Resilience is the crown those with Alopecia wear

by | Aug 16, 2024 | News

This National Hair Loss Awareness Month we spotlight Alopecia – its causes, symptoms and treatments.

August is National Hair Loss Awareness Month, which aims to shine a light on Alopecia’s
emotional toll and innovative treatments, sparking hope for those affected.


Alopecia comes in a variety of forms, such as: Alopecia Areata, which manifests as sporadic hair
loss on the body or scalp; Alopecia Totalis, which is the total loss of hair on the scalp; thirdly,
body hair loss is a sign of Alopecia Universalis and Alopecia Barbae that usually results in facial
hair loss such as the beard.


According to the National Center for Biotechnology alopecia is brought on by a combination of
hormonal, autoimmune, and genetic variables. In particular:

  • Alopecia runs in the family in 1 out of 5 instances (1:5), suggesting a strong hereditary
    component.
  • One factor contributing to alopecia is autoimmune disorders, in which the immune system
    unintentionally targets hair follicles.
  • In one out of every ten instances, hormonal imbalances—especially thyroid disorders—are the
    cause (1:10)
    In one in eight cases, alopecia can be brought on by stress, both mental and physical (1:8)
  • Alopecia can result from taking certain medications, including as those for cancer, high blood
    pressure, and depression, in 1 in 20 cases (1:20)
    Alopecia symptoms include brittle or fragile hair, bald patches that may enlarge or merge,
    redness and irritation in the afflicted regions, and hair loss or thinning, which frequently begins
    with small patches.

GRAPHIC: Alopecia by the numbers, understanding its impact

Sizakele Mashinini’s life took an unexpected turn in 2003, when she welcomed her second child
into the world. Two years later, she began to notice a disturbing change – her hair had stopped
growing, and the shedding wouldn’t cease. It was then that she discovered she had central
centrifugal cicatricial alopecia, a diagnosis that would alter her life forever.


For 18 years, Mashinini has navigated the challenges of permanent hair loss, which typically
begins in the central crown of the scalp. As she reflected on her journey with Wits Vuvuzela,
Mashinini opened up about the profound impact it has had on her sense of self.


“Alopecia has taught me that we’re different people suffering from different ‘illnesses,’ however,
it is one condition that truly affects your self-esteem and confidence.” she said.


Alopecia is treated with medications like minoxidil (Rogaine), which promotes hair growth and
decreases hair loss, corticosteroids, which often lower inflammation and encourage growth, and
finasteride (Propecia), which delays hair loss and increases growth. Moreover, there are treatments like Platelet-rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy, which uses platelet-rich plasma to encourage growth, and Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT), which stimulates hair growth.


Mashinini said: “For me, beauty standards don’t define me. I have discovered strategies to see
past my flaws. I am aware that someone with a strong will is required. I have come to appreciate
the aspects of myself that make me feel more like myself and have accepted the fact that wigs
and other cosmetic alternatives exist to help us “belong.”


In this way she’s found confidence in having no hair and no longer feels pressured to conform to
traditional beauty standards. Mashinini highlights the value of kindness, education, and dispelling stigmas as we promote awareness during National Hair Loss Awareness Month.
“My message to others is to be kind to someone who has alopecia; it can happen to you or
anyone, regardless of colour, age, or creed.”

FEATURED IMAGE: A close-up shot of a woman’s scalp, showing patches of hair loss due to alopecia. Photo by: Stock images.

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The plight of earth’s most poached mammal

by | Jul 30, 2024 | News

Pangolins are armoured, scaled, small mammals that are living out their last years on earth, and most of humankind has never even heard of one.

Pangolins are 85 million years old and have become known as the “wise old man” of the African bush. They are totems of good luck, the bringers of rain, and are the guardians of the forest, grassland, and bush veld landscapes.

Their sole job in life is to maintain a balanced ecosystem by eating termites and ants, but they have found themselves in a sticky situation on South Africa’s red list of endangered species.

Their numbers are expected to decrease by 30% between 2005 and 2032 and have been named an endangered species by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. Also concerning is the World Wide Fund stating pangolins are officially the most poached mammal on our planet.

Besides having no vocal cords, teeth, or claws, thereby being virtually harmless except to certain insects, pangolins have become the prey for Asian, Indian, Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese and African markets. Wanted for traditional medicines, cultural ceremonies, or for ornaments and talismans, the pangolin life is one of trauma and pain from birth until death.

Audience members were given pangolin-shaped panels for the auction which were also keepsakes for the event.
Photo: Victoria Hill
The attendees of the auction and art exhibition at CIRCA Gallery were captivated by videos of pangolins playing on the screen to remind them of the great cause. Photo: Victoria Hill

Pippa Ehrlich, a wildlife filmmaker and journalist, explains how these armour-plated creatures have 30-centimetre tongues that catch their food and clean their scales. They have a highly tuned sensory system and use their noses to interact with the world.

They also have soft underbelly’s so they can exercise their abdominal muscles to be able to curl into small balls as a defence mechanism.  As cute as they may be, pangolins are mysterious and nocturnal creatures who camouflage to their environment to disappear altogether.

Ehrlich calls all these features their superpowers. But their most important power of all, she says, is the pangolins’ ability to captivate the human mind.

She explains “when you find this little creature and it comes out of a box, and it’s been through the most horrible things you can imagine at the hands of human beings, and the first thing it does is uncurl and snuggle into your neck, you immediately fall in love.”

With all this in mind, the CIRCA Gallery in Rosebank held an art exhibition and subsequent auction on Thursday, July 25, 2024, in collaboration with the African Pangolin Working Group (APWG) to raise funds for their organisation.

The APWG rescues pangolins from the illegal trade network and rehabilitates them with the hope to release them back into the wild. Nicci Wright, the co-chairperson for the APWG, shared the first time she met a pangolin: “It was in 2007 that someone put a pangolin in my hands for the first time, and I didn’t know how to hold it. I’ve worked with all kinds of wildlife, and I knew how to hold all of those. But this pangolin was the most incredibly odd, hard, gentle, soft shape, and it was one that had been taken off the illegal trade. But when that pangolin looked at me, I felt my heart open.”

With 12 pieces of artwork auctioned on the night by Strauss & Co, a fine art auctioneering house, the APWG raised R355 000, excluding their seven online auction items available until Monday, August 5, 2024, which will all go towards saving the pangolins from their plight.

FEATURED IMAGE: Proclaimed artist Douw van Heerden was creating a spectacular piece throughout the evening to be sold via the online auction. Photo: Victoria Hill

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