"I live in Manhattan, New York. I moved to New York City January 2014. I left for a few years to live in Los Angeles and Hawai’i but have returned because I love this city. This city has everything! Top of the line restaurants, interesting museums, great shopping, both the big brands and little boutiques, cute coffee shops and small parks, nature in Central Park, Park slope or within a short train ride away upstate. Manhattan is an island so it’s surrounded by water which I love (coming from Stockholm that’s built on many islands). The different areas offer different vibes and styles of living. There are historical buildings, beautiful brownstones and architecture. People are from all over the world and meet in this melting pot. They’re nice and friendly but to the point and direct, there’s no time for fake bullshit or dragged on politeness, which I like, haha. If someone has a problem with you, they’ll tell it to your face and if you disagree, you tell it to their face and then you move on. Anger doesn’t build here, you get it out straight away. The public transport is extensive but I prefer to walk or bike within close neighborhoods because it’s easy and fun.
I was born in Stockholm, Sweden and grew up there before moving to Rome, Italy when I was 18 years old. Some of my favourite childhood memories; every one of them probably involves an animal of some sort, I went to the stables most of my free time and any chance I got to see a wild animal I would want to approach it and pet it if possible.
Why thespian?
Hmm, I wonder that myself sometimes because we gout ourselves through a lot! We always have to stay on top of studying/training, keeping up to date headshots, reels and resumés, dealing with plenty of rejections at auditions and all of this effort and work is before we even get the job.
But once you get the role, the fun part begins. To be on set creating art and being a part of filmmaking is magical. I received my training in Stockholm and in Paris, France. And then courses/classes in the U.S.
When did I discover I had Alopecia Areata?
I got the first bald spots on my head when I was about 10 years old, I didn’t think of it much until I got a patch in a spot which was hard to cover up when I was 13. I didn’t bother with it much because I mostly hung out with animals and they didn’t care. And as far as I remember, I didn’t really care. Looks weren’t important to me until my late teens when I started to notice it was important to other people. The disease is genetic but as far as my experience with it goes, it gets triggered by trauma and stress and gets much worse. Some doctors say there’s no correlation but the people with Alopecia whom I’ve talked to report the same observation.
I cope with the condition by not bothering too much. I have it, and I can’t do anything about it. There are so many, far worse, diseases to have, I’m content I’m healthy otherwise.
Once while in my twenties, I lost about half of my hair, I cut it shorter and developed a personalized style of partitioning the hair in order to cover up the bold patches.
Last year I lost even more of my hair after a psychological trauma. After rocking a sort of half bald, half full-set hairdo I decided it was time to shave it all off. I would like to have a buzz cut which I think looks cool but I sort of need to shave it all the way down because the patches look a bit strange I think. So I go bald, wear head coverings or occasionally wigs (at this point I have a big collection of both head covers and different wigs).
What treatments are available?
Many years ago when I used to get tested (so many blood tests that I still dread doing it today) they said there wasn’t any treatment, I used to get this zinc medicine that I was supposed to take three times a day and made me nauseous but it didn’t seem to work. My mom had friends from China who also tried different cream remedies on my brother (who also has it) and I. recently when my condition got worse than it's previously been, I went to a physician here in the U.S. and he referred me to a dermatologist who specializes in Alopecia, and ever since I’ve been getting steroid shots all over my scalp (yes, it hurts) every month. Every two months I also take oral steroids for 10 days. Since I rarely take medications, I felt it hard on my body and paused the oral medication for a bit. I also put Minoxidil 5% Extra Strength on my scalp twice a day and an Ayurvedic oil.
As far as home cures go; yes, Minoxidil works but it takes many months before you see any improvement (and you actually lose some hair from it in the beginning).
I’ve used Castor Oil in the past and people who don't suffer from Alopecia benefit from it,too. And then this Ayurvedic oil that I got from a place here in NYC. I don’t really know what it is. It’s green.
I’d recommend trying out some homeopathic remedies first if possible. I wanted to go to someone who specializes in that in L.A. but it was very expensive there and I didn’t have as much hair loss as I do now so I never went.
I know people who’ve gotten all their hair back going to the right homeopath. Maybe try that before moving on to the strident medications.
My way of returning to center or a Zen state when the condition flares up is not making a big deal about it, even though it sucks. And even more so because of my profession (I’ve already got work turned down because I don’t have any hair at the moment). I try to think about how lucky and blessed I am in other ways.
I do yoga and try to meditate but it’s hard because I always have so many things on my mind (life you know) but that’s why I should really stay on top of it. Time always escapes me.
The beauty regimen I swear by are daily routines, not quick fixes. Eat well (I’m ethical vegan but I also believe it’s better for your health), whole foods, not processed. Organic as much as you can. Good skin care (also organic) and I do regular facials with add-ons like microdermabrasion and IPL. Plus the usual: water (I’m unfortunately terrible at drinking it) and SPF!
I unwind by hanging out with my animals (or other’s), and in the garden taking care of my plants, yoga, horse back riding (snorkeling if possible), meeting a friend for a meal or coffee (or talk on the phone), taking a long walk or bike ride in nature, bath with candles and wine."
As told to MBF,
August 15, 2021
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