A young woman has been forced to wear wigs after her hair mysteriously fell out without warning whilst she was on holiday.

Lauren Johnson, 23, had just arrived in Salou, Spain, with her best friend Holly Probert-Darkings, 26, for a girls' holiday on July 8 when she noticed "clumps" of her hair missing."

She said that Holly had asked her if she had "accidentally razored the back of her head" while in the shower as a chunk of her hair was gone."

The trainee veterinary nurse said "big lumps" of her hair continually fell out for the remainder of the week long trip."

But it was only when she returned home and visited a GP she found out she had alopecia.

Lauren, from Newcastle, said: "I had my wet hair up in a claw clip and Holly asked me if I had accidentally razored the back of my hair in the shower."



"The back part of my head where the hair is supposed to meet the back of my neck was completely gone. "

"I had no symptoms at the time or beforehand. "

"I did notice a couple months before in the run up to the trip I was shedding hair all over my pillow but thought it was normal or a case of a heavy period. "

"I had a full blown breakdown and anxiety attack."

Lauren has told that as soon as she noticed her hair missing she FaceTimed her mum, Margaret, 58, who is an ex hairdresser and barber to see if she knew what was going on.

She said: "My mum told me 'Lauren I think that's alopecia'."

"I was heartbroken cried in the bathroom for hours as I had no idea what was happening or what may have caused it."

"I came out later and said to Holly we either make jokes about it the rest of the holiday or we don't talk about it at all."

Lauren has told how her uncle had alopecia areata in his 20s from workplace stress.

She also said that her mum has patterned baldness in some areas when she lost iron from a post partum blood transfusion but she had healthy, long hair her whole life.

When Lauren returned home she went to Bridges Medical Practice to confirm what was going on with her hair.

There she was diagnosed with alopecia.

Lauren said: "Other than the diagnosis, I was given no help from the GP."

"I was given no counselling, no referral to dermatology, and no non-invasive treatments or even anything to do or use in the meantime."

"I've only managed to get a dermatology referral now in November after months of complaining - I'm on a waiting list but I'm expected to be seen next August."

Lauren has since had to purchase wigs to cover the bald patches and regularly shaves her head to create an even canvas for them to fit snugly.

Lauren said: "I also started taking pumpkin seed oil once a day with two saw paletto tablets to hopefully grow my hair back."

"I use a WOW hair serum and a stimulant scalp massager to help the surface. "

"And try to eat well which I've always done as my mam works in fitness so I've grown up taking care of my gut health. "

"I've came to terms with the hair loss. "

"After so long of being in the crisis phase you have no choice but to find your own way of moving forward with a new reality."

"People can't believe how well I'm handling this and the truth is it really is fake it until you make it. "

"There are some days I just wish I was normal whereby my hair is a last thought. "

"I lost my hair but I've gained a whole new life for myself."