A STUNNING woman has revealed how she lost her hair three times through alopecia and was bullied for her baldness – but now competes in beauty pageants.
Jessica-Mae Harnett, 21, was taunted in school because she had bald patches and was frequently asked if she had cancer.
The accounts manager from Milton Keynes first experienced hair loss when she was three years old, and then again when she was seven and 12.
Jessica spent years desperately trying to hide her baldness and would hide under a wig that would often be “pulled off by playground bullies”.
She said: “The first time I suffered with hair loss, the doctors put it down to stress but I was only three years old so there was nothing to be stressed about.
“The second time, I remember I didn’t even bother with a wig, I was still so young and careless.
“But when I was 12 and just started secondary school, I remember waking up and there was hair all over my pillow.
“And it continued to fall out when I brushed it, I was sobbing watching my hair fall to the floor.
“It was terrible as kids can be so cruel, I was constantly being laughed at.
“My condition is called alopecia totalis which means loss of all scalp hair, I had the odd tuft of hair but when I was 12, I cut those off and wore a wig.
“I lost 80 per cent of my hair in two weeks and I found it really difficult to accept.
“My self-esteem was so low; people would always assume it was something more sinister and call me ‘cancer girl’ or pull my wig off.”
Alopecia develops when the immune system attacks the hair follicles, resulting in hair loss.
Jessica feels “lucky” her hair grew back and now takes vitamins C, D, B13 and folic acids to help with hair growth, along with scalp dermabrasion every six months.
Causes of hair loss
- An illness
- Stress
- Cancer treatment
- Weight loss
- Iron deficiency
Her hair has since grown past her shoulders and her confidence has rocketed, and she hopes to win Miss England beauty pageant next year.
She adds: “I feel so lucky that my hair has grown back and now I am nervous to cut it, even if I have split ends, I only ever get a tiny bit snipped off.
The accounts manager from Milton Keynes says she is nervous each time she gets a trim
“When I lost my hair and whilst it was growing, I had no confidence but now I feel like I am ready for anything.
“I want to use my voice and pageants as a platform to help raise awareness of alopecia.
“I competed in Miss Swimsuit British Isles earlier this year and even though I didn’t place, I was so proud of myself for publicly speaking on stage about my condition.
“It felt amazing and it has pushed me to act as an advocate for alopecia – I want people who have it to stay strong as it will be fine in the end.”
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