A young woman has claimed that catching covid eight times left her bald and revealed the courage it has taken her to leave the house without a wig.
Lydia Morley, 23, from Newport, Wales, first noticed her long, thick brown hair thinning and falling out in the shower last November.
‘Whenever I’d brush my hair in the shower, I’d have proper clumps come out,’ Lydia said. ‘It was getting to the point where it was a little bit strange.’
After her father noticed a bald patch on the back of her head in January of this year, Lydia booked an appointment with the GP and was diagnosed with alopecia areata – a disease that occurs when the immune system attacks hair follicles causing them to fall out.
Doctors initially put the diagnosis down to stress but Lydia, who claims to be the ‘least stressed person ever’, now believes her alopecia could be caused long covid.
Lydia Morley (pictured) was diagnosed with alopecia areata in January this year
The 23-year-old first noticed her long brown hair falling out in the shower in November 2023
The vintage shop supervisor said she has suffered eight bouts of covid since 2020.
She said: ‘I think after having it so many times my immune system has just been dampened and dampened.
‘I had covid at the end of November for the eighth time and then I started seeing my hair falling out after that.’
Although doctors agreed that long covid could be the cause, they emphasised that alopecia is not fully understood.
Advice on the NHS said: ‘Hair is lost because it is affected by inflammation. The cause of this inflammation is unknown but it is thought that the immune system, the natural defence which normally protects the body from infections and other diseases, may attack the growing hair.
‘Why this might happen is not fully understood, nor is it known why only localised areas are affected and why the hair usually regrows again.’
Lydia said: ‘The doctors did mention that it could be [covid] but alopecia is one of those things where they don’t always know exactly why it happens.
‘Personally I believe that and doctors did say that this could be a cause of the situation but they also said it could be a million other things too.’
Within five months of her diagnosis, Lydia lost 80 per cent of her hair and was unable to recognise herself in the mirror.
‘I am a very outgoing person and it [the alopecia] really does take this away from you because people don’t realise how much of their identity is the way they look.
‘People like to say they don’t care about looks or physical attributes but when you’ve got this stripped away from you it really does change the way that you see yourself.’
The young woman whose camera-roll was previously filled with selfies started to avoid cameras as her self-confidence plummeted.
She said: ‘My camera roll turned into me checking if I had new patches [on my head] or checking if it had got worse.Â
‘As a girl it was really difficult for those weeks and months when it first fell out to when I had my head shaved.
‘You don’t feel like you’re quite woman enough.’
Lydia’s hair before she shaved it all off for charity. Within five months of being diagnoses with alopecia, she lost 80 per cent of her hair
It was only when Lydia decided to shave off her remaining locks for charity and go completely bald that she saw her confidence blossom.
‘A full face of make-up with a bald head is a really good look on a woman and it has made me feel even more feminine.’
Since shaving all her hair off, Lydia said she is experiencing some regrowth.
‘The regrowth journey is difficult as it doesn’t all come through at the same time.
‘It’s tufty and some bits are longer and some bits are shorter.
‘It’s really positive signs of growth and it’s amazing to see it is coming back through and has given me that extra bit of perseverance.
‘My hair could fall out again though so you’ve got to distance yourself from it. As much as it is a good sign to see it grow back I am not relying on it.
‘As for eyebrows and eyelashes I am yet to see any growth from them but it’s just a waiting game.’
Despite promising signs of regrowth, Lydia wears a range of synthetic and ‘real hair’ wigs.
‘Most of my wigs are synthetic,’ Lydia said. ‘I’ve got a real hair one that is very like how my hair was before and I wear this one everyday.
‘My blonde wig is probably my favourite at the minute because it’s so different to how my hair was before.
‘If someone had said to me a year ago that someone would be complimenting me on having a peroxide blonde shoulder-length bob I would have said “you’re crazy”.
But Lydia emphasised that she now feels confident to leave the house without a wig.Â
She said: ‘It’s nice to feel comfortable in lots of different styles and I don’t have to look the same everyday.
Although Lydia enjoys changing up her look with a variety of wigs, she said she is confident enough to leave the house without one. (Pictured: A wig shop in Peckham, South London)Â
Lydia believes her alopecia could be caused by long covid. She said she has suffered through eight bouts of the virus since 2020. (Pictured: Shoppers wear face masks on Oxford Street, London in 2021)
Lydia is now raising awareness of her alopecia journey to help others speak out about their hair loss experiences.
Offering advice to other young women diagnosed with alopecia, Lydia said: ‘Shave it off and raise a bit of money to help someone else and you’ll feel a million times better.’
After sharing a video of her hair journey over the last five months on TikTok, her post went viral racking up 179,000 views and more than 8,000 likes.
One user wrote: ‘Legit. It looks good bald. Such a vibe.’
Another commented: ‘I gasped at the picture of you in the brown wig.’
A third wrote: ‘I have it too. It’s such an internal battle to come to terms with but once you take the leap it’s so healing.’
A fourth commented: ‘The ultimate hotness test is being able to look hot without your hair and you passed with flying colours babe.’
