I’ve lost 80% of my hair – I think it all started with a smear test
A WOMAN was left without 80 per cent of her hair after claiming a smear test triggered her alopecia.
Chloe Sheehan, 27, was first warned by a hairdresser that she had a coin-sized bald patch at the back of her head in February 2017.
The procurement administrator, from Cork, Ireland, said: “This felt like the end of the world to me. I was completely unaware of it until it was pointed out to me.
“I was gobsmacked and totally shocked. I was a dental nurse at the time and immediately flashed to, ‘Oh my god, who saw the bald patch?’ as I had my hair tied up constantly at work.”
Chloe was diagnosed with alopecia areata - an autoimmune disorder that usually results in unpredictable, patchy hair loss, sometimes affecting the whole head.
The condition occurs when white blood cells attack the hair follicles, causing them to shrink and slow down hair production.
It is unknown precisely what triggers the body’s immune system to target hair follicles, Alopecia UK says.
But Chloe thinks that a smear test for cervical cancer - vital for all women to have every three to five years - was the catalyst.
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She said: “It started with a smear test and followed with multiple cervical tests, procedures and treatments.
“I think this was possibly the reason for my hair loss as the time frames are exact and I'm sorry I didn't listen to my body more, but that is just my self-diagnosis."
It is not clear what the result of Chloe's smear test was, or what treatment she needed.
Smears help prevent cervical cancer, which per year is diagnosed 3,000 times and tragically takes the lives of 850 - they are usually only mildly uncomfortable for a few minutes, with no side effects.
All women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64 should be invited by letter to get their smear, and should try to not delay booking their appointment.
Alopecia areata hair loss is not permanent, and Chloe’s hair grew back by September 2017.
However, in November 2017, Chloe’s hair started to fall out again but this time in clumps.
She said: “This time it was much worse. Time stands still when you’re holding clumps of your hair intertwined in your fingers – it feels nauseating and I felt I had totally lost control.
“I was so afraid to fall asleep at night because of how much hair would be on my pillow in the morning.
“I was up most nights as I was having such bad nightmares of my hair falling out.
"When I would catch a glance of myself in the mirror, I would burst out crying again and go back to bed - it was a really difficult time for me.”
By the following month, Chloe could no longer recognise herself in the mirror and had lost around 80 per cent of her hair.
She said: “By Christmas, I was trying on wigs - something I never thought would happen but I knew I had to be brave and face it.
“The sixteenth of January 2018 was the day I bought my first wig. This was very difficult.
“I would look in the mirror at my balding head and I could no longer see myself, I would put my wig on and couldn’t see myself either.
“I would try everything but I couldn’t find my identity so I resorted to not looking in the mirror and eventually not going to work or leaving the house for over a month.
“I thought I would never be able to recover or feel beautiful ever again.”
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and Clinical Director of , said: "In over 31 years as a GP, I have never seen a patient who developed alopecia as a result of cervical screening. What’s more I have never seen any case in the medical literature where it happened.
"In theory, any severe stress can trigger hair loss – also known as alopecia. It’s a condition called telogen effluvium.
"Being ill, having a fever, childbirth or a stressful event can bring on telogen effluvium. The good news is that new hairs continue to grow, so the problem usually resolved on its own within a few months."
Over the years, Chloe has tried a whole host of different treatments for her condition - from home remedies to specialist creams and even clinical drug trials.
Her family and fiancé, Declan, have been her rock throughout her alopecia journey.
But it wasn’t until May 2020 that Chloe felt able to face her condition and open up about it publicly.
OPENING UP
She said: “I wanted to help other people going through the same thing but I had to make sure I was ready myself.
“So after three years, I felt it was time to stop hiding and to start my own Instagram page.
“It was very daunting as I was unsure of the reaction I would receive but people have been so overwhelmingly kind and accepting.
“I would love to go back in time and have a chat with myself to prove there is light at the end of the tunnel.
“This is a huge reason why I set up my Instagram page because I would have done anything to have someone so vocal about alopecia online to turn to as I felt no one understood.”
As well as starting an Instagram page, , Chloe wrote a blog about her journey.
Chloe said she “can’t even begin to explain” how amazing it has been to meet and communicate with other people with her condition.
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She said: “My heart bursts when I receive amazing messages from people and I always say they help me as much as I help them.
“We're a community and there for each other whether you put it on Instagram or live with hair loss in secret.”
