Facing alopecia head on

Not all influencers are actually a good influence, but Maria Bel Sansó is an influencer with a difference.

Here on the island of Mallorca, lives a young woman who is all at once strong, inspirational and beautiful. 26-year-old Sansó, from Manacor, suffers from Alopecia Universalis, a condition which leaves sufferers without any body hair whatsoever, including eyelashes and eyebrows. Sansó is a teacher by profession, however, during the past 4 years since the alopecia first developed, this exceptional young woman has made it her mission to uncloak the taboo around hair-loss and alopecia in women.

In an interview with Diario de Mallorca, Sansó confessed the shock and trauma she felt when she lost all her lustrous, long hair within just two months. Yet rather than hiding from the truth of something that was out of her control, she decided to be brave and face the alopecia head on, quite literally.

The beautiful and inspirational young woman began to share her experience across social media sites, starting with a TikTok video of her removing a wig to some background music, that quickly went viral. Sansó now posts social media content daily and has also started her own online shopping site, Arena Wigs, a decision she made conscientiously in order to ensure that the shop wasn´t restricted to Mallorca. The wigs are of extremely high quality and are handmade by Sansó herself.

She aims to help other women with alopecia gain confidence, whilst at the same time raising awareness of the condition.