Alopecia Awareness

by Oscar Camargo | Sep 3, 2024 | Episode

Episode 28

Alopecia Awareness

Alopecia affects millions of people worldwide, including well-known figures like NASCAR driver Joey Logano. This week on HairPod, I connected with Joey in honor of Alopecia Awareness Month. By speaking openly about his experience, Joey helps shine a light on the realities of living with alopecia.

Understanding Alopecia: More Than Just Hair Loss

Alopecia is more than a cosmetic issue; it can have a significant impact on a person’s self-esteem and mental health. Typically, the condition presents as round patches of hair loss on the scalp, but it can affect any area of the body where hair typically grows. For those like Joey, being in the public eye while dealing with such a visible condition adds an extra layer of challenge. Despite this, Joey has embraced his journey, sharing his story to help others understand that hair loss is just one part of who someone is, not the defining factor.

Alopecia Areata Awareness

Joey’s openness about alopecia is more than just a personal story—it’s a call to action. By talking about his experience and the use of a hair system, he encourages others facing similar challenges to feel less isolated and more empowered. Awareness is crucial because it helps dispel misconceptions, fosters understanding, and supports those affected. When public figures like Joey Logano use their platform to discuss alopecia, it encourages conversations that can change perceptions and build a more compassionate community.

If You or Someone You Know Has Alopecia…

Alopecia Awareness Month is an opportunity to educate and uplift. If you know someone affected by alopecia, sharing stories like Joey’s can offer much-needed encouragement and solidarity. Let’s celebrate those who face their challenges with grace and strength, reminding them that they are not alone. Together, we can build a world where we can experience confidence and community, even as we experience hair loss.

Empowering Resources
As the episode draws to a close, HairPod extends a generous offer of a complimentary hair loss consultation, providing a tangible step towards reclaiming confidence and control over one’s appearance. Book a Free consultation with HairClub Today!

Thanks for listening to HairPod. We hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please leave us a rating or review wherever you get your podcasts. If you’d like to connect with us on social media to share your story, check us out on Instagram @HairClub. HairPod is a production of TSE Studios. Our theme music is from SoundStripe.

Episode.28 Transcript

Joey Logano [00:00:04]:
I always think that the first move is to call your family doctor, the doctor that you trust and that knows you and knows your family history. Go to that person first and they may send you to a specialist after that. And I would probably do that. And then after that, go look for what the best solution is for you.

Kevin Rolston [00:00:37]:
Welcome to Hairpod, the podcast where you get to hear real people talk about their hair journeys. I’m your host, Kevin Ralston, and each week I get to interview people from different walks of life whose lives have been touched by hair loss in some form or fashion. Many of our guests have experienced hair loss themselves and found a way to get their confidence and their hair back. This week, we’re bringing you a story about alopecia areata in honor of Alopecia Awareness Month. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition that causes hair loss. It usually occurs as a round patch or patches of hair loss on the scalp, but it can affect hair on any part of the body. While the condition doesn’t cause any physical pain, losing your hair can have a significant emotional impact. It is estimated that about 2% of the worlds population has alopecia areata or will develop it at some point, which is why we want to raise awareness and shed light on this issue.

Kevin Rolston [00:01:36]:
And who better to talk about it with us than NASCAR champion Joey Logano? Hes back again on the podcast to speak about his experience with alopecia areata. Joey was diagnosed with alopecia after a routine haircut revealed a few bald patches on the back of his head. Now he uses his platform to speak openly about his experience with hair loss in hopes that he can help others going through it. Today, he’s going to take us all the way back to the beginning before his diagnosis, back to the moment when he first discovered his hair loss.

Joey Logano [00:02:12]:
It was definitely your first thing. You realize what’s going on? You’re like, huh? What is this? How dangerous is it? Am I what’s going on? For me, I just got a haircut and I got back home and my wife thought that the hairdresser just completely screwed up my haircut, is what she thought because there’s like spots all over the back of my head. Wow. Completely butchered your hair. And I’m like, I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Kevin Rolston [00:02:39]:
Wow. So you couldn’t see it yourself. It was in a place where you couldn’t even notice.

Joey Logano [00:02:43]:
It was a little longer at the time. So when I got a haircut, it really exposed, and then the spots kept kind of growing, you know, and then you kind of. You know, at that point, your first thing you do is call your doctor and say, hey, what’s going on? I went to the doctor, my family doctor, like, okay, we think we have alopecia. I’m like, all right, so what do I do? What is it about? And it’s an autoimmune disorder that, honestly, nobody really understands. From what I’ve learned about it, no one really knows where it comes from, how you got it, hereditary stress. It could be. There’s a lot of different things that can really.

Kevin Rolston [00:03:13]:
Okay. Wow.

Joey Logano [00:03:14]:
Yeah. And it’s different for everybody. Everyone’s got different things. It seems like some people lose all their hair sometimes. It’s all the time. Sometimes just a little bit here and there, which I just get flare ups every now and again. And. Yeah, so there are some different remedies that.

Joey Logano [00:03:26]:
That I looked into. I talked to a few friends that had a similar experience, and then, you know, eventually, you know, hooking up with hair club, that was the best fix. It was really the easiest fix.

Kevin Rolston [00:03:37]:
Yeah.

Joey Logano [00:03:37]:
And I don’t have to go through all the needles and stuff that they’re wanting to put in my head. I was like, hang on a second. Before you start injecting stuff into my. Into my skull here, I want to make sure we’re doing the right thing here. So hair club was definitely the correct fit for me. It’s worked out well.

Kevin Rolston [00:03:54]:
So with what you do for your.

Kevin Rolston [00:03:55]:
Solution that you got with hair club, does it present a problem when you’re traveling so much? Do you have to pack up a lot of stuff with you? Does it affect your routine at all, or is it pretty serious?

Joey Logano [00:04:05]:
Not really to be asked what you. I mean, once you get the system going or you kind of understand how things work, you get your routine, then it’s really smooth. It takes a couple months to figure out, okay, what works for me. How do I do this? And then over time, it’s like second nature, right. And get your hair cut once a month just like everybody else. Right. Like, it really isn’t that different, which is great. It’s worked out really smooth.

Joey Logano [00:04:29]:
And, you know, I still get the flare ups every now and again, but honestly, you can’t even tell. You don’t even know. It’s pretty impressive.

Kevin Rolston [00:04:35]:
Now, you talk about how you just after one haircut, your wife noticed that you had the spots. Tell me a little bit about how big the spots were, and it sounds like you found the diagnosis pretty quick. Did you google it? Did you already know about alopecia. How are you so fast to find out? What was the cause of your hair loss issues?

Joey Logano [00:04:54]:
Well, I mean, like I said, I called my doctor first. That was the first thing I did because I didn’t know. I didn’t know what it was. But, you know, just kind of looking at, there’s probably, I don’t know, ten or twelve small spots, you know, yay. Biggest, you know, maybe a half. Some were a half inch. Some were an inch, inch and a half big somewhere were pretty big, and they would kind of grow for a little bit. And it just.

Joey Logano [00:05:14]:
It’s just bald. It’s kind of. It’s interesting. There’s no hair, and then it grows back gray, and then eventually your color comes back. Yeah. So it’s just kind of a. That’s the, like you said, it’s different for everybody, right? I mean, I feel like I’m pretty lucky for this scenario. I have some people, you know, they lose their.

Joey Logano [00:05:33]:
Their eyebrows and you full, like, all your body hair, you know, hair in your arms, whatever. Whatever it may be. Yeah. But that’s, um. Doesn’t seem like that’s what I have, which is, you know, which is good. But like I said, the cool thing is there’s. We live in a day and age that it’s not that big of a deal, right? Like, I mean, it is, but there’s a. At least there’s a fix, right? And then you don’t have that.

Joey Logano [00:05:56]:
You think 20 something years ago there is no answer for it. And then you got to answer questions and people look at you funny. What’s going on? You know, you got to answer awkward questions, you know, where people just stare at you and you’re scared to ask a question, but, you know, it’s a distraction in the room. I didn’t like that. I wasn’t a big fan of that part of it. Like, I didn’t mind having it, and I didn’t mind someone asking me a question. I just don’t like people staring at me. Like, I turn around, like, what.

Kevin Rolston [00:06:24]:
They were looking. You just feel the eyes on you and looking at those.

Kevin Rolston [00:06:28]:
Yeah.

Joey Logano [00:06:28]:
You catch up, you know, you turn and be like, hey, I saw you.

Kevin Rolston [00:06:31]:
I got you. So how long did you go with having signs of alopecia before you found your solution to cover it up? Cause I assume now anytime you see Joey Logano, you’re not gonna be able to tell that you have any flare ups with alopecia.

Joey Logano [00:06:46]:
Yeah, I don’t think. You’ll probably, probably never know from now on. But, you know, I went probably, I don’t know, it was probably five months or so before I started to. I wanted to see everything that was out there first and understand, okay, what’s, what’s my options, what’s my risks, you know, and how do I want to handle it? Because for me, it’s, and this is kind of for everybody, right? Like, it’s a big adjustment in your lifestyle, right, doing something about it, but also, it’s a big appearance change for people, right. It’s kind of like a, oh, what happened to you, right? Like, so there’s kind of a, how do you want to handle it? How do you want to play that out? You kind of got to think through that stuff a little bit. But eventually I realized that it was kind of a no brainer thing to do. I wanted to do something, and I understood that. There is going to be some people making comments.

Joey Logano [00:07:39]:
The majority of them, almost all of them are positive. You got to know, for me, I’m a professional athlete, so not everybody loves me. There’s people that root for you, and there’s people that don’t root for you. So the people that don’t root for you are always going to have something to say, right? The people that knew me best, or even the people I didn’t know, they all think it’s great. And now I don’t think anyone thinks about it or realizes it, right? It’s just a normal thing now. It’s just how I look.

Kevin Rolston [00:08:10]:
Joey’s experience with alopecia while being in the public eye is a powerful testament to his confidence. While there is no cure for alopecia, Joey points out that there are things that can be done so that people with his condition can look and feel the way they want to. Joey found something that works for him, and now no one really ever thinks twice about his hair loss. They just see Joey as he is today. And because he was never shy about it, his transformation sparked curiosity among his friends and coworkers. People started to reach out, eager to find out how he managed to get his hair back.

Joey Logano [00:08:48]:
Oh, I got a lot of phone calls afterwards, like, hey, what’d you do? What? How do I do that? What’s. Like, what’s going on? Like, I got my phone ran off the hook there for a little bit, especially when I first got my hair. So it’s definitely, you know, it’s a. It, it gets everyone’s attention, but you’d be amazed how many people want to do something about it. Like, it was, I mean, literally 50 something text messages. You know, the day I just said, here’s what I did and is amazing how many people are like, oh, I want to do that. How do I do that? Where do I go? And, yeah, that just, that, to me, proved the point that somebody needed to be more open and talk about it and go out in the public and just accept what it was. Right.

Joey Logano [00:09:29]:
What I was dealing with. And that, yeah, I did something about it. You know what? And I’m happy I did. You know, and a lot of other people do, too.

Kevin Rolston [00:09:36]:
Now, for alopecia awareness month, there are a couple things that I’m curious about. First of all, do you have anyone else in your family that has alopecia?

Joey Logano [00:09:43]:
Not that I know of. And a lot of times, from what I’ve learned, this lives in your system for years, right? Like, it’s something you. It seems to be, from what I understand, maybe it’s hereditary. They don’t completely understand it, but there’s things that can trigger it. Right. So it’s there the whole time. And the way I look at it is, listen, if this is my autoimmune disorder and this is all it is, right. And I can fix it.

Kevin Rolston [00:10:08]:
Yeah.

Joey Logano [00:10:09]:
I feel like I got away with one. You did?

Kevin Rolston [00:10:11]:
Yeah. All the things you could have.

Joey Logano [00:10:14]:
Yeah, exactly. Like I said, because there’s a fix for it. But I understand that it’s also, you got to think, too, for. I think for a woman, you know, for women, that’s definitely a little bit more challenging than it is for men. You know, it’s. Because it’s just different. Any way you look at it, it’s just different for girls. But there’s fixes for that, too.

Joey Logano [00:10:32]:
Right? So that’s the good part. But it is an interesting experience when it first happens and you get, you get a little nervous, for sure, because you’re like, well, what’s the. What else can happen and how bad can it get? And you don’t really know. It was crazy. Every doctor I went to, they’re just like, we don’t really know. But, you know, we think if we do this for a little bit and, you know, you can give you some steroid injections into your, you know, your scalp and all this stuff. And I was like, hey, hang on a second. Like, right? I.

Joey Logano [00:10:59]:
I don’t know how far I wanna go with something like that. And it’s different for everybody.

Kevin Rolston [00:11:03]:
What about the ages that alopecia hits? Does it pick on a certain age or can kids get alopecia?

Joey Logano [00:11:10]:
Oh, kids, yeah. Kids can definitely get it. And that’s one of the cool things that hair club does is that they will, they work a lot with children, and as you know, not all kids are as well polished as adults are when it comes to being polite. And kids can sometimes just, they can just be nasty. Right. They don’t know better. Right. So you can’t get mad at them.

Joey Logano [00:11:31]:
They don’t know better. But put yourself in a, you know, eight or nine year old kid’s shoes, going to school with a bunch of spots on the back of your head or worse. Right.

Kevin Rolston [00:11:41]:
That’s tough, boy.

Joey Logano [00:11:43]:
That’s hard. Right. I can do that as a, as a full grown man, but, and know how to handle it correctly, but to put a kid in that situation, that’s hard. Yeah. And it’s cool. Haircut does that with cancer patients and kids and all that. Yeah. Donate a lot of hair.

Joey Logano [00:11:58]:
I think that’s one of the greatest things they do.

Kevin Rolston [00:12:00]:
Do you have any advice for anybody that is right at the beginning stages of saying, maybe I have alopecia? You contacted your doctor. Is that the best first move or what is the right process to figure out, do you actually have alopecia? And then how can you best treat it?

Joey Logano [00:12:18]:
Doctor Justin I always think that the first move is to call your family doctor, the doctor that you trust and that knows you and knows your family history. Go to that person first and they may send you to a specialist after that. And I would probably do that. And then after that, you know, go look for what the best solution is for you.

Kevin Rolston [00:12:42]:
As we wrap up today’s interview, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Joey Logano for taking the time out of his busy racing schedule to speak with us. When people like Joey have the confidence to speak openly about conditions like this, it helps to break down the stigma surrounding hair loss, showing that its not something to be ashamed of. It also helps to educate others who might not otherwise know how to react when they see someone with alopecia areata. To anyone out there living with alopecia, remember that you are not alone. Your journey is unique. And with the right support and community, you can face it with the same strength and resilience as Joey does. For more inspirational stories and words of wisdom from people who have been through hair loss, make sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening to another episode of Hairpod.

Kevin Rolston [00:13:32]:
Check us out at Hair Club on Instagram or search Hairpod on Facebook to continue the conversation. If you know someone who could benefit from hearing this episode. We would love it if you would share it with them. If youre enjoying the show, consider leaving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. We also have a website. Check it out by going to podcast Dot hairclub.com. were here to build people up and share real stories so people experiencing hair loss feel a little bit less alone. And when you share, review and subscribe, it helps us do just that.

Kevin Rolston [00:14:06]:
So thank you. Until next time.

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What is Hair Loss Awareness Month?

by Oscar Camargo | Aug 27, 2024 | Episode

Episode 27

What is Hair Loss Awareness Month?

hair-loss-awareness-Kevin-Rolston-027-blog

In honor of Hair Loss Awareness Month, we put together an episode featuring some of the most impactful conversations we’ve had on the show so far. We wanted to share the insights we gained from this diverse group of guests, each bringing their unique perspective and experiences, but all united by the importance of finding the courage to talk about your hair loss.

Thinning Hair in High School: Nick Wilkins

Influencer and vlogger Nick Wilkins opens the episode by sharing his journey of coming to terms with hair loss. He discusses the emotional challenges he faced when he first noticed his hair thinning in his high school years. Nick struggled on his journey alone for some time before he reached out for support from a hair loss professional. Nick highlights the importance of seeking support from the people around you, and how impactful that can be.

Hormonal Hair Loss: Lisette Davila

Next, we revisit a conversation with Lisette Davila, who lost her hair as a result of an undiagnosed hormone imbalance. Lisette’s insights are invaluable for anyone who is searching for answers to explain their hair loss. She emphasizes the importance of seeking professional advice, even when it seems like there’s no hope. Her courage in advocating for herself helped her physician determine the root cause of her hair loss so that she could be treated accordingly, which helped resolve other health issues she was struggling with as well.

Alopecia and Emotions: Claire Fullam

Claire Fullam’s segment offers a heartfelt look at living with alopecia. Claire shares her struggles with this autoimmune condition that causes hair loss and the emotional toll it took on her. But her story is also one of resilience, as she talks about how she learned to live confidently despite her condition. Claire’s experience highlights the importance of mental health support in managing hair loss and reminds us that there is always a path forward when we lean on those around us for support.

Confidence and Hair Loss: Jordan Pryor

Jordan brings a fresh perspective with his discussion on the various hair solutions he tried and his candid approach to sharing his hair loss journey on social media. Jordan began wearing a men’s hairpiece in his early 20s and quickly caught the attention of many of his social media followers. Never one to shy away from the spotlight, Jordan helped to educate his curious followers on his hair loss system. Stories like Jordan’s can provide hope to those who are still trying to gain their confidence back. Whether you’re ready to speak openly on hair loss or you’d prefer to be discreet, you’re not alone.

Don’t Let Hair Loss Define You: Steve Barth

Finally, the episode wraps up with insights from Steve Barth, one of the founding fathers of HairClub. Steve shares his experiences from the early days of the company and how the way we view hair loss has changed over the years. His reflections provide a historical context, showing how far we’ve come in addressing hair loss and offering hope for continued advancements in the future.

Episode.27 Transcript

Steve Barth [00:00:04]:
Losing hair has a very powerful emotional effect on our personality because we can control it, but yet we’re left with this real discontent or this real feeling of not looking our best, which means that we’re not always feeling our best. And it’s so important in today’s world that’s so competitive to have that level of confidence.

Kevin Rolston [00:00:40]:
Welcome to this special episode of Hairpot. This week were celebrating hair loss awareness month with you. Thats right. Were celebrating not the hair loss part, but the changing world of hair loss awareness. Even though hair loss affects millions of people, its not every day that you hear someone speak openly about how its impacted them. Listeners to the show know that we are changing that one story at a time. Hairpod has brought so many amazing voices together. So this week we’re sharing some of the most powerful moments from our past episodes.

Kevin Rolston [00:01:13]:
To emphasize one crucial message, it’s important to talk about hair loss. Silence and stigma only make the journey harder and people like our incredible guests are breaking those barriers down. By sharing our stories and experiences, we can find strength, support and solutions together. We’re going to start off by looking back to one of our earliest episodes where we talked to full time content creator Nick Wilkins about his hair loss. It began for him while he was still in high school, and because none of his peers were going through the same thing, he didn’t have anyone else to talk to. Luckily, he took action quickly and was able to see incredible results.

Nick Wilkins [00:01:59]:
But it wasn’t until I turned like 18 when it really all started just like falling out. It was in my combs, it was on my collar of my shirt. And there’s kids in my class saying like, man, you got a lot of hair all over your shirt. Do you have a dog? And I’m like, no, this might be mine, but I was thrown off because they say you lose like 100 hairs a day. So I was like, ah, this is just like my hundred hairs a day that I’m losing. Like, it’s normal still. But then it was, like, starting to happen a lot more and it was a lot more in the shower. My shower drain was getting clogged.

Nick Wilkins [00:02:33]:
Oh, man. I was comparing myself to my friends all the time, like, they had such good hair. And I started to just watch a lot of YouTube videos and I was doing a lot of searching, just like, about hair loss, like how it’s caused and it, like, it gives you a million different answers. There was nothing that I could say, okay, this is me. Because I was watching, like 30 to 40 year olds talking about it. I’m like, man, but I’m 18, so, like, what am I going through right now? And I started to, like, doubt that it was, like, genetics. I started to think it was, like, maybe I was eating bad. Maybe I was doing this or that.

Nick Wilkins [00:03:03]:
So I was, like, trying to, like, avoid the fact that I was just losing hair, like, genetically. But, yeah, I was watching a lot of videos, and then it got to a point where my hair was just, like, it was, like, dying, like, the whole front of it. Like, you could just tell I couldn’t cover it up anymore, like, with my standing hair. And I went to, like, a hairdresser, and I remember talking to her about it. I’m like, do you know anything about hair loss? And she goes, nah, she didn’t know too much. And she was like, everyone who I do hair for, they tell me that there’s no way to fix it. So, like, I don’t think if you are going through hair loss, you can fix it. You can get different haircuts to help it out, to make it look more full.

Nick Wilkins [00:03:40]:
And I was like, man, you know what? I want to prove this wrong. I want to see if you actually can. I had to bring my brother’s girlfriend with me. I had to bring someone with me. I couldn’t do it alone. I had to have someone, like, come in with me because, man, I was embarrassed, and I was just so scared because I didn’t know what was gonna happen or, like, what we were gonna talk about. It was like, I compare it sometimes it sounds kind of weird, but, like, I compare it to, like, if you’re going to the doctors to, like, find out that you have really bad, like, cancer or something, like, you have to bring someone with you to come in for the appointment. Like, it’s too hard to go, like, by yourself, so you have to bring someone.

Nick Wilkins [00:04:13]:
So she came with me, and that definitely helped. That pushed me to actually go. I walked in, they set me up with someone who kind of told me what I’m possibly going through, and they gave me, like, two routes on what I could do, like, to try to fix my hair. And it was just like, it was so easy. I went home the next day, and then I told them, I want to do it. Like, I thought about it for a little bit, and then they got me in contact with another person, and they signed me up for everything, and they started sending me all the products. And it was, like, I’d say after, like, two months of doing it, I started to see, like, changes already. It was just exciting to see, it wasn’t, like, crazy yet.

Nick Wilkins [00:04:48]:
I was still going through a lot of shedding when I was starting everything, and it was still kind of, like, a lot of doubt. But, like, I still had a little bit of hope coming in because I lost my hair really quickly. So I was like, maybe I could fix this. But my one thing I wish I did was going in even earlier. Cause there’s, like, parts of my hair where I’m like, oh, man, if I went in, like, two months earlier, stopped overthinking it, maybe I could have fixed that part of my hair.

Kevin Rolston [00:05:14]:
Even though Nick struggled in silence for some time, he still found the courage to take action and was able to regrow the hair that he had lost. Now, his hair loss was genetic, so he saw it coming, but it still took a lot of strength to reach out to someone and talk to them about what he was going through. The first step is so important, and our next clip is going to tell you why. Lissette began losing her hair in her mid thirties, and it got to the point where people around her were starting to notice. When she reached out to a professional, she discovered that her thinning hair was caused by a health problem that hadn’t yet been diagnosed.

Lisette Davila [00:05:58]:
Yeah, definitely. I remember fixing my hair one day, getting ready for work, and the light in the bathroom just above the mirror was shining on my head. Like, I can actually see the reflection of my scalp. And I was like, what is that? And I’m looking in the mirror as I’m, you know, playing with my curls, and I noticed it was thinning just a little bit here at the top. And so when the light would hit it, I would see my scalp shining off. And I thought, wow, that’s new. That’s different. Am I losing my hair like, I thought I was, you know, way too young? I’m, you know, still in my early thirties, and that’s unheard of.

Lisette Davila [00:06:37]:
You know, my mom and my dad both had their hair, and, you know, I didn’t think that that was normal. I’m in my thirties, and all my friends are, you know, with their thick, full, lush hair, and I’m going thin and starting to feel like I’m getting old. Like, am I getting old? Like, what’s going on with me? It was getting to the point where I felt like a recluse. I didn’t want to go out and socialize with people because I was so embarrassed. I was ashamed, and I didn’t have anyone I can turn to that was a female that suffered or is suffering the same situation that I was. I actually ended up having a surgery. I had a hysterectomy. I was very young.

Lisette Davila [00:07:25]:
I was in my thirties. I was like 32, 33, somewhere around there when I had it. And it was after, when I started noticing the hair loss. Right. So I didn’t put the two together for a while. I didn’t think that having that surgery was going to cause my hair loss. And again, I didn’t have any females to turn to that were going through my same situation to advise me or tell me that, oh, it could possibly be that, until I turned to my doctor and said, you know, I had this surgery, and since then I’ve noticed my hair thinning. Could the two be related? So, yeah, I approached my doctor about it, and she told me that is definitely a possibility that that could happen because of the change in hormones or loss of hormones.

Lisette Davila [00:08:20]:
I had found my situation was hormone replacement therapy, and that’s something that a lot of women are doing today. And that has actually helped me with a lot of other issues that I was dealing with after my surgery. So that is a huge help for women who are dealing with hormones, whether it be if they had to have a hysterectomy or if they have a thyroid condition, which can also wreak havoc on your hair, too, is just going to your physician and getting some blood tests done. It’s as simple as getting some blood tests done to see where your hormone levels are at and then work with your doctor to see where you can get them back on course.

Kevin Rolston [00:09:05]:
Lisette’s story reminds us that hair loss isn’t just about appearance. It’s also about health and well being. Next we hear from Claire Folum, who faced a deeply personal journey with alopecia. Claires openness about her struggles and the emotional rollercoaster of hair loss has helped so many people in her community understand hair loss better. But thats not all it did. Becoming a more open person and getting things off her chest helped reverse the effects of her alopecia.

Claire Fullam [00:09:38]:
The type of alopecia I have is alopecia areata. So it’s like, it’s an autoimmune condition. So it’s like a psoriasis, you know, somebody who has psoriasis, it will flare up and then it will disappear and it will go through different bouts and all that kind of stuff. So that’s the type of alopecia I had. So I did loads of different treatments. But really, I think what was the making of me and the reason why I have hair today is because I spoke about it. You know, I was such a person who used to internalize every slight worry that I had in my life. I used to never want to express myself because I didn’t want my mom to worry or my dad or my husband to worry.

Claire Fullam [00:10:14]:
So I used to internalize. I was one of those, like a swan on the water, you know, like, I looked like I had it all together, but underneath I was panicking. I listen now, and I get stuff off my chest, because I used to kind of internalize a lot, and I used to not speak about things. I will, unfortunately ring my friends, ring my mom, talk to my husband, and I. I will say, I need help right now. It can get really dark, really quick. Hair loss, you know, and I think that a lot of people would understand that who have gone through it, and I think that it becomes very, very out of control. What I would say to people is, when I had no hair, people still loved me.

Claire Fullam [00:10:52]:
I could still do my job. People still wanted to be around me. I was still exactly the same as I am now, with loads of bloody hair. Do you know that kind of way? And I think that it’s really, really hard in those moments to see that, but I think that, and it’s a really hard lesson to learn, and I’ve had to learn it the hard way as well. And I’ve gone through so much over the past eight years to be where I am today. But you really have to dig deep and really care about yourself again, because there’s some part of you who’s let that go along. That way, maybe you’re bottom of the pile. You’re not looking after yourself a little bit.

Claire Fullam [00:11:25]:
This is a whisper from your body to you to try and get you back on track again.

Kevin Rolston [00:11:36]:
Claire’s story is a powerful reminder of the emotional impact hair loss can have and the importance of both giving and receiving support. Her presence on social media has helped bring so much awareness to her journey with alopecia. It’s incredible just how much social media has given people a platform to share their lived experience with hair loss. One of our guests, Jordan Pryor, has been breaking the stigma of hair loss by being an open book. Not only does he share on social media, he’s open and honest with everyone in his life.

Jordan Pryor [00:12:14]:
So I had a video that went viral on TikTok where I was doing, like, a Q and a thing, and someone had commented about how my hairline was super crispy. You know, like, it was, like, nice and straight on the sides. My fade was a lot better than it is right now. And I flipped it up. Flipped up. The hairpiece was like, oh, well, you know, that’s funny that you say that like it’s fake, you know, because I’ve never been one to shy away from making people laugh or anything like that. Like, I don’t care that people know.

Nick Wilkins [00:12:41]:
That, you know, I don’t have real.

Jordan Pryor [00:12:43]:
Hair, so to speak. I really did just show up one day and just had all of my hair back. And my friends were like, how? Because I didn’t tell them. I didn’t tell them what I was doing, where I was going. They were just like. Because, you know, they’d given me such a hard time for years about it. And then it was just like, one day they’re like, wow, your hair looks better than mine. I was like, yeah, it does.

Jordan Pryor [00:13:01]:
Part of the reason why I think I’m so open with it is I do have an individual in my family who has had a toupee since he. Or a men’s hair piece, rather, since he was 25. And so it’s never really been a taboo thing in my family. But, yeah, for folks who might be listening, I would definitely suggest starting off young. And while it’s. While you’re early into the hair loss process, if that’s the route that you’re wanting to go, because it is easier to show up with, just like you were saying, just a little bit more hair at a time versus what I did, going bald and then full head of hair.

Kevin Rolston [00:13:36]:
Jordan’s story is a testament to the power of openness and community in overcoming the stigma of hair loss. Finally, we revisit a conversation with Steve Barth, one of the founding fathers of hair club. Steve’s journey began at a time when talking about hair loss was even more taboo than it is today. His story reminds us that while hair loss can be challenging, it doesn’t have to define you.

Steve Barth [00:14:07]:
It was 1976 that I actually found myself wandering into 185 Madison Avenue in New York City. And that was the only space in the entire city and the entire universe. That hair club existed. What drove me into that office was probably about two years earlier. I was starting to really become aware that I was losing my hair. Although, again, that shouldn’t be much of a surprise to anybody, because there’s just such a strong genetic predisposition for hair loss in my family. My mother’s father lost his hair. My father’s father lost his hair.

Steve Barth [00:14:39]:
My father had three brothers that lost their hair. So I guess in many ways, my cards were marked, and you know, 1976 was a crazy era in the seventies or the mid seventies, and the most popular show on Broadway was hair. So the ability as a young man getting out of college and getting started in life to be able to have the confidence to go forward, build a career, build self esteem while experiencing thinning hair was very different then, what, 22, 22 years old or 2021? I think today a lot of young guys that are getting into this are taking, you know, have a very different attitude, and they have a more progressive attitude. And I think they’re more liberated in many ways. Get me right, they still like transition to be comfortable and not necessarily drawing a lot of attention to that. They did something to the hair, just like if you did something with your skin or, you know, or you did something aesthetically. But I think that a lot of the guys today have liberated themselves from the shackles and the chains of being kept in the closet and concealed and afraid to confront their whole issue about hair loss, to get out of that closet and confront it. I think it’s a healthier attitude today.

Steve Barth [00:15:54]:
Losing hair has a very powerful emotional effect on our personality because we can control it, but yet we’re left with this real discontent or this real feeling of not looking our best, which means that we’re not always feeling our best. And it’s so important in today’s world that’s so competitive to have that level of confidence.

Kevin Rolston [00:16:20]:
Steve’s message is a powerful way to wrap up today’s episode. Hair loss may be a part of your story, but it doesnt have to be the whole story. Talking about it, seeking help, and finding community has helped so many of our guests reclaim their confidence, and we know it can help you, too. Thank you for joining us on this journey through Hair loss awareness. If todays episode resonated with you, please share it with others who might benefit from these stories. Lets continue to break down the stigma surrounding hair loss by talking openly and supporting one another. Thanks for listening to another episode of Hairpot. Check us out at Hair Club on Instagram or search Hairpot on Facebook to continue the conversation.

Kevin Rolston [00:17:05]:
If you’re enjoying the show, consider leaving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. We also have a website. Check it out by going to podcast dot hairclub.com. we’re here to build people up and share real stories so people experiencing hair loss us feel a little bit less alone. And when you share, review, and subscribe, it helps us do just that. So thank you. Until next time.

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