until January 31, 2021 With the guidance of dermatology patients and patient organization leaders around the world, the GRIDD project (Global Research on the Impact of Dermatological Diseases) aims to develop a global impac ..read more

Ms. Paige Clarke-Jeffers announces the enrollment of Black women with all forms of alopecia areata in her research project: "Black Women's Experiences of Living with Alopecia" at Birmingham City University, United Kingdom. The study is for her Masters of Health Psychology dissertation. Candidates for the confidential interviews meet these criteria: You are Black or Dual-Heritage Age 18 or over Female or identifying as female Step 1: Review the project summary here and start here. A Word doc of the Participation Information is located here. Step 2: Notify the researcher that you are interest ..read more

A mom’s advice on alopecia areata in adolescence and living one day at a time.  We all remember the transitions from grade school to middle school to the high school years. No matter who we are, the teens are tumultuous, fraught with challenges big and small. But just imagine navigating adolescence with alopecia. And imagine being the mom, watching your daughter take that journey. Jenean Carpenter is an RN and mother of six in Albuquerque, NM. Her daughter Becky was just in elementary school when diagnosed with alopecia areata. Jenean has been meeting challenges head-on with Becky every ..read more