Allure: When did you begin noticing signs of alopecia?

Duru: In 2016, while I was in college, I started feeling and experiencing a lot of soreness at the center of my scalp. I was doing a lot of hair content on YouTube, so I thought maybe I was just manipulating it too much. I started to be a lot more careful with how I handled it, and would section off the middle, and just be softer with it.

That went on for years. If I wore my natural hair out, eventually my scalp would just be super sore. Then I also started noticing that in that center spot where it would get sore, I was also experiencing some breakage, and there was a little bit of thinning happening there.

Allure: When did you first seek medical treatment for the tender spot on your scalp?

Duru: I was still in college [when I first went] to a doctor, so this had to be when I was around 20 years old, almost 10 years ago. I remember going to a doctor, actually, I think she was a nurse practitioner, and complaining about the soreness of my scalp. I was confused and wanted answers. She kind of brushed it off, and she was like, "You're probably just wearing really tight hairstyles, so just don't wear tight hairstyles all the time."

I think experiences like that are what contribute to a lot of Black women not even wanting to seek medical help because when we do share that we're experiencing pain or any type of discomfort, we're kind of just brushed off. It took another 10 years for me to go back to a dermatologist for a second opinion.

In 2024, I did more research, and the issue was just persisting, so I finally went to see Dr. Michelle Henry. By this point, I had some suspicions about what I was experiencing. Dr. Henry was very open and not judgmental at all.

Allure: What was that first appointment with Dr. Henry like?

Duru: I told her my symptoms and she was like, "It definitely sounds like [central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia] CCCA," so she ordered a scalp biopsy to get a diagnosis. Turns out it wasn't CCCA; it was androgenetic alopecia, which is female-pattern baldness. It's a very common condition that causes hair thinning in women.

Allure: How did it feel to finally have an answer after years of struggling?