I lost ALL my hair after having a baby and it never grew back – people think I have cancer
Every single hair on Rima’s body fell out in August 2018 and she was diagnosed with alopecia
A BRAVE mum has told how she lost all of her body hair after the birth of her two kids – and that it’s unlikely to ever grow back.
Rima Theisen, 37, from Margate, Kent, suffered from post-partum hair loss after the birth of her son Tennyson, now three.
Her locks grew back but she battled the condition again in 2017 after having daughter Clementine, now 17 months.
In August 2018, every single hair on Rima’s body fell out and she was diagnosed with alopecia.
Here, Rima, who works as cabin crew for Virgin Atlantic and is married to husband Nathaneal, 37, shares her story with Fabulous Digital....
My mop of thick straight hair, so dark brown it was almost black, was once my pride and joy.
As the months have gone by, with no sign of any natural regrowth, I’ve accepted that my hair is probably gone forever. To my surprise, I’ve missed it less than I expected.
Today, I only wear a wig on the odd special occasion. Mostly, I’m happy to rock the bald look. In fact, I still get a lot of compliments.
Thankfully, Nathanael has never made any fuss about my alopecia and he always tells me that I look great, with my hair or without it.
As for the children, Tennyson has become used to my new look. If I get the odd hair growing anywhere, he’ll pull it out! Clementine is too young to remember me any other way.
People ask if I was particularly stressed, around the time my hair fell out. And it’s true that Clementine’s birth was reasonably difficult, and that afterwards I was a busy young mum with two babies, just coming to the end of a seven-year part-time university degree, and about to return to work.
But generally I was extremely happy with my life, and didn’t FEEL stressed.
As for the future, I’ve been offered the option of treatment with an immunosuppressant medication called Ciclosporin. But it can cause serious side effects - including an increased risk of lymphoma. I haven’t made up my mind for sure, yet, but I don’t think I’m going to go for it.
The way I see it, I’m not sick, so why take a powerful drug that might make me sick?
Having joined an online support group run by Alopecia UK, I know I’m not alone. There are many other women are struggling with different kinds of hair loss and some find it devastating.
Luckily I’m a confident, positive person. I’ve been able to deal with what has happened to me, and make the best of it.
Don’t misunderstand me. If somebody offered me the chance of having my hair back, tomorrow, at no risk, of course I’d say: “Yes, please.” But that isn’t going to happen.
What I’ve learned from alopecia is: my hair, and the way I look, doesn’t define me. I’m defined by what’s inside me. And that hasn’t changed.
Meanwhile, a woman who has alopecia on what inspired her to embrace her baldness after hiding her secret for seven years with a wig.