A bit of a hairy predicament...

Hello you lovely people,

Thank you so much for clicking onto this page. My name is Aidan, 21, Doncaster, and I am reaching out for help. Wow, I am genuinely terrified to open up about this.

At eight years old I was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata, a rather inconvenient auto-immune disease! This is where cells in your immune system surround and attack your hair follicles, mistaking them for foreign bodies. There's no cure for alopecia, and science still doesn't fully comprehend why the immune system does this, or categorically know what the triggers are. Approximately 2% of the general population will experience alopecia at some point in their lifetime and sadly there is no cure.

Luckily I only had a small patch of hair loss at 8 years old, which grew back within a few months, woohoo! Sadly, I wasn't quite out of the woods! Miss Alopecia made a comeback in December 2018. I was genuinely mortified. It started with a small patch on the left side of my hairline, and over time has progressed quite extensively. As the patches would spread, I naturally grew my hair longer to hide them. My eye brows also gradually disappeared and I also have patches of hair missing all over my body (including you know where!) You can see the extent of my hair loss in the cover photo above.

For nearly three years, I have persisted with dermatology appointments, steroid injections, spent hundreds of pounds on private treatment (oral and topical) and exhausted every shampoo in ASDA! I have been on anti-inflammatory diets, meditated twice a day and even considered laser hair growth treatment. I've become fatigued and soul-crushed by my unsuccessful efforts and think it's probably time to wave the white flag.

My Career

Those who know me will know that I am pursuing a career as an Actor, and I am extremely conscious of the barriers that alopecia will present me with. If I am being honest, it has been absolutely heart-breaking to accept that my slim chances of succeeding in a cut-throat, competitive industry have been made substantially slimmer by no fault of my own. I wish I had Male Pattern Baldness rather than alopecia areata, because at least I would have grown into fitting a somewhat orthodox casting type.

Alopecia has taught me to never underestimate the emotional impact that hair loss can have on anyone. I am extremely self-conscious at the moment, and fear going outside without a hat, but also fear wearing a hat in case it makes it worse! I avoid washing my hair in case I lose more in the shower, and the fear of somebody touching my hair has made me very proficient at swerving a hug (even when I could really do with one).

Mental Health

On a serious note, alopecia has triggered a crippling level of anxiety within me. I really don't want to milk the sob story, but I look in the mirror sometimes and feel like some kind of ill monster. I hate being that guy, but it has completely shattered my self-confidence and damaged my mental health so much. I have been through counselling, and six months of cognitive behavioural therapy (cbt), and I have worked so hard to feel better about myself. I exercise every morning, eat healthy food and meditate daily. This really is an ongoing battle, and some days are easier than others. It has taken me nearly three years to 'come out' about this, because I don't want people to see me any differently or feel sorry for me. I know this may come as a shock to you, and I am really sorry about that. I became very good at concealing it with all kinds of sprays and powders, so please don't kick yourself for not noticing! If you did notice but didn't say anything, thank you for being kind. If I actually told you, you are one of very few people who I felt able to do so, so thank you for that.

For anybody else out there going through this, if you ever need to talk to someone then please don't hesitate to drop me a message. I know there are others who have it much worse than me, and I truly understand that we all fight our own demons. I also want to give a huge shout out to Alopecia UK who are an amazingly supportive charity, as well as the Little Princess Trust for donating real human hair wigs to those experiencing hair loss under 24 years old.

I suppose I'd better get to the point...

I am determined to find that sense of confidence in myself again, and luckily there are a few cosmetic treatments available. The two treatments which I feel are the best and most cost-effective are below. Having the treatments below should emulate a buzz cut, which will make me feel x100 better about myself, and should also increase the number of roles I can play as an Actor.

Eye brow microblading - £500

Scalp Micro Pigmentation - £1500

I would never usually ask for money from friends and family and I am working as hard as possible to save up in order to fund as much of this as I can. I got into drama school this year after my third year of applying, and I am moving away in just over a month where I will be living on less than £390 per month, so unfortunately I simply cannot afford to pay for these treatments on my own.

I am aiming to have these treatments done before I go to drama school, so I have booked an appointment on the 16th September, which is the deadline for this fundraiser.

If you can donate even the smallest amount of money, I would be so so so grateful. The minimum on this website is £2, but I would have it lower if it let me. I honestly cannot put into words how much it would mean to me, and it is something which I will never ever forget. I don't expect to raise the full amount, but anything at all will help me so much. I know that not everyone will be able to afford to donate, especially during these times, but if you could even just share the donation link I would still be so thankful.

I hope that you still see me as the confident and excitable thespian which I have always been, and I also hope that you can show some kindness, because this was very very difficult for me to do. I know I will get through this.

Thank you so much for reading about my journey and I really hope you can help.

So much love,

Aidan x

insta: @itsaidanscott