My Journey With Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia

I am a short (5’0”) girl from South Carolina that has always had a lot of personality, and my hair was truly an extension of my personality. It was how I expressed myself. It was a way I could be creative. I used to say all the time, “It’s just hair, it will grow back.”

Well, life took that as a joke to show me that it is not just hair that will grow back. I have worn relaxed hair, short hair, long hair, weaves, braids, and dreadlocs. I have colored my hair different colors from blonde to purple. My hair was a way for me to show my moods, creativity, or simply to have some fun. Now, all that has to change. No longer am I able to be creative in this way because my hair changed the game on me.

The beginning of figuring out what is wrong with my hair

Let me start from the beginning. On March 5, 2020, when we were hearing about COVID and the possibility of having to stay in sheltered in our home, I took the moment to express myself and my feelings with my hair. I choose to start locing my hair or some say start dreadlocs.

I was excited because I felt this was going to be a new hair journey for me. My husband laughed and said, “you are not going to stick with it, you like to change your hair too much.” I stood my ground and said, “No, I am keeping my hair loc until the end.” So, the journey began. I was committed.

First, my hair started to flourish

My good friend was my hair stylist and helped me maintain my hair. My hair was healthy, and I made sure I took very good care of my hair. I added proper hair products; I washed my hair appropriately and thoroughly as well as my stylist making sure my hair was done correctly and with care. My crown and glory--my hair--was flourishing.

In Kelli fashion, we began to experiment with different hair styles and colors. Everyone at work and my friends were always excited to see what my hair was going to look like when I go it done. I would look up different hair styles and begin to really have fun with it. I was able to be creative and express my personality with my hair. Let’s be honest, the attention was nice.

I started to notice thinning

Fast forward to 2025, I have worn dreadlocs for 5 years and things were the same, but at the same time, they weren’t. I started to notice that my hair was thinning in the front. It really started to show in 2024, but I thought it was because I change my eating lifestyle to vegan. My hair stylist asked me if I was stressed about something. I told her no, I just changed my eating, and I am adjusting with the protein change. It will get better as my body gets used to the change and I increase my plant-based protein.

Well, it didn’t change. Before family vacation, at the end of July 2025, I decided to change my hair. As I began to cut and comb my locs out, the hair just began to fall out a lot in the front. There she was, she was staring at me, a small, but very present bald spot. I finished my hair and went on vacation. I came back and made an appointment with my hair stylist.

On Aug. 6, 2025, she looked at me and said, “I see the bald spot, and I don’t know if the hair is going to grow back as it was smooth and shiny.” The good thing is she told me I can cover it up, and she cut my hair, and I loved it. As time went on, my hair continued to come out when I combed and brushed it. I noticed it was getting thinner on the top.

I knew it was time to make an appointment with my dermatologist

I was fortunate that I already had a dermatologist due to seborrheic dermatitis. On September 17, 2025, I had my appointment with my dermatologist. She said, yes, she could see the thinning, and it could be traction alopecia, Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia (CCCA), or androgenetic alopecia.

She recommended a biopsy which I consented to as I wanted to have some clear answers to what was going on with my hair. On September 30, 2025, the verdict was in...I got the call and message from my dermatologist. You have Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia, which is a scarring alopecia, and the hair follicles die. The nurse told me about my prescriptions and the instructions for each prescription as well as my follow up appointment. I was glad to have an answer to what was going on with my hair, but now I have to figure this out.

So, here goes to a new chapter in my life.