Alopecia Awareness Month 2021 - What's On?

September is Alopecia Awareness Month, a month dedicated to spreading the word about alopecia and raising much-needed funds for Alopecia UK.

This September we have lots going on and we would love for you to get involved!

What's happening this September?

This September, we are breaking down the month into four weeks with four different themes. You can expect different social media and website content during these weeks, along with some online webinar events too!

We will also be hoping to recruit 80 x Charity Champions this September, each aiming to raise £125, to help us to raise our Alopecia Awareness Month appeal target of £10,000. This money will help us to continue our work around our aims of Support, Awareness and Research.

Week 1 - Get Talking Week

From Monday 6th September until Sunday 12th September, we have our 'Get Talking Week'. During this week, we will be sharing social media content provided by our Youth Voice Board, as well as hosting two live webinar events! Our first webinar 'Ask the Experts: a Q&A webinar' is on Wednesday 8th September at 7.30pm (tickets £10). This webinar features some expert panellists; Dr Matthew Harries (Consultant Dermatologist), Professor Simon Milling (Alopecia UK Research Committee Chair), Zoe Passam (Trichologist) and Dr Ingrid Wilson (GP and Trichologist). We follow this with our 'Ask the Alopecia Community: a Q&A webinar' on Thursday 9th September at 7.30pm (free tickets).

Week 2 - Wellbeing Week

From Monday 13th September until Sunday 19th September is 'Wellbeing Week'. During this week, we will be sharing tips and advice for looking after yourself, coping with alopecia and feeling good. We will be hosting a further two webinar events during this week. On Monday 13th September at 6.00pm, Alopecia UK's Charity Development Manager Jen Chambers will be joining long standing Alopecia UK supporter Sue Schilling for our 'Learning to live well with alopecia' webinar. Between them Jen and Sue have over sixty years of lived experience with alopecia. During this webinar Jen and Sue will touch on the highs and lows of living with alopecia and discuss the things that have helped them to live well with alopecia. On Wednesday 15th September at 8.00pm, our Psychological Wellbeing Lead Kerry Montgomery will be joined by Dr Catherine Wright for our 'Supporting the wellbeing of a child with alopecia' webinar.

Week 3 - Research Week

From Monday 20th September to Sunday 26th September is 'Research Week'. We will be sharing details of recent research and talk to the people who are looking for the answers! We have two interesting webinars lined up for this week. On Tuesday 21st September at 1.00pm, our Research Manager Julie Clayton will be joined by Professor Desmond Tobin and Professor Simon Milling for the webinar 'Getting to the roots of alopecia areata'. In this webinar, we will look at what we know about alopecia areata, what causes it and what's happening regarding future research. On Thursday 23rd September at 1.00pm, Julie will be joined by Professor Andrew Messenger, Dr Melinda Gooderham and Dr Abby MacBeth our webinar 'Treatments and Alopecia Areata'.

Please note, both our Research Week webinars relate to alopecia areata. This is our first series of webinars. If these are a success, we hope to offer webinars on other types of alopecia in the future.

Week 4 - This Is Me Week

From Monday 27th September to Sunday 3rd October is 'This Is Me Week'. To round off the month, we will be sharing lots of positive and empowering content on our social media and website as we celebrate our community and all we are! And we hope there will be an amazing music video to share, created by a lovely member of our Facebook group, bringing together some voices from our fabulous community!

Become an AUK Charity Champion

Are you keen to spread the word about alopecia this September? Are you passionate about making a difference? Do you want to support the work of Alopecia UK? If so, please consider becoming an AUK Charity Champion this September!

We are hoping to find 80 fabulous folks to sign up to be Charity Champions this Alopecia Awareness Month, raising awareness and funds for Alopecia UK.

We ask that AUK Charity Champions commit to the following this September:

1. Do something to raise awareness of alopecia and champion the work of Alopecia UK

2. Do something to raise funds for Alopecia UK, aiming for a fundraising target of £125

3. Have fun and enjoy Alopecia Awareness Month!

Alopecia Awareness Month Appeal 2021

Set up a fundraising page or donate to our Alopecia Awareness Month 2021 appeal page here!

Latest

Izzy’s fundraising page for Alopecia UK

I have been following this charity through my own alopecia journey. I think what they do is truly remarkable and I would love to be a part of that however small
Mollys Skydive For Alopecia UK

I am fundraising for Alopecia UK because its a charity close to my heart. When I was 15/16 I started losing my hair and I was diagnosed with Alopecia Areata. I was lucky enough to receive medication which allowed my hair to grow back however, not everyone is this lucky. Therefore, I am doing this skydive to raise money so that the charity can help more people living with alopecia.
What 'Marathon Month' Means to Alopecia UK

April is the start of the marathon season. In this blog, we explain what that means to us and encourage our community to look beyond London..
Rory Green's fundraising page for Alopecia UK

I am raising money for Alopecia UK, a Charity close to my heart, after losing my Step Sister Alicia Pylypczuk in 2020.

Getting to grips with JAK Inhibitors; a new treatment on the horizon?

JAK inhibitors are the hot topic when it comes to alopecia areata. This summary blog to helps you gain an understanding on JAK inhibitors and their potential for alopecia areata.
Epic epidemiology study for alopecia areata

UK researchers lead the largest ever epidemiology study exploring cases of alopecia areata
Research for the hero inside yourself

For 'Research Week', this blog posts summarises the progress Alopecia UK has made with its Research aim in recent years..
7 things the Alopecia UK Youth Voice Board want you to know about alopecia

As part of 'Get Talking Week' for Alopecia Awareness Month, AUK's Youth Voice Board tell us what they want everyone to know about alopecia
Alopecia Awareness Month Appeal 2021

Set up a fundraising page or donate to our Alopecia Awareness Month 2021 appeal page here!

Common Treatments for Alopecia Areata

Information about common treatments for Alopecia Areata
Alopecia and Covid-19 (New Coronavirus)

A statement from Alopecia UK regarding COVID-19 and vaccines.
Alopecia Areata

Alopecia Areata is thought to be an autoimmune condition that causes hair to fall out, usually in usually in round or oval patches on the scalp or other places on the body that grow hair, such as the beard, eyebrows or eyelashes. Types of Alopecia Areata include Patchy Alopecia Areata, Alopecia Totalis, Alopecia Universalis, Alopecia Barbae, Diffuse Alopecia Areata and Alopecia Ophiasis.
Responding to the events from the 2022 Oscars

We respond to the events from the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony and the actions of Will Smith
A Guide to Wigs

Links to our downloaded PDF wig guide, and information on the NHS England wig report.
Androgenetic Alopecia (Pattern Hair Loss)

Male pattern hair loss and female pattern hair loss. Hairs falls out in a well-defined pattern in men, whereas in women, the hair usually becomes thinner all over the head rather than receding from the temples.
Lichen Planopilaris (Scarring Alopecia)

Primary Scarring Alopecias (also known as cicatricial alopecias or scarring hair loss) are a group of conditions that destroy the hair follicle, replace it with scar tissue, and cause permanent hair loss. In Lichen Planopilaris, patches of scalp appear, most commonly on the sides, front and lower back of the scalp.
Can I dye my hair when I have alopecia?
Telogen Effluvium

With Telogen Effluvium more hairs than usual move into the telogen (resting) phase and shed, so you may notice more hair falling out than usual. Telogen Effluvium is often caused by a physical or psychological trigger and often resolves itself spontaneously.
Hair Loss After Illness, including Covid-19

We asked Alopecia UK Research Committee member Professor Andrew Messenger to answer some questions about hair loss after illness.