A percentage of all apparel proceeds from this site will go towards the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF). 

The National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF) supports research to find a cure or acceptable treatment for alopecia, supports those with the disease, and educates the public about alopecia areata. 

 

My Story

My name is Rowan Hynes and I have an autoimmune disease called alopecia. 

Alopecia occurs when your immune system attacks your hair follicles and doctors still aren't sure why. It's fairly common for people to have small areas of hair loss but in my case I have what's considered total hair loss.  

I first started losing my hair when I was 4 years old. What started out as small patches quickly turned into complete hair loss within about a year. I was healthy but we were given very little information on why it happened and told there was virtually no proven treatment to counter my hair loss.  

At first we tried a topical spray treatment on my head. It helped a little but I would quickly gain and lose hair on what seemed like a whim. When that didn't work we were told we would need to venture out of state and see a specialist who could give me steroid shots. In my head!    

My parents did not want to put me through the pain of shots and were very worried about using steroids. After weighing the pros and cons of unpredictable and unproven treatments my parents decided not to do treatments. 

I don't remember what it's like to have hair and not having any hair has always been a part of who I am. Unfortunately, many people with Alopecia have to deal with their hair loss under different circumstances than mine. As I'm sure you can imagine, for some people, the sudden and dramatic change in visual appearance, or simply looking different than others can have a devastating effect on one's self worth.   

I'm grateful to have family and friends who support me no matter how I look. It has not always been easy, but I hope my story and this site will help spread awareness of alopecia and beyond anything else, help those who might be struggling.

 

 

Graphic design credit for Rowan and The Next Evolution images: Maric Hynes