Thank you for your kind words but, no, I don’t have cancer and never have had. Ironically, as someone with alopecia, I probably never will. My immune system is super efficient. As anyone who has cancer will tell you, losing your hair is the least of your worries. Yes, you look different but embrace it. Bald women exist just as bald men exist. Yes, your hair was beautiful – so was mine, but it is gone. At least you don’t have the imprint of a cricket bat on the top of your head, thanks to an older brother.
Every day I am confronted with kind strangers offering their best or, even worse, sharing their experiences. What do you do? Say, sorry, my hair fell out when I was 21, then face the dreadful pause? Smile, thank them for their concern and feel like a fraud? I think it is time for bald women to be accepted.
Female baldness is not that unusual. Most women choose the wig option, and I don’t blame them. I spent 20 years living in Australia and wearing a wig in 35C humid heat is not an option. Ever tried surfing with a wig? On the other hand, have you ever been to a job interview without hair? In my younger years employers thought I was a skinhead; now they think I will die on them. There are some plus points, though. The money I save on hairdressers pays for the family holiday and I can be ready for a big night out in under 10 minutes. And, no, I don’t have hair anywhere else.
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