I Lost All My Hair At 18 | SHAKE MY BEAUTY

Jess, 27, from Essex, UK lost all of her body hair aged 18 due to Alopecia Universalis, an autoimmune condition, which causes the body to eat all of its own hair follicles, often due to stress. She first noticed her eyebrow hair falling out, aged 15 but doctors put it down to puberty. However, the hair loss continued, and Jess was left with bald patches all over her head. She was so embarrassed by her condition that she would hide it from her friends and go as far as sleeping with a wig to keep the illusion up. When she did go out in public Jess would occasionally be faced with ignorant comments. Jess told Truly that "a boy asked if I used to be a man because I wear a wig. People don't really know about alopecia so they just presume that you are a man or have cancer." During the COVID lockdown, Jess decided that it would be the best time to finally show her bare head online, and posted a photo to her Instagram page. She was blown away by the positive response and now is a big presence within the online alopecia community. She said: "When I was younger I didn't have anyone to look at on social media or in the public eye who was bald. I would've loved that so I want other young girls going through it to see that you can still live your life with or without hair." The message she now wants to send out to the world is one of positivity and hope. "At the time when you start losing your hair it kind of feels like the end of the world but it's definitely not, it's just the beginning."