It started with a quarter-sized bald patch. Then, the hair started thinning by her temples. In less than a month, 7-year-old Gianessa Wride lost all of her hair.
“I tried not to get too upset and I didn’t want her to think it was her fault. I did not want her to not feel beautiful,”
Wride had asked Gianessa to brush her hair, and that's when she first noticed that her daughter was balding. They visited the pediatrician who diagnosed Gianessa with alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that causes people to lose hair on their scalps, faces and other body parts.
While people often lose patches of hair over a long period of time, Gianessa became bald rapidly. Before they could see a dermatologist, Gianessa lost all of her hair on her head, her eyebrows and lower eyelashes.
The dermatologist confirmed the diagnosis and recommended treatments. But many of them involved steroids, injections and harsh topical creams. Wride simply wanted her daughter to be happy without aggressive interventions.
“I want to let her embrace it and love herself as she is right now,” said Wride.
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