STRANDS AHEAD

Perfect hair is everywhere - except when it isn't. Women across the world are experiencing hair loss, thinning and shedding in silence. It's time we talked about it.

- WORDS SALLY HUNWICK

If you think hair loss is a male issue, think again. In fact, it’s a very female problem. Studies suggest that up to 50 per cent of women will experience hair loss in their lifetime. And it can happen at all ages.

Not to mention that in Australia, one in seven women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. A common side-effect of chemotherapy is hair loss or thinning It’s an issue that Martine Le Moy, a 55-year-old paediatric nurse, experienced when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“I started chemotherapy, and then about two weeks later my hair started to fall out,” says Le Moy. “It was all patchy at first, so I decided to get my mediumlength hair cut into a short style.

It felt good to take a bit of control. I wish I had done it sooner, as then it fell out dramatically. At that point, I got my husband to shave off the remaining hair.”

Wigs weren't a priority for Le Moy - she deployed head scarves and beanies instead - but she did find the transition emotionally challenging. “It was strange to see the shape of my head, and I was a bit worried about how to cover up.

My daughter, who was seven years old at the time, worried that other kids at school would ask me questions about it. But once we explained it to her, she and her friends didn't really give it a second thought.”

Italian model Bianca Balti has also been open about her hair-loss journey. On her social media, the mother of two, who has battled stage 3 ovarian cancer, has posted many hair-free images along with such statements as “what didn't kill me made me love life a lot more”.

Balti shows that a full head of hair is not where a person's beauty lies. It’s a powerful stance in a world obsessed with luscious manes. But the fact is that even a little thinning can be traumatic. And the reasons for hair loss are numerous.