Bald women plan Salt Lake lunch

Thea Chassin is bald, and she wants you to notice.

She founded Bald Girls Do Lunch, the only national, nonprofit support network dedicated specifically to helping women with the auto-immune hair loss condition Alopecia Areata.

She's bringing the second Bald Girls Do Lunch meeting to Salt Lake City on Saturday. "Our first small lunch here in the summer generated a big response when articles about it appeared in the local newspapers. The women who missed it wrote in to request another as soon as possible. The women who were there wanted to get together again."

Chassin has been completely bald for 10 years. She has no body hair, and her eyebrows and lashes come and go. Millions of women have her condition but often feel isolated and alone.

It's not a sickness, and women with the condition are otherwise healthy. Most have never met someone else with the condition, but when they do, Chassin says their lives take a dramatic upturn. The lunches are a catalyst for change and inspiration. Besides meeting others, the women share tips. You can wear a wig or show up bald — whatever's comfortable.

Reservations are required. To learn more, contact Chassin by e-mail at info@baldgirlsdolunch.org, or call 914-584-7662. Information is online at www.baldgirlsdolunch.org.