Me and my son in the Austrian alps 2022.

All My Hair Fell Out

But it was my response to it that destroyed me.

“You could be forgiven for thinking this is all centred around vanity, but the thing that crushed me was that it made me feel like a fraud.”

Three years ago my hair started falling out for the second time. In fact, I’d only had it all back for about 6 months before I got gut-punched standing before the mirror. “It’s not as bad as last time,” I said to myself.

But like an unstoppable rebel force (name the movie) my immune system killed my hair follicles and the hair dropped away like oak leaves in autumn, minus the orange. Alopecia Universalis, not a single hair remained on or in (I’m told) my body.

At the same time, the entire world went into lockdown and the corporate presenting side of my business died along with my self-esteem, my confidence and my monthly hairdressing appointment. There had never been a better time to hide.

You could be forgiven for thinking this is all centred around vanity, but the thing that crushed me was that it made me feel like a fraud. I was so embarrassed the thought of people discovering my secret presented as physical pain. Alopecia, one of the most visible autoimmune diseases one can have, undermined my…