Women’s hair loss not just a fringe issue...
I ADMIRE a young woman’s hair in the salon.
When the girl tells me it’s a hairpiece I can’t hide my shock. This young lady is only in her 30s. She opens up saying she developed alopecia from stress during Covid-19 which led to bald patches appearing on her head.
She told me of her relief that she was eligible for a €500 grant towards a hair piece thanks to Minister of Social Protection Heather Humphries who initiated grants in 2022.
Aidan Fitzgerald, who runs the salon and the My New Hair wig specialist boutique in Blackrock, Co Dublin, told me that his clientele for hair pieces and wigs are shockingly getting younger.
Anecdotally he’s hearing that the cost of living crisis, coupled with our society’s hectic pace is leading to more stress which his customers say is causing hair loss.
I was saddened to hear that many of his clients report that they develop agoraphobia and feel isolated as they lose their crowning glory.
We need to destigmatise hair loss so that women feel confident in their own skin.
Roz Purcell is incredible on social media documenting her own journey of alopecia.
She has it all, yet the former model turned presenter and entrepreneur said
when she first developed alopecia in 2020 she began to realise how much value she put on her hair.
She discovered her first case of alopecia areata when she woke up and had lost 75% of her eyelashes on one eye.
She then discovered a patch of hair missing in 2020.
She has spoken openly on how selfconscious she felt and how much of a security blanket her long tresses were.
It’s stars like Roz who are breaking the mould, encouraging the public to take note of how stress can manifest in hair loss.
A-list celebs who have tried to normalise hair loss include Jada Pinkett Smith, Kristin Davis, Tyra Banks and Kiera Knightley – showing women they are not alone.
Jada first opened up on her alopecia diagnosis in 2018.
She bravely showed bare patches on her scalp saying her condition was becoming harder to hide.
In 2020, inspirational Hairspray star Ricki Lake shaved all her hair off revealing she had been silently losing it for 30 years.
Her honesty was refreshing after concealing her loss for so long.
She said the bold move taught her so much about her own self-image.
Losing her hair was traumatic and she even felt suicidal at one point.
Hair loss can feel like it’s a deeply personal part of our physicality and it can be emotionally taxing.
It’s Menopause Awareness month and hair loss affects 40% of women going through this stage of our lives – from the age of 40 our hair starts to thin or fall out.
We hear of men getting hair transplants but we need to start talking more openly about the impact of hair loss on women.
I leave the salon so thankful that I have my hair but in deep awe of these brave women who dare to bare their reality to help others.