GLEN BURNIE, Maryland – Nearly half of all black women experience some form of hair loss, according to experts at Johns Hopkins Medicine.
However, few doctors are familiar with hair styling practices for black people, leaving many women to deal with unhelpful or even harmful advice on their own.
Yalmikia Edmonds started out as a licensed cosmetologist, but when her grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer and began losing her hair, it sparked a change in Edmonds.
“When that happened, I had to camouflage the areas where she had alopecia,” says Edmonds.
After that, she quickly realized that there was a need for a similar treatment for many women. So she trained to become a certified hair loss therapist and opened a business called Levonye Professionals for people suffering from alopecia and other forms of hair loss.
She was surprised by how many people needed help, she says, but she was also surprised by the way in which the hair loss occurred.
“She arrived with no hair and when she told me what had happened, I didn’t know that a person could lose all their hair in an instant if something traumatic happened on their journey,” says Edmonds.
Alopecia can occur not only for genetic reasons or due to autoimmune diseases, many are also stress-related.
Edmonds said this news was the biggest shock for him.
“In the situation I am in, I never would have believed that alopecia could manifest itself in this way,” says Yalmikia Edmonds.
Edmonds does more than just treat and cover hair loss.
She takes the time to support and counsel her clients who are experiencing trauma due to hair loss.
She says it is equally important that people take care of their mental health too.
“The first thing I recommend is doing some kind of talk therapy with someone,” says Edmonds.
She also recommends taking a closer look at the scalp, and that’s exactly what we did using what’s called trichoscopy.
Edmonds says that even women who don’t have hair loss can take a look at the scalp.
“So if you can do something about it early with a trichoscopy, you don’t have to go through the process of hair loss,” she says.
Edmonds says the most important lesson she wants to convey to her clients is that life goes on even after hair loss and there are many ways to feel like yourself again.
“Don’t let alopecia be the end of you because it is unpredictable.”
Although Edmonds specializes in hair loss, if you are experiencing hair loss yourself, she recommends that you first see a dermatologist for an accurate diagnosis, as there are different types of alopecia.
Edmonds says some insurance companies will cover the cost of your treatment, or you can work out a payment plan.
