My Battle With Alopecia: My Hair Loss Journey
What's In This Article
Hair loss can affect people at any age, and everyone’s experience of alopecia is different. In this personal story, Simply Wigs customer Thi shares her experience of losing her hair from the age of six, the treatments she tried, being diagnosed with androgenic alopecia and later alopecia areata, and how she eventually found confidence through wearing wigs.
This is Thi’s story, told in her own words. We hope sharing it helps others living with hair loss feel a little less alone.
Growing Up With Hair Loss and Trying Different Alopecia Treatments
It was the mid 1980s and I was 6 when I saw hair on my pillow and I noticed my hair was thinning. My very vain mother was heartbroken; her eldest daughter losing her hair was, to her, a major catastrophe. She was convinced I would never find a husband and, even worse, she might be denied grandchildren.
So began the campaign to save my hair. Blood tests, reduced refined sugar, multivitamins administered with military precision, aloe vera drinking gel, and royal honey. Sounds delicious? It wasn’t. Then came the specialist shampoos, egg-conditioning scalp masks, and regular dermatology appointments – both NHS and private. If the hair loss wasn’t going to put off future suitors, the smell of the treatments probably would. Meanwhile, my childhood was hardly stress-free. I was a first-generation immigrant, dealing with racism, acting as an interpreter for my parents despite my own limited bilingual skills, attending mainstream school plus weekend language schools, having piano lessons, helping with younger siblings, and doing chores at home; I was stressed. My parents, however, remained convinced the problem was biochemical and, therefore, fixable.
By 10, I had significant thinning on top of my head: androgenic alopecia, essentially male-pattern baldness. Rather unfairly, my dad, then in his late 30s, still had a full head of hair. I started high school at 11 and I wore headwear for my hair loss. As if being the Southeast Asian child didn’t make me stand out enough, I added headwear for good measure. Thankfully, teachers and pupils generally accepted it. Then, in summer 1993, my father took me “back home” for two months of holistic treatment. By then we had already tried infrared lamps, acupuncture, scalp massages, and dietary changes.
Further Treatments Only Worsened My Hair Loss
The trip was lonely. My parents feared I might be kidnapped for ransom, so I was rarely allowed out alone. For treatment, the top of my head was shaved completely bare, and an unknown clear chemical was applied to my scalp every day. It was cold, stung, itched, and regularly ran down my face while I tried desperately to keep it out of my eyes. I spent most of those two months wearing a baseball cap, reading the few books I had brought, and becoming frighteningly good at Tetris and playing pool by myself.
When I returned to the UK for year 10, I discovered my friends had turned their backs on me. The loneliness and stress became overwhelming, and the hair that had regrown soon fell out again, this time affecting the larger areas of my scalp and developing into alopecia areata. My teenage years were difficult. I became angry and depressed, needing regular psychiatric counselling and was prescribed various medications, all before my 18th birthday.
How My Wig-Wearing Journey Began
By the late 1990s, I started wearing wigs. My first was a dark chocolate Noriko bob. I didn’t love it, but for the first time it allowed me to blend in. By the early 2000s I was ordering wigs over the phone from a small supplier. This occasionally resulted in colleagues overhearing my ordering a ‘dark chocolate Jenny’ and understandably wondering what on earth I was buying. Then, around 2010, I discovered Simply Wigs. Ordering online made everything much easier, and I now buy around three or four wigs a year. My favourites are long wigs with lace fronts.
My bio hair hasn’t improved; if anything, it has become considerably thinner, but I no longer care. I love the flexibility wigs give me. I can be brunette one day and a redhead the next, having long hair during the day and short hair by the evening. Plumberry is a particular favourite!
Life is good!
I don’t hide that I wear wigs either. If someone compliments my hair, I happily tell them. Most are surprised, and some even ask if they can touch it. I’ve also been able to help colleagues going through chemotherapy by recommending wigs and sharing what I have learned. At 46, I have accepted that I may never have a full bio-head of hair again, and I’m genuinely fine with that. I’m married to the most amazing and supportive man, I have an adult son, a career, and a work-life balance I’m very happy with.
Life is good. And thanks to wigs, my hair always is too!
Love, Thi xx
FAQs
- Can alopecia start during childhood?
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Yes. Some types of alopecia can begin during childhood, although the pattern and extent of hair loss can vary considerably from person to person. If a child is experiencing unexplained or recurring hair loss, it’s important to speak to a GP or appropriate healthcare professional who can investigate the possible cause.
You can find more information in our guide to Young Wig Wears
- Can stress affect alopecia?
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Stress can be associated with some forms of hair loss and may be a contributing or triggering factor for some people, but the relationship between stress and alopecia isn’t straightforward. Hair loss can have many different causes, so it’s important not to assume that stress is responsible.
If you’re experiencing new or unexplained hair loss, your GP or dermatologist can help you understand what may be happening.
- When should I consider wearing a wig for alopecia?
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There isn’t a right or wrong time to start wearing a wig. Some people choose one as soon as their hair begins to thin, while others wait until their hair loss becomes more noticeable and some people decide not to wear a wig at all.
It’s a very personal choice. If you do decide you’d like to try one, take your time and concentrate on finding something that feels comfortable and makes you feel like yourself. Our Guide to Buying Wigs can help you understand the different options and where to begin.
Comments (5)
You are amazing. I lost my hair when I was 28 and still vividly remember the trauma. Going to my GP who kept asking me what I was worried about. I naturally told him I was worried about my hair falling out but was made to feel that this was my fault. He referred me to a specialist who explained about alopecia universalis and that it was very unlikely that my hair would ever regrow. She also said that if they had anything to make hair grow there would be no bald men. Acceptance was hard but not as hard as chasing false cures . So sorry you had to go through that at such a young age . Well done.I am now 76 and still wearing wigs blessing Simply Wigs.
You did well, and overcame the problems of your childhood. I’m glad you found the solution. You look happy now, and lovely.
Wow what a journey! It’s so liberating to finally reach a point where we can be open about hairloss and start to have fun wearing wigs. Its ridiculous that there’s been such a negative attitude towards them in the past. I’ll talk to anyone about it when complimented on my hair. Thanks for sharing your story.
Your story touched me thank you. What a beautiful women you are . May this later part of your life be filled with even more happiness , peace and love .
What a long and distressing journey you’ve had, Thi. Your honesty about your experiences is admirable. I too have endured 30+ years of similar experiences and like you I have now found that wigs are wonderful. To anyone just at the start of this, please believe that you can embrace it, take back control and face the world with a smile again.
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