Christmas Party Photos Expose Hair Loss Condition

Christmas Party Photo Bald Patch The Belgravia Centre

When photographs surfaced a few days after the office Christmas party, events manager Victoria Gibson received an unwelcome surprise. In an interview with Express Online, Victoria explained that one particular image that of a large bald spot on the side of her head - left her completely shell-shocked, and she needed to take the rest of the day off work to compose herself.

Thinking back, Victoria believes that she first noticed the signs of hair loss as early as 2012. She even admits to spending hours each day trying to minimise the appearance of thinning hair. But it was over a year later that a split-second photo taken by one of her colleagues at the Christmas party revealed just how extensive her hair loss really was.

GP diagnoses Alopecia


Taking some time off, Victoria visited her GP for advice. Her doctor reviewed Victoria’s family history and decided that there was no history of similar hair loss, suggesting that the cause was not genetic. The fact that so much hair had fallen out over a relatively short period suggested that the root cause was more acute.

During discussions with her doctor, Victoria realised that she was also under a lot of emotional pressure a factor which seemed to coincide with the start of her hair loss. She had broken up with her boyfriend of six years and was also facing an uncertain future at work.

“Despite all that I had suffered with my break-up and work, it was actually the thought of losing my hair that made me the most upset,” Victoria says of the period.

As a result of these factors, Victoria’s GP diagnosed her hair loss as being caused by the condition Alopecia. She was then referred to a hair loss specialist for further advice and treatment.

Stress and Alopecia


Alopecia is thought to be a caused by a number of factors. Technically an auto-immune disorder, Alopecia causes the body’s own health defence systems to attack the hair follicles, causing the attached hair to fall out in patches. One of the contributing factors to Alopecia is believed to be stress and extreme emotional trauma.

The good news for men and women experiencing hair loss as a result of emotional stress, is that the hair can often be regrown simply by altering lifestyle slightly to reduce stress. In Victoria’s case, as soon as she had a full diagnosis of her condition, many of her worries were calmed, and her stress levels dropped immediately.

Victoria also altered her diet slightly to include more vegetables high in vitamin E, iron and magnesium, delivering more nutrients to her scalp and hair follicles for healthy hair growth. A change in styling regime also reduced the risk of exacerbating the bald patches, encouraging regrowth.

Now that her hair has regrown, Victoria is more positive about the future: “I feel more confident, I have started dating a lovely person and I am hopeful for the future,” she said. “It’s surprising just how much hair loss can affect your confidence.”

Copy of New Street Ground Floor Reception 1 no pink nail polish

The Belgravia Centre

The Belgravia Centre is a world-renowned group of a hair loss clinic in Central London, UK. If you are worried about hair loss you can arrange a free consultation with a hair loss expert or complete our Online Consultation from anywhere in the world for home-use treatment.

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