People with alopecia call for more clinical support and public understanding in Jersey

• ITV Channel reporter Alex Spiceley meets some of those living with alopecia in Jersey to hear about their experiences

A Jersey woman who lost her hair in six weeks due to alopecia is calling for greater support and understanding of the condition.

Elena McGowan explains she felt "completely alone" after being diagnosed and decided to pay for private care following a comment by her doctor.

She says she was told "it was just hair" which made her believe she was not being taken seriously.

Elena adds the rate of hair loss destroyed her self-confidence so she started Jersey's first support group for others going through a similar experience to have a safe space to share their feelings.

She says: "It's important to cry, to let it out to someone who gets it.

"It was as if I lost myself, I felt awful. I didn't recognise myself in the mirror, I lost my crown and glory, I lost my shelter.

"I felt ashamed, guilty and I didn't even look at myself in the mirror. I just survived, day by day, got by and cried a lot of tears."

Elena did not tell anyone for five years until she decided to embrace her hair loss when she became a mother and did not want it to hold her back.

Alopecia is an autoimmune disease that affects one in 1000 people and occurs when the body attacks hair follicles which can cause hair loss.

People living with the condition in Jersey are calling for more support as there is no specialist on the island.

Nicola Smith, whose 8-year-old daughter Emily has alopecia, claims a GP told her to read about the condition rather than giving any empathy, sympathy or support.

She explained: "When we had the GP diagnosis for Emily, I was told to go read a book targeted at teenagers for confidence and resilience and I was left feeling like, 'I don't know where to go from here'."

Medical experts say it is unlikely the island will get a specialist but agree more can be done to support those with alopecia.

Doctor Ed Klaber says: "It's always tricky in Jersey because of the size of our population.

"We're not going to be able to justify the employment of a specialist for hair loss, but what we can look to do is have a specific service or clinic."

He raised that alopecia is more than a physical condition, adding: "Most people don't think about the mental impact it has.

"The psychological consequences of hair loss can be huge. Anyone who knows someone going through this, they are probably having the greatest psychological turmoil so be considerate and that's for those in healthcare or those in the general public.

"People losing their hair are having a really hard time and we owe it to them to take it seriously."