My name is Gina Knight and I’m an advocate for alopecia and hair loss due to personal experience. Fourteen years ago, I began speaking online about hair but in 2012 I started losing my hair, just after the birth of my first daughter. Funnily enough, this was at the height of vocalising my natural hair journey. Of course, I expected some postpartum hair loss but this was more than the expected shedding. I had bald patches. I didn’t know why I was losing my hair. Was I doing something wrong? I went to the doctor but the lack of knowledge from my GP made the situation worse. The type of alopecia
I
had
needed
early
diagnosis
and
treatment but I was misdiagnosed multiple times so I missed the window of treatment. I hate to say it but I felt racially profiled. I was labelled as hair loss due to hair styles, braids or relaxer. I looked after my hair. I used low manipulation styles. I didn’t relax my hair. But that label was still there.
ALOPECIA & ME:
GINA ATINUKE KNIGHT From the professionals, there was also a sense of
CCCA progresses slowly but is a scarring form of
“well, it’s just hair.” Hair is important, especially in
alopecia meaning you cannot treat it and eventually
this society. I understand that my GP might not
it will spread until there is no hair left. It is crazy that
have known the answers but they could have
because CCCA is so prevalent in black people, CCCA
referred me to a specialist or acknowledged the
is under researched. Maybe if this was happening to
trauma of losing my hair.
another
demographic
there
would
be
more
research. CCCA used to be called “hot comb I began doing my own research, which I probably
alopecia.” Yes, hot comb alopecia. People thought
shouldn’t have. Dr Google diagnoses you with the
the way the hot comb touched the scalp resulted in
worst of the worse. Type in “hair loss” and
this type of alopecia by burning or harming the
“pregnancy” and google tells you that you definitely
follicle. Of course with more research, information
have syphilis. That made my situation worse
and awareness, people that did not use hot combs
because not only was I losing hair, I was also
or relaxers were also seeing this type of hair loss.
suffering with postnatal depression. Knowing I had CCCA was a huge relief. The Eventually, I found out I had Central Centrifugal
diagnosis was almost healing, however I was initially
Cicatricial Alopecia (CCCA). CCCA is a type of hair
nervous talking about my CCCA as I felt people
loss that predominantly affects black people.
would blame me. I felt fraudulent.
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