- Author, Gemma Dunstan
- Role, BBC Wales Live
When Poppie Davies’ hairdresser noticed a bald spot at the age of 16, it ended with her being unable to look in the mirror as she lost her hair to alopecia.
The 21-year-old from Cardiff said it “snowed” and became “life-changing”, which also caused her to lose her self-confidence.
Celebrities like Jada Pinkett Smith and Louis Theroux have been praised for sharing their experiences with alopecia – a disease that occurs when the immune system attacks hair follicles, causing hair loss.
Poppie said she felt she had to keep her alopecia a secret, adding: “I felt I had to cover it up when I was at school.
“In my head no one could know, wearing a wig was a chore. It was quite isolating.
“I would even wear a wig in the garden in case my neighbors saw me.”
She decided that going to college was a good time in her life to take a different approach, and said her new friends were incredibly supportive.
“It’s been a long five years, but I’ve learned to own it. If I don’t want to wear a wig, I don’t. If I want to wear a wig and style it, that’s fun too,” she added to.
Poppie said there is an “incredible community” both online and in person, and she contacted a local support group, which helped her regain her confidence.
“Now I look at the positives and how I can help other people,” she said.
Ben Lowrey, 40, took a different approach by channeling his energy into fitness and became a nude model.
In 2012, exercise fanatic from Rhondda Cynon Taf lost all his hair within a few months.
“I couldn’t control my hair, but fitness was something I could do,” he said.
“I didn’t have a lot of negativity, more positive attention because I was in shape.”
He joined an agency, became a “butler in the buff” and posed as a life sign model for bachelor parties and events.
“I became a lot more confident, it wasn’t just being naked – it was taking charge of a room and talking to groups of people and being part of their special event,” said Ben.
He said that if he had the choice, he wouldn’t choose to get his hair back.
“Alopecia forced me to be confident in other ways, to focus on my values, goals and principles,” he added.
Ryan Rush’s story begins when he was much younger.
He got his first bald spot in his hair when he was four years old.
The 22-year-old, who lives in Caerphilly, said it continued to develop until he was ten.
“I took my eyebrows for granted and losing them affected me more than my head hair because it’s more noticeable and harder to hide,” Ryan said.
He said that in high school, as his condition developed, he received a number of negative comments directed at him.
Ryan added: “It was mostly verbal bullying, but overall it wasn’t too bad. I think the attention was more out of curiosity.”
He hadn’t met anyone with the condition until he was on holiday as a teenager, and believes representation is important.
Last year he also spotted model Adam Rhazali, who has the condition, on a billboard in Cardiff.
“It was great to see someone like me put herself out there,” he said.
“I felt proud, confident and more comfortable.”
What is alopecia?
- Alopecia is the general medical term for hair loss
- Hair loss can be hereditary or caused by stress, for example
- It is usually an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the hair follicles
- It can affect hair all over the body
- Some types of alopecia are temporary, while others can be permanent
Dr. Manju Kalavala is a consultant and clinical director for dermatology at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff and said it is “good news”.
He has seen a “huge spike” in demand from people with hair loss, but after the pandemic there was a wait of up to two years.
“We worked hard and managed to take it down,” he said.
“We currently have a waiting time of approximately 42 weeks. At the same time, we realize that we cannot keep patients waiting that long.”
Dr. Kalavala said programs trialled by Cardiff and Vale Health Board are now being rolled out across Wales to help patients get help as early as possible.
“We do teledermatology so GPs can send a referral with a photo attached,” he said.
“We will respond within a few days and can request tests and provide advice to speed up the process while they wait for us.”