Alopecia Areata Is No Longer Hiding In The Shadows
Thanks to the 2011 Miss America Pageant Alopecia Areata is no longer hiding in the shadows. Kayla Martell, who is a Milford, Delaware native, was Miss Delaware for the 2011 Miss America Pageant. However, Miss Delaware was not your average Miss America contestant. Kayla Martell is one of the 40% of women who suffer from hair loss.
Kayla suffers from a specific type of hair loss known as Alopecia Areata. Alopecia Areata is different from other types of hair loss due to it being caused by an autoimmune disease. With Alopecia Areata what happens is the immune system attacks eh hair follicles causing the hair to fall out, usually in round quarter-sized patches. Alopecia Areata doesn’t just cause hair loss, it also affects a woman’s self-esteem and self-confidence, so much that most women simply sit in the shadows and suffer in silence.
Kayla began losing her hair at the young age of 13, but that hasn’t stopped her from living a normal and exiting life. When Kayla was four years old, her mom took her to go watch the Miss America Pageant, where she became a lifelong fan. To Kayla being Miss Delaware in the 2011 Miss America Pageant was simply a dream come true. In addition to this, Kayla used her disease as her platform in an attempt to make the public more aware of Alopecia Areata.
For the 2011 Miss America Pageant Kayla wore a custom-made wig, which for her took some getting used to. Kayla is one of the few women out there who prefers not to wear a wig, she is one of those lucky few who is at peace with herself and accepts herself for who she is. One of the toughest problems Kayla faced as Miss Delaware during the Miss America Pageant was getting used to the long hair that the wig provided.
Even though Kayla was not crowned Miss America she is an inspiration to all women who suffer from Alopecia Areata. Kayla Martell never let her disease get the best of her; with her head held high, she brought light to the disease, it is no longer left to sit in the shadows.
Kayla suffers from a specific type of hair loss known as Alopecia Areata. Alopecia Areata is different from other types of hair loss due to it being caused by an autoimmune disease. With Alopecia Areata what happens is the immune system attacks eh hair follicles causing the hair to fall out, usually in round quarter-sized patches. Alopecia Areata doesn’t just cause hair loss, it also affects a woman’s self-esteem and self-confidence, so much that most women simply sit in the shadows and suffer in silence.
Kayla began losing her hair at the young age of 13, but that hasn’t stopped her from living a normal and exiting life. When Kayla was four years old, her mom took her to go watch the Miss America Pageant, where she became a lifelong fan. To Kayla being Miss Delaware in the 2011 Miss America Pageant was simply a dream come true. In addition to this, Kayla used her disease as her platform in an attempt to make the public more aware of Alopecia Areata.
For the 2011 Miss America Pageant Kayla wore a custom-made wig, which for her took some getting used to. Kayla is one of the few women out there who prefers not to wear a wig, she is one of those lucky few who is at peace with herself and accepts herself for who she is. One of the toughest problems Kayla faced as Miss Delaware during the Miss America Pageant was getting used to the long hair that the wig provided.
Even though Kayla was not crowned Miss America she is an inspiration to all women who suffer from Alopecia Areata. Kayla Martell never let her disease get the best of her; with her head held high, she brought light to the disease, it is no longer left to sit in the shadows.
Source...