Alopecia & Hearing Aids - Things I Never Considered…

For those who may not know a few months ago I was diagnosed with Alopecia. Alopecia is a condition that causes hair to fall out on your body – this can happen in any area of your body and often appears as patches. There are different types/variation of Alopecia; every case is unique to each individual and can be triggered for various reasons.

A few years ago, my hair started thinning on my head which I was able to hide, but about six months ago patches began to appear at the nape of my neck, which progressed to the top of my head in January, as well as my eyebrows too.

It takes a lot out of you, watching it come out, and I felt so out of control. So, I made the choice to shave my head. This was a huge decision for me, as my hair was the thing that gave me the confidence, almost like a comfort blanket in a way.

(Big shoutout to my dear friend and hair dresser Nat - at Dream Hair - for shaving my head for me. An afternoon I’m sure neither of us will ever forget.)

But it did come with a lot of unknowns…including things I hadn’t even thought about!

The first problem I encountered was the cold. Anyone who knows me knows I’m constantly cold, even in the summer. Regardless of whether I felt comfortable or confident enough to show my bald head – something I’m working on; learning to embrace and accept – I knew it was going to be too cold to not wear hats and head coverings. The cold sensation on your scalp is a whole different kind of cold feeling.

I realised quite quickly that sound was compromised with the microphones on the hearing aids (HAs) being covered, I quickly converted back to relying on lipreading as my main source of communication. I adapted quickly, as I always do, but each time I have to, it takes time trying to figure out what works for me.

Fast forward a little and I was lucky enough to be able to go for a fitting for my beautiful new wig, which I collected just a couple of weeks later. It gave me back confidence I didn’t realise I’d even lost, and I fell in love with it. The girls at the salon were patient and understanding about my need to play around with the wigs and fit to suit my HAs the best we could.

(Another shoutout to Hollie and the girls at Pretty Little Wigs by Hollie for being so patient and making me feel so at ease.)

(This was the one I chose to be made, collecting it just a few weeks later. The colour is so dreamy; you can’t even tell it’s a wig - as many people have told me.)

However, it is thicker hair than I was used to behind the ears. It sits over my head and behind my ears, in a way that my HAs weren’t used to, pushing them outwards. This was something that hadn’t even crossed my mind, but something that feels like should have done.

With some adjusting and fiddling, I was able to work around this and find a comfortable position that works for me – although this is something that I’m sure I will improve over time too, as I get used to it even more. It is incredibly frustrating and inconvenient when your HA just won’t stay put and sit on your ear. When it hangs off to the side, not sitting on top of your ear, it can impact the sound that it picks up as well as how it travels into your ear.

In the research I did both before and after shaving my head and getting a wig, I found very little help or information on headwear/wigs and HAs – whether this be an over the ear HA, cochlea implant (CI) or any type really!

How does it work? How do they sit together? Can the wigs or HAs be adjusted? Are there special made wigs/adjustments that accommodate these issues?

So many questions with so little answers.

It’s intrigued me as it wasn’t something I’d ever considered, as like most things, we don’t think about it in enough detail until we’re the ones experiencing it. As with most things that I find curious, and have little answers or information for, I wanted to open the discussion about it. Maybe I’m not the only one who is suffering from this issue; opening a discussion on a new topic could help others now and in the future. I understand this this is a rather unique issue to have, having to wear HAs and a wig simultaneously, but surely in the whole of the world I cannot be the only one who does!

For all I know, there are people out there already talking about it who have advice – if you do, please let me know. It would be greatly appreciated!

I wanted to open a new discussion, talk about new challenges faced. It’s the best way to solve issues I feel. It’s something I aim to talk about more on both my blog posts and Instagram page – keep everyone updated on this journey and what I find.

So, if you have some tips or advice you’d like to share – that perhaps I could share and educate myself and others with – or if you’re experiencing something similar and want to just talk and vent, as always, my inbox is always open!

Hope you’re all safe and well!

Initial edit by: Sophie Mouzakitis – Creator of The Periodical - https://www.theperiodical.uk/

Writer for Leicester Student Magazine - https://leicesterstudent.com/author/sophalexandram/