Guest Blogger: Susan Beausang

Susan Beausang, founder of 4women.com and designer of the BeauBeau®.

"Fashionable Solution for Bald Beauties"

It was just another morning, like any other morning. I had just returned from my run and taken my post-run shower. I toweled off my wet locks and began to run my comb through my hair, and that's when my morning deviated from all previous mornings. I noticed large clumps of hair in my comb. I ran my fingers through my hair and my hand was filled with hair. Just like that – no warning –no illness – just shedding, shedding, shedding. Initially, doctors were as mystified as I was. They say third time is a charm and it in fact was the third dermatologist I consulted who diagnosed me with alopecia areata. He ended by telling me I would more than likely lose all of my hair. How right he was.
I had never heard of Alopecia and had never known anyone who had it. Among those words out of the doc's mouth that were hardest to swallow – "no known cause, no known cure." Lovely! He also warned me that the hair loss might not stop at my head, that I should be prepared to lose my eyebrows and eyelashes to boot. Dermatologist #3 knew what he was talking about. In just 5 short months, I had lost every hair on my body. Wham – life as I knew it just came to a screeching halt.
No one (with hair) can truly understand how hair loss can impact one’s life, via our self-esteem. Once an active, confident, stylish, involved and athletic woman, I became a self-conscious recluse with a desperate desire to get back to the old me. The overall lack of understanding amongst my friends and family only increased my feelings of isolation from them and from my previous life.
Yes, eventually the shock subsides and reality sets in that life will be lived out as a bald woman. The focus then shifts to how does one feel feminine and confident without hair? Is it possible? And if so, what's it take? For many, it's wigs, and that's certainly where I started on my quest for a feminine and fashionable solution to my hair loss. Who doesn’t try at least one wig when they first lose their hair? Many find them to be the solution they're looking for, but wigs didn’t cut it for me for many reasons. I actually felt more conspicuous and self-conscious in a wig and began to believe that the entire world knew my dirty little secret. My quest was beginning.
Next came scarves. My first trip to a "cancer boutique" left me right about rock bottom. I had lost my hair, but I wasn't sick. The last thing my self-esteem needed was a head topper that said "I'm sick and bald." Fortunately, "scarves" cover everything from bandanas and doo-rags to elegant, designer styles, so you'd think there would be options for we bald beauties. Think again.
As much as "fashionable" was my main objective, being bald entails addressing some unique needs. For starters, comfort is more important than ever when we're talking about a head wear item we might wear all day everyday. Security is a must too. We want to be in charge of determining when and how we expose our heads, so a head scarf that can fly away in the breeze or forces us to tie our shoes without looking down doesn't cut it. Who wants to retie, tighten, or make scarf adjustments at 5 minute intervals? Fine for that once in a blue moon style accessory, but not for those of us striving for bald fashion day in and day out. Determination is my middle name. If bald was to be in my future, then a fashionable solution tailored to my needs was too, even if I had to invent it.
I designed the scarf I was looking for, a scarf that addresses my needs as a bald woman and allows me to make a fashion statement, rather than a bald statement. Initially, I had no one in mind but me, but the compliments started rolling in when I would wear my scarves, along with suggestions that I market my solution to others. It didn't happen overnight, but eventually, the beaubeau® was born and I started an online business, 4women.com, to market my scarves to women and girls all over the world who lose their hair due to alopecia areata and so many other medical conditions. Being able to boost someone else's self-confidence, give them back their dignity, and brighten their spirits with my beaubeaus® is as close as I'll ever get to being grateful for alopecia. Through my connections to women and girls far and wide who are experiencing hair loss, often accompanied by life threatening or life debilitating diseases, I've learned to keep my own hair loss in perspective. I am grateful for my health and for the opportunity to help others rise above hair loss.

About Susan Beausang:
Susan Beausang is President of 4Women.com, Inc. and designer of the patented beaubeau® head scarf, a fashionable scarf specifically designed for women and girls. The beaubeau® unites the worlds of fashion and medical hair loss. 4Women.com's mission is to help women and girls cope with the emotional upheaval of medical hair loss with dignity and confidence and to advocate for greater understanding of the emotional impacts of hair loss. An Alopecian and a Previvor, Susan is bald but cancer-free. She strives to be a source of strength and hope for women and girls with medical hair loss. Learn more at www.4women.com, or email Susan directly at susan@4women.com.