Permanently Beautiful

It begins with a small bald patch. In as little as 4 to 6 weeks, every hair on your body disappears. You are completely and totally bald. Your head, eyelashes, eyebrows, beard, arms, legs — yes, even there. Alopecia areata sufferers may joke about never having to wax or shave again, but nothing about this disease is funny. Alopecia drastically changes a person’s appearance, causing severe emotional pain.

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that induces the body to attack its own hair follicles. Progression of the disease, which attacks men and women equally, is individual and unpredictable for the 2% of the population affected. Some alopecia sufferers lose every hair on their body (alopecia universalis); others experience a few bald patches.

Genetic research at Columbia University shines the first rays of hope on this emotionally devastating disease. Researchers have discovered a genetic trigger that focuses immune cells on hair follicles, killing them. Previously, scientists believed alopecia was an autoimmune skin disease like psoriasis. New research indicates that alopecia behaves more like rheumatoid arthritis and celiac disease. Heralded as a major breakthrough, researchers hope new findings will lead to a cure for alopecia.

For now, paramedical tattooing offers the only solution for alopecia sufferers. A skilled permanent makeup artist can tattoo natural-looking hairs to fill in patchy beards or eyebrows for those suffering mild cases of alopecia. While there is little relief for alopecia universalis sufferers, tattooed permanent eyebrows can give the face a normal appearance.

Alopecia areata is a hair loss disease in which hair follicles are mistakenly attacked by a person’s own immune system. Usually it starts with one or more small, round, smooth bald patches on the scalp and can progress to total scalp hair loss (alopecia totalis) or complete body hair loss (alopecia universalis).

For men and women who have lost their eyebrows, permanent makeup can offer the chance to reclaim some of their facial expression, without worrying about makeup that might come off with sweat, or during sports.  Men especially might feel uncomfortable wearing makeup, but with micropigmentation chosen by a professional to complement the natural skin tone, there will be no reason to worry about smearing or smudging.

One person shared her permanent makeup testimonial: 

“One of my greatest pleasures occurs while showering! I look into the fogless mirror my husband uses for shaving, and see… EYEBROWS! I had been very sensitive of the sparsity of my brows prior to Melany’s ‘replacing’ them. I also enjoy not having to ‘remove’ my eyebrows when I retire.” 

Take a moment to see some examples of Melany Whitney’s Permanent Cosmetics Solutions For Alopecia.  You’ll notice that the eyebrow color is darker immediately after the procedure, but there is no down time, and the color fades in about 5 days!