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Dr Alicia Pilipchuk worked as an emergency doctor in Manchester before taking her own life in February 2020 after battling depression brought on by alopecia.
Earlier this year a new drug to treat severe alopecia – an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss – was approved for use on the NHS. Some people are keen to try it, others aren’t – and some think it could be life-changing.
Alicia Pilipchuk was an outgoing emergency doctor who took her own life after suffering for years from depression brought on by alopecia.
Four years have passed since her death, and Alicia’s stepfather, Alan Green, is convinced she was taking a new medication.
The 29-year-old from Manchester began suffering from alopecia as a teenager while studying her A-levels.
Alan said dermatologists told her there was little they could do to stop the alopecia, and she believes the psychological effects have caused a loss of identity.
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Alicia was first affected by alopecia while studying for her A-Levels as a teenager, and then again while attending university.
“She was a very eloquent, intelligent and dedicated physician,” Alan says.
She loved spending time with friends and had a talent for music, but her illness affected how she thought others perceived her, he added.
“When she took the wig off, everyone told her she was a beautiful woman, but she didn’t think so. She just saw the wig as ugly and unattractive. All of this started to affect her for the rest of her life.”
In February this year, the new drug ritrecitinib was recommended for the first time on the NHS in England and Wales for people aged 12 and over with severe alopecia areata.
A few months later, in April, it was approved for use on the NHS in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Alopecia is caused when the immune system mistakenly attacks the hair follicles, causing hair to fall out.
This treatment reduces the activity of parts of the immune system involved in the inflammatory response.
Clinical trial evidence shows that approximately 25% of adults and adolescents treated with the brand name Litfulo saw significant hair regrowth covering more than 80% of the scalp within 24 weeks.
If this treatment had been available to Alicia before she died, Alan says she would have grabbed the opportunity “with both hands”.
“It’s very difficult to live inside the mind of someone who has alopecia.
“I don’t think people are very aware of the issues that people with alopecia go through. More people need to talk about it.”
Alopecia and me
A new drug aimed at promoting hair growth in patients with alopecia has been approved for use on the NHS in the UK, but is the treatment worth it for everyone?
If you’re in the UK, you can watch it on BBC iPlayer
Newcastle actor Sam McGregor recently moved to London with ambitions of launching a career as an actor and writer.
However, soon after moving to the capital, her eyelashes and eyebrows started falling out rapidly and her hair began falling out in clumps.
“I wasn’t embarrassed,” Sam explains, “but then I noticed my scalp was going pale and I was like, ‘Whoa.’ I didn’t feel great for the first two weeks.
“If you don’t have hair, people perceive it as a much bigger deal than it actually is.”
Caden Elliott
Sam McGregor’s theatre piece explores the common issues faced by people with alopecia and coming to terms with the condition.
He said bald men are expected to play “certain roles” on TV and find themselves asking themselves: “What role will I be cast in now?”
But then he realized he “just stood out more,” and that eventually became his unique selling point.
“It gave me an advantage,” he said, “but I was still very nervous about how it would all play out.”
Wanting to raise awareness of what alopecia is like, Sam created and performed a play about it at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August last year.
His show, “Truly, Madly, Baldy,” looked at issues faced by both men and women, and those who suffer from sudden hair loss.
“I’ve been through bad times and frustrating times,” Sam explains.
He said he had been told some unpleasant things, “but I was happy with my hair loss, so I accepted it and thought I could write this down and do something with it later.”
Sam says he doesn’t like to “take credit” for the effect alopecia has had on him, and feels he is in the minority.
“Work just increased in general. I lost my hair and work started pouring in. This play is about what I can give back and what I can do to help other people know about it.”
Sam says he knows people who have seen their hair grow back after taking ritrecitinib.
“It’s great that it’s out there and people can try it,” Sam explains, “but I personally don’t buy into it.
“I wouldn’t say never, but for now I’m happy with my alopecia.”
Since being diagnosed at age 12, Megan McCready has learned to accept her illness and now supports other young people going through the same thing.
Megan McGreedy, a student from Glasgow, has also learned to accept her illness and now supports other young people suffering from the same condition.
“When I started high school, I was scared of losing my hair,” Megan recalled. “I missed a lot of school. It was awful and I was bullied a lot.”
“I was afraid to touch my hair so I kept going to the bathroom to see if I could fix it, if it would be noticeable.”
Without telling anyone, at age 13, Megan picked up scissors, cut and shaved her own hair. For her, it was a way to take control of her situation.
“I felt more free,” she says, “and more responsibility.”
Still, alopecia has forced her to change her long-term life plans.
Megan wanted to be a sports coach but found it difficult to balance wearing a wig, which could lead to heatstroke, with having her eyebrows painted.
Megan McCready
Meghan will be raising funds on behalf of the charity Alopecia UK
Megan has been keeping up with research into alopecia treatments and was delighted when ritrecitinib was approved by the Scottish Medicines Consortium in April.
She is going to try a new treatment.
“This new medication could make my life a lot easier,” she continues.
“You don’t have to worry about your eyebrows when you wake up in the morning, you can just go out and have fun and worry about getting hot in a wig.
“I would be so much more grateful if my hair grew back. This new drug will undoubtedly be life-changing for many people.”
Although litolitinib is approved for use on the NHS, few patients are being prescribed it.
A month’s supply of the drug will cost the health service just under £1,000 and regular blood tests will be needed to monitor your progress.
But Alicia’s father-in-law sees this as a big step in the right direction.
“This is a prospect,” says Alan, “we don’t know how well it will work. Will it work for everyone?” Alan asks.
“Only time will tell. This is a chance for people with alopecia to have a little bit of hope.”
If you are affected by the issues raised in this article, you can get help via the BBC Actionline.
