The multiple reasons why chronic illness made me shave my head

This post, like others that will follow it, is a continuation of my Gambling On Life series.

I briefly mentioned having shaved my head when talking about all the little changes you make with chronic illness, and today, we're going to talk about nothing but my beautifully smooth and not-at-all-depressing shaved head.

..Goddammit I miss my mohawk.

First, to get it out of the way: Here's what I look like literally within an hour of publishing this.

I learned about 13 years ago that I look pretty decent bald; Not as decent as I do with hair (especially in my 20s - holy fuck I had beautiful hair). I learned this because of one of many conditions I have: Alopecia areata.

Basically, I was losing hair in patches due to stress (the newspaper industry sucks, friends), and could no longer hide those gigantic patches, so.. razor goes brrrrrrtt.

I'd end up shaving my head periodically after that; Sometimes due to the alopecia, and sometimes just because I was bored and felt like it.. And I had fun with it, turning my shaved head into activism (see the Headlines project at the bottom of my opuses page).

This time, it's persona.. errr, permanent.

Here's the primary reasons why.

1. A lot of RA meds cause thinning hair. I was on both Methotrexate and Lefleunomide (separately) for a not-insignificant amount of time, and a common side effect is hair loss.
2. I'm getting older. My hair in general just isn't as thick as it used to be, and it was starting to look pretty pitiful. I couldn't style it up the way I wanted anymore.
3. It's cheaper to maintain. I would spend around $50-$80 to get my hair cut every month (that price includes a massage, tip and Lyft rides when needed). Even considering I just bought myself a higher-end foil shaver, I'm saving money (especially important given my goddamned healthcare premiums went up about $100/mo - fuck you, Trump).
4. It's easier to make myself presentable and maintain. With hair, I'd have to wash it regularly. I'd have to style it if I wasn't going to wear a hat. I'd have to worry about hat hair if I ever had to take my hat off. Now? Now I can sit or stand in the bathroom, wet my head a bit, and just run the electric razor over it, taking breaks as-needed while listening to podcasts. I do this every 24-48 hours, depending on my body's functionality.. And honestly, I can go longer if-needed.

Of course, the activity isn't without complications.

Before I bought my foil shaver, I actually preferred to Bic-it (well, Harry's, but same diff - non-electric blade razor). Barbasol and a brand-new head on my razor felt fantastic.. Except now I am likely to cut myself and not even notice (which did happen a couple weeks ago), and am at a higher risk for infections.

I will still occasionally go old-school, no doubt, but for different reasons: If I'm about to get a vaccine and know I'm going to feel like hot garbage for a few days, I'll Bic-it beforehand just to give myself a little more time before I need to shave again (although with the new foil shaver it's only giving me maybe another 8-12 hours).

With my CMT-induced neuropathy, finding patches I missed is harder; I moreso feel for the change in tension on my scalp than the actual hairs against my hand.

I also decided that I might as well grow my beard back out; It'll give me something to play with, and make me feel a little less immasculated.. Not that I actually care that much about it, but I've crafted a certain bit of punk persona, so if I can't have a wild mohawk, I'm going to have a bushy-ass beard.

Here's hoping I live long enough to be able to braid the damned thing.