Shaved heads and receding hairlines: Tackling the stigma of hair loss

It's something people joked about when Molly first began noticing some of her hair was falling out and thinning.

However the 17-year-old student from Newcastle realised something was wrong as the bald area on her head grew bigger.

She was eventually diagnosed with alopecia after seeing her doctor - something that is believed was caused by stress, and that began during lockdown.

Now back at school, together with her friend Hannah she reached out to ITV Tyne Tees to share her story in the hope it will help others to understand what the condition is and how it can affect people.

With the support of her school and family Molly and Hannah are fundraising for Alopecia UK.

You can watch Molly (on the right) and her friend Hannah (on the left) talking to us about baking cakes, walking 100 miles and helping others

The NHS advice is to see a GP if:

• you have sudden hair loss

• you develop bald patches

• you're losing hair in clumps

• your head also itches and burns

• you're worried about your hair loss.

• The teenager using TikTok to raise awareness of alopecia

• Losing your hair? The pandemic could be to blame