Everyone has one uncomfortable truth in their life. For so long I’ve sat on this content. But it’s time to share mine — perhaps known or obvious, but unspoken and private until now. Maybe I’ll be shedding light on a condition that’s often misunderstood and helps someone else realise that everyone has their struggles, and that’s okay. Personally, I’m tired of hiding mine, feeling like I live a lie or pretending it doesn’t affect me.

I’m Jack. I’m 27. From Leigh On Sea in Essex. And I’ve spent over 14 years hiding from the reality of my appearance…still a work in progress but isn’t that for us all! Throughout my 27 years so far, I have been incredibly lucky, I have the most amazing and supporting family, phenomenal friends, a great career, an outstanding Barber called Matt, who crafted what at first is an awful wig into a wearable one, and a brilliant microblader Robyn… all of which has kept me pretty well protected.

Here's me now, but let’s take it back in time…

Alopecia all started around age seven, a time I barely remember. One thing I do recall is being told I had alopecia universalis. For years after, my hair would come and go quicker than the postman. The confusion and questions followed. Watching my hair fall away was more than a physical change — it was a mental rollercoaster. Years of denial, anger, no known solution, and trying to gain acceptance each brought their own challenges; from losing my hair to trying to find every solution, landing on finding Matt and Robyn who I mentioned above, to just social and personal acceptance.

There’s no denial, I haven’t found living with alopecia easy and I’m sure that’s the same for any other physical condition. The subconscious feelings and thoughts are deeply ingrained. Being told by my doctor at ten years old, "Lucky you have alopecia; at least you're not ginger. My grandson was bullied for that" or, "Don’t be so vain, men go bald" as if it’s a question of vanity. Both were far from helpful and take big hits on your self-esteem.

Personally, alopecia has tested my resilience, the ability to form new or maintain existing relationships, especially those very personal ones - it’s not a condition that’s just tough on the individual, but families and friends too. Always feeling watched, the topic of conversation, vulnerable, looked at, judged, and exceptionally different in a room full of others. Trying constantly to find a level pegging and do or be something that allows you to distract and those present from your appearance, whether your character, career or many other things. But through months of thinking, talking, and writing about this, I realised it’s been my most powerful tool. It’s brought self-acceptance, vulnerability, and confidence in my character.

So why do I write my story now?

It’s been over 18 years of my life… a timeline I really haven’t accepted as I still feel like I am 21. But recently my condition was exposed by comments online after taking on a YouTube project in football… not really a situation that I would want. But it was probably what I actually needed in the strangest way possible.

Over time, believe it or not, it has helped me to process thoughts and feelings I’ve hidden for years and years. This blog isn’t only to heal a bit more myself, but also to help others feel less alone. I don’t want sympathy for having alopecia. But what I do want, is for anyone struggling to accept themselves, whether it’s because of alopecia or any other challenge, and to know that your worth is not defined by your external appearance. Take your time and embrace your challenge, with all its ups and downs, because it’s yours.

Who knows if there’ll ever be a cure, but this feels like it’s the first part of mine. It’s time to be honest and time to be me. So, the me people have known may look different sometime in the future, but it’s still the same me. Just feeling more like the real me, not having to hide, more relaxed, freed, and quite frankly, refusing to allow perception and commentary to define self worth.

One final bit of advice from me is to live the life true to yourself and not the life other people expect of you - allow yourself to be happier.

And finally, why the cringe picture below; well, I took this picture in a private room after finalising my story and posting it on Instagram, relief followed by slightly watering eyes, but anyways that’s my journey so far, with much more to come..