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'HID MYSELF AWAY'
I endured 8 hours of hair transplant surgery after female pattern baldness shattered my confidence, says Chanelle Hayes
LEAVING the gym red-faced, hot and sweaty, Chanelle Hayes was proud to have started her weight-loss journey.
But after seeing pictures of herself with her hair scraped back, she felt her newly gained confidence start to slip away.
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To her horror, the ex-Big Brother contestant could see bald patches on the top of her head and decided to hide herself away just as she was trying to turn her life around.
Chanelle, 34, has since had a hair transplant after discovering she suffers from female pattern baldness — but she cannot forget the awful day in summer 2019 that she realised her mane was thinning. She says: “It was awful. I did a 45-minute spin class and I looked ridiculous. I had been working hard at the gym, I was flushed.
“But the next day when the pictures of me were published, my heart just sank. All I could see was how thin my hair was, and my receding hairline.
“I was fine with being overweight, I knew I was doing something about that. But it was my hair. What could I do about that?
“It just felt ridiculous, and so I didn’t go back to the gym for at least a week.”
The mum of two suffers from female pattern hair loss, which is often hereditary. It affects 40 per cent of women by the time they turn 50 and can be triggered by a stressful event, such as a major illness.
‘Trolls would be vile’
Doctors around the world have reported an upward trend in female pattern hair loss as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, but it can also be caused by the menopause, other hormonal changes or chronic inflammation.
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Chanelle, mum to Blakely, 11, who is the son of former footballer Matthew Bates, and Frankie, three, from her relationship with PE teacher Ryan Oates, continued: “I can’t pinpoint when it actually started to happen, it was more of a gradual process because I’ve always had a big forehead anyway.
“I’ve also always had thin hair and nails, it’s been an issue of mine.
“I’m adopted so I don’t really know anything about my family having it.
“But I am assuming it was after both the kids were born, as well as gaining weight.
“After seeing that pap picture of myself, I looked back at old photos and then realised the difference.”
Trolls were also quick to comment on Chanelle’s hair loss too.
She says: “I had to block people, and stop myself from looking at the comments.
“Trolls would be vile. If you think of the most ridiculous thing, just know someone would have said that to me.”
One troll commented: “What is going on with her hairline? Never seen anything like that on a woman before.” While another simply echoed: “What’s with her hairline?”
Chanelle would try to cover her bald patches by wearing hair extensions or parting her tresses in a certain style.
She says: “I would never ever wear my hair back without a parting, and I would always tuck a bit of hair behind my ears.
“I would never have highlights for years because I would use root spray just so the colour would stay there.
“But I couldn’t go outside if it was raining, because it would dribble down my face. I couldn’t go on like that any more so I started looking into getting a hair transplant.”
After 18 months of research, Chanelle discovered the Farjo Hair Institute in Manchester and underwent her hair transplant — which typically costs upwards of £7,000 — in February 2020.
She says: “I was in the chair for eight hours. During the hair transplant, my surgeon removed follicles from a denser area of hair, like the back of my head.
“He would then implant the follicles into tiny slits on the front area of my scalp.”
Only recently has Chanelle — who lost 8st after having a gastric band fitted in August 2020 — seen results.
She says: “You think it’s going to be a speedy process, but it’s not. After you wash your hair, it all falls out and it looks like the five o’clock shadow that men have.
‘Hair loss is difficult to hide’
“It was thin baby hair at first, and then it took about two months to start growing through.
“Also, I am the only fool that gets a hair transplant, and then many months later loses half of my body weight.
“Normally with weight-loss surgery, the common side-effect is you lose hair.
“I didn’t lose any hair, I just didn’t grow the new hair that I was supposed to be growing, so it took a bit longer.”
Now with her tresses looking fab and her weight under control, Chanelle is only looking forward.
She says: “It’s all totally worth it. I can do what I want with my hair without worrying about it.
“I can have it tied back, wear headbands and dye it as well. Whereas before, I ended up hating myself, it really stripped my confidence.
“If you put a bit of weight on, you can dress for your figure, and you can still do your hair and your make-up, but with hair loss, it’s difficult to hide.
“I look back at that picture outside the gym, and I am mentally a completely different person.
“That picture still haunts me, and I look at it every now and then and think ‘Wow!’.”
Chanelle shares updates on her body confidence on Instagram by posting pictures that have not been retouched.
She says: “It really annoys me that people are trying to present this perfect life with the kids — I can barely get my teeth brushed when I have to take care of both of mine.
“People need to be more realistic and give themselves less of a hard time.”
Chanelle, who lasted 62 days on Big Brother 8 in 2007, is studying for an adult nursing degree to become an advanced nurse practitioner.
She says: “Anyone can turn their lives around later on, or change career, you don’t have to be stuck doing the same thing.
“Back in the day I did lads’ mags like Nuts and Zoo and it served me well, but you’re not allowed to do anything like that any more, are you?
‘Figure out each day as it comes’
“God forbid you want to show your body off.
“Looking back, doing it served me really well at that time, but I am just a completely different person.
“Now I am just trying to knuckle down with my studying.
“Every person has got the chance to do something that can make their life better or give their life more purpose.
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“I figure out each day as it comes. When I was getting my hair transplant, one lady was having an eyebrow transplant because we know the Nineties killed our brows.
“I might book that one next.”
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