An 18-year-old university student has had to deal with “bullying, weird looks and hurtful comments” for as long as she can remember because of a condition that makes all her hair fall out.

Elisa Chircop has been bullied for her condition which makes all her hair fall out.

The autoimmune diseases, alopecia, made headlines recently after actor Will Smith slapped the host of the Oscars over a joke about the actor’s wife’s bald head, caused by alopecia.

Following the event, Elisa Chircop, who was diagnosed with the disease at the age of two, described how she now considers herself a “happy and confident” person, but this has not always been the case.

“As my hair was falling out I endured bullying, weird looks, and many hurtful comments by other kids at school and in the playground, and also by adults on the bus and other places. Once, I was pushed down the stairs, mocked and teased for being bald,” Chircop said.

She also recalls how there have been times when people wrongly assume her condition is contagious or pity her because they assume that she has cancer, and the hair loss is a result of chemotherapy.

“Alopecia is an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system does not recognise the hair as part of it and attacks it, thus causing it to fall off. It is not contagious, not painful and it is not life-threatening but causes another kind of pain, emotional turmoil,” she said.

It was for this reason that the student decided to speak out especially now that she has come to “accept” her condition and “grown to love the way [she looks] instead of letting others bring [her] down”.

“I am much more than my looks. I decided to speak out after what happened at the Oscars as many were commenting that it was just a joke, and that alopecia isn’t deadly so we should just get over it. 

“I do not condone violence in any way, and I do think Smith could have used the joke as an opportunity to share awareness on alopecia. However, the joke is in no way acceptable. It is never okay to joke about someone’s appearance and illness, even if it isn’t a deadly condition,” she said.

“Words can be just as deadly to people who have to endure this kind of judgement on a daily basis.”

Chircop told Times of Malta she wanted to make people “aware on how much bullying” those with the disease face because of the way they look.