As a child, Kayla Martell had a full head of hair. Her condition was diagnosed when she was in fifth grade, when she noticed the part in her hair was widening.

Martell, pictured here with her boyfriend, said she feels completely comfortable going bald in her non-pageant, everyday life.

Martell vied for the Miss Delaware title four times before she was crowned. Three of those times she competed bald, but for the last two, she opted to don a wig.

Martell performs her contemporary dance talent during the 2010 Miss Delaware competition. She said she feels more approachable in public when she wears a wig, and people do not worry if she is ill, even though says she loves the way she looks bald.

Kayla Martell was crowned Miss Delaware earlier this year. She will compete for the title of Miss America 2011 in January. "The real Kayla is the Kayla underneath the wig," she said. "But the Kayla as Miss Delaware is comfortable both ways."

"All young girls who have this disease should still feel like they can be a princess," Martell has said. She was diagnosed with alopecia areata 10 years ago and has been nearly bald ever since.

Miss Delaware Kayla Martell poses at an event for the National Alopecia Areata Foundation with other young girls who also live with the disease.

A wigged Martell poses at an event for the National Alopecia Areata Foundation with another young girl who also lives with alopecia areata.