Wow, where is the year going? It’s July and Alopecia UK have a  lot of exciting events, meetings and plans still to look forward too. I have listed the things that we will be doing this month below. Take a look, we would love to see you at any of the events! And don’t forget that if you want anymore information then please get in touch with me at AUK.

Alopecia UK Events:

1. ‘AUKs Big Weekend 2016‘

2nd 4th September 2016 – Come along to Alopecia UK’s third ‘Big Weekend’ where we will have a series of events for those affected by alopecia. This year’s host city is Glasgow.  We have four individual events that make up the weekend and you can choose to attend either one, two, three or all four of the events. Tickets are still available and it’s the perfect opportunity for people with alopecia to meet others.
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2. AUK 2016 Conference Circuit

Alopecia UK has attended its first conference for 2016, sparking its annual circuit of the medical conferences. Last week Alopecia UK’s Communications & Fundraising Manager, Amy, was joined by volunteer Kate to host an information & awareness stand at the British Dermatology Nursing Group’s (BDNG) annual conference. This year it took place in Bournemouth and Amy & Kate, joined by Trustee Jackie (attending in her capacity as a dermatology nurse), even managed to dip their toes in the English Channel and somehow take in a Barry Manilow concert! (The mind boggles!)Lots of dermatology nurses took away some information about the charity and seemed to take on board our comments about how important it is for patients to be signposted to patient support groups such as Alopecia UK. Further discussions were held around the psychological impact of hair loss, treatments and wigs, with many sharing our frustration about the ‘postcode lottery’ that exists in the UK (England particularly) regarding wig provision.
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3. Female Pattern Hair Loss Published

A Cochrane Review is a systematic review of primary research in human health care and health policy, and is internationally recognised as the highest standard in evidence-based health care. A Cochrane Review investigates the effects of interventions for prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.Ladies experiencing female pattern hair loss, also known as androgenetic alopecia, may be interested to read a recently published Cochrane Review of the condition.It included 47 trials with 5,290 participants.The review’s authors concluded that there was evidence to support the efficacy and safety of topical Minoxidil in the treatment of female pattern baldness. Finasteride was shown to be no more effective than a placebo and there were inconsistent results in the studies that evaluated laser devices.We would recommend those interested in the treatments of female pattern hair loss read the full review here.
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4. North Hertfordshire Support Group Spotlight

My name is Julie and I lead the Hertfordshire (North) support group and the group is very new and had its first meeting in May 2016. I have had alopecia areata since I was 14 years old. I only recently found out about Alopecia UK and since finding them have made more progress in accepting my condition and improving my self esteem around it than I had done in the previous 17 years. I can only imagine what a difference it would have made to me when I was diagnosed as a teenager if I knew that there were so many other people out there with the condition with a wealth of experience and a listening ear to offer. Having found Alopecia UK, I wanted to play my part in ensuring that their services reached as many people as possible. There was no support group in my local area and Amy told me what a difference these groups make to people with alopecia so this felt like a natural place to start.
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5. Alopecia UK member gets colourful

I will be taking part in the Colour Run in Birmingham with four of my friends to raise as much money for Alopecia UK as I can. I will be doing this completely without a wig or scarf to raise awareness of what it is like physically to have alopecia and to show that it is nothing to be ashamed of – those of us with alopecia can wear our bald heads with pride!
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