A 22-year-old woman who went bald through the stress of a previous relationship has told how it grew back just months after she met ‘The One’.
Supermarket assistant Ashleigh Alqotaibi started losing her hair two years ago and medics diagnosed her with alopecia , warning it was likely to have been brought on by stress.
By February 2015 she had 95 per cent baldness, and Ashleigh, who was in a relationship at the time, was left ‘devastated’ and admits she was suicidal.
Realising her ‘unhappy’ relationship then-boyfriend was the source of her stress, Ashleigh, from Beighton, Sheffield, dumped him in a bid to improve her wellbeing.
She said: “With every strand of hair that fell out, a piece of my confidence went with it.
“Looking back, I was unhappy in my relationship, but it took a while to link the silly arguments I was having with my boyfriend with the clumps of my hair falling out every day.”
Incredibly, after dumping her ex, she met now fiancé John Robinson, 26, a delivery driver, in April 2015, and her hair started to grow back just four months later.
Now, she has a full head of hair, and credits her happiness with new man John for its re-growth.
Ashleigh said: “There is no denying that once I got rid of my stressful relationship and replaced it with a happy, healthy one my hair started to grow again.
“ My hair could still fall out at any time but, with John by my side, I know my love life will never be the cause of stress again.”
When Ashleigh started dating her ex in December 2013 she had a full head of thick, brown hair.
She tells how, over time, arguments between them left them unhappy and stressed.
She said: “He wasn’t the right person for me, I felt stressed but with it being my first relationship, I was reluctant to break up with him.
In November 2014, she noticed a bald patch on the side of her head.
She said: “I’d suffered a bit of mild patching on my scalp in the past but my hair had grown back.
“This time, the patch was the size of a coin. I tried to ignore it and hoped it would grow back.
“I stopped using hair straighteners and shaded the patch in with black eyeshadow to hide it, but the bald spot started to grow.
“I felt powerless as handfuls of hair started falling out when I showered, and sometimes I’d wake up with clumps on my pillow.”
By January 2014 she had three large patches on her scalp and doctors diagnosed her with alopecia, suggesting it could be stress-related.
They also told her very little could be done to treat it.
Ashleigh said: “I sobbed as medics explained I may lose all my hair. I’d always taken real pride in my thick, healthy hair, and imagining myself totally bald was a terrifying thought.”
Though she was prescribed steroid cream to stimulate hair growth, Ashleigh says it did not work and by the end of January 2015 she was almost completely bald.
She said: “All that was left was my hairline, I felt ugly and ashamed.
“I avoided mirrors because my reflection made me cry. I became depressed, hiding my head in hats.
“Walking down the street I felt like everyone knew I was bald underneath, so I stopped going out except to work.
“I didn’t even tell my friends I was suffering with alopecia because I was so embarrassed. Instead, I just stopped going out with them.
“Medics urged me to try and eliminate stress in my life to help simulate natural regrowth.
“I loved my job and had plenty of friends and a loving family, so I realised the only stressful influence in my life was my unhappy relationship.
“So I made the big decision to end the relationship.”
In February newly-single Ashleigh’s colleagues, parents and grandmother clubbed together to buy her an £800 human hair wig.
Despite being happy to be single, over the next two months Ashleigh’s confidence hit an all-time low.
“I felt like people knew it was just a wig,” she recalled. “I feared my baldness would hinder all aspects of my life – social, romantic and professional.
“By March, I admitted to my parents that I even felt suicidal.
“They were so supportive and looked into getting me a counsellor, promising that things would get better.”
In April she met John through work and the pair started dating a month later.
Ashleigh said: “It was a turning point for me. There was a real spark between us, and suddenly I realised alopecia was not a good enough reason for me not to date him.
“I was determined not to let my condition define me and opened up to John about my condition.”
“He was accepting of the insecurities that came with my baldness.
“Kind and caring, John was totally different to my ex. We quickly fell in love.
“My friends and family were thrilled to see me with someone who made me so happy.”
In June she was referred to a dermatologist who said she had lost too much hair to be eligible for steroid injection treatment on the NHS.
Ashleigh said: “It was upsetting to hear that steroid treatment wouldn’t work on me, but I didn’t let it get me down.
“John and I were having such a great time together that it took my mind off my condition.
“I was happy and relaxed for the first time in months.”
Incredibly, in September – just four months after finding love with John, her hair started to grow back naturally.
She recalled: “John pointed out that a patch of hair had regrown on the back of my scalp.
“I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but I couldn’t help being thrilled. I was sure my new-found happiness was the behind the sudden regrowth.
“Being so content was bound to boost my wellbeing.”
As the months went on, Ashleigh’s relationship with John went from strength to strength, and her hair continued to grow.
In October, she bravely decided to posted about her struggles with alopecia on Facebook.
Ashleigh said: “I admitted it had been the worst few months of my life but added that, while I still had down days, I refused to care if people point, look or laugh at my bald head or wig.
The post garnered dozens of encouraging comments from friends, and Ashleigh tells how it helped her ‘take ownership of the condition’.
She said: “The response was overwhelmingly positive, and it made me realise that, if I do lose all my hair again, I have a huge network to support me.”
In June Ashleigh and John got engaged and now hope to wed in a few years.
What’s more, she has recovered a full head of hair, and now has a short bob.
While Ashleigh admits her alopecia could recur at any time, she is confident that her love life will no longer influence it.
She adds: “There’s no way of knowing for sure if falling in love made my hair grow back, but I believe that living a stress-free, happy life with John has been key to battling the condition.”
Mirror.co.uk
