Wigs Give Confidence to Kids: Alopecia Awareness Week

Wigs Give Confidence to Kids: Alopecia Awareness Week

Alopecia is an auto-immune disease which causes hair loss in anyone of any age. However, approximately 60% of diagnoses are made in those under 20 years old. Although not life threatening, alopecia is a life changing condition which can have profound psychological effects, particularly through childhood and adolescence.

During Alopecia Awareness Week, 4-10 July, Variety – the Children's Charity is aiming to raise awareness of alopecia and their Wigs for Kids program which grants wigs to kids who have lost their hair.

Stefanie Hodgson, now 19 years old, was diagnosed with alopecia at the age of six when she started losing patches of hair. By the time she was in Year 6 she was completely bald. She remembers suddenly being aware she was different from everyone else and she felt isolated and different. She got her first wig at 12 years old and says it had a massive positive effect on her life.

'When I got my first wig I felt normal again. It gave me so much self-confidence because I could fit in and didn't feel like -the bald girl' as I was known at primary school," said Stefanie.

'It can sound like a small thing, not having hair, but you want to be like your friends when you are a kid. Once I got the wig I could talk about hairstyles and I felt like I belonged.

'It frustrates me that our society is so driven by how we look and now that I'm older I have the confidence and belief in myself to know I am valued for who I am, not what I look like.

'Variety's Wigs for Kids program can be life changing for kids."

Dr Anne Halbert, Head of Department of Pediatric Dermatology at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, says that hair loss can be distressing.

'Many children who are diagnosed with alopecia face a devastating reality. Hair loss can have a profound negative psychological impact on them due to self-imposed isolation from normal day-to-day life," said Dr Halbert.

'A specialised wig can allow kids with hair loss to live a normal life, relieving much of the exclusion they can feel."

The Variety Wigs for Kids program provides specialised wigs to kids with alopecia and other medical hair loss.

'One specialised can wig cost up to $6,000 and lasts two to three years so the cost is prohibitive for many families," says Tam Johnston, CEO, Variety – the Children's Charity NSW.

'The wigs are fitted to each child's head, with customised colour, length and style. This program is just one of the many ways Variety helps kids who are sick, disadvantaged or have special needs," said Ms Johnston.

Variety also accepts donations of hair, it takes between 10 – 15 ponytails to make a single wig.

If you think Variety could support your child or a child you know, apply for assistance at variety.org.au/wigsforkids

Or visit variety.org.au/donateyourhair to help make a difference.