Pernilla har diagnosen alopecia totalis. The first time she lost her hair was at the age of 17. At the time, no one knew what caused her sudden hair loss, but her hair grew back after a year. Three years later, Pernilla lost all her hair again and this time the hair didn’t seem to want to grow back. Pernilla felt resigned and hopeless, but one night her partner saw that there was a treatmentthat might help her get her hair back. This treatment was PRP.
– It took me a while to get my diagnosis. The first time I lost my hair, I was 17 and in high school. It happened quite quickly. Suddenly I had no hair on one side of my head. They thought it was due to eczema and I had to wear a wig until it grew back,” says Pernilla.
When Pernilla was diagnosed with alopecia totalis
It took a few years for Pernilla to start losing her hair again, but once it started, it went faster than the last time. In just one month she had lost all her hair. That’s when Pernilla was diagnosed with alopecia totalis and was informed that there was no treatment for it.
– The longer you go without hair, the harder it is to get it back. I was starting to get really upset that it hadn’t started growing again. It was only in the autumn of that year that I found out that there was something called PRP. My partner was looking to see if anything could be done about my hair loss.
Pernilla contacted Nordic Hair Clinic and had a telephone consultation with Maggie as she does not live near Stockholm. After the conversation, Pernilla felt it was worth trying PRP. She hadn’t had any hair at all for years by now, so PRP felt like a last chance for her to get her hair back.
PRP therapy as a treatment
– I started with 5 treatments and my hair started to grow right away. Since I had no hair left on my head, it was so obvious after the first treatment that it was starting to grow again. But not to the extent that I could be without a wig. But it was so nice to know that there was a chance I could get my hair back. I didn’t think it was possible at the time. I almost gave up. So it was really great that the PRP actually worked,” says Pernilla.
When she got pregnant, her hair started to grow a lot and Pernilla felt she could relax, but after giving birth her hair started to fall out again.
– I panicked. However, I didn’t feel the same resignation and I felt that I will still keep my hair with PRP. 3-4 weeks after giving birth I went to Nordic Hair Clinic again and the hair loss stopped right away. The following year I lost virtually nothing at all.
Hairtalk Extensions
Another thing that has helped Pernilla a lot when she has been struggling with hair loss is Hairtalk Extensions. It is a hair extension that is specially designed to be gentle on the hair and can be used even if you have alopecia totalis. If your hair is thin, short or if you have bald patches, you use something called Hairtalk Hairware, which is a transparent cap to which the loose hair is attached. In Pernilla’s case, her Hairware was subsidised by the county council.
– I started using their extensions in December last year and have had it for a year now. I had very, very short hair when I got them. At that point, there was no hiding the fact that I had been balding recently, so I’m super happy to have found Hairtalk. I feel so much freer than I did with a wig. The wig wasn’t really a good option for me because I have some problems with eczema, but it was the only option I had if I didn’t want to go bald,” says Pernilla.
With Hairtalk Extensions, Pernilla can feel even calmer, she says. She thinks it’s a big contributing factor to the fact that she hasn’t lost any hair in a long time because she hasn’t felt as much stress about her hair.
– But with my hair extension, I can relax and think that it won’t get any worse than this. Once you can remove this cap, it’s even nicer. I think it’s great because it doesn’t wear the hair down, so it can rest in peace. Now you can’t see that I have extensions in,” says Pernilla.
Pernilla’s tips for others with the same diagnosis
Now it is easier to find information about alopecia totalis, which was not available when Pernilla first developed symptoms. Pernilla’s advice to others with the same illnessis not to get stressed out.
– There is help available. I stressed myself out and then it gets worse. Stress is very bad for this diagnosis. Dare to try PRP. It’s been so effective for me, so that’s by far the biggest tip I have,” says Pernilla.
Before her first treatment, Pernilla was very nervous. She has always been afraid of needles, but her nervousness disappeared when she was well received at the clinic.
– As soon as I got the anaesthetic, my nervousness was gone. I felt a bit, was it nothing more difficult than this? It has been so nice to be able to come to Nordic Hair and see the hair growing back every time. I also think it’s so amazing because Maggie has recognised me every time I’ve been here, even when I’ve come every 1 year. I think it’s great because so many people come in, but she still recognises me,” says Pernilla.
