Melanie Sykes has shared a new bald-head selfie after posting several candid updates about hair loss and ongoing health problems.
The former TV presenter, 55, posted the photo on Instagram with the caption, “Loss + Gain = Life.” The Sun reported that Sykes smiled in the image after previously showing thinning patches and speaking about alopecia.
Sykes has told followers that she has been dealing with an autoimmune condition, hair loss, pain and inflammation. She has also shared recent posts about head scarves, wigs and the pace of the hair loss.
The new selfie followed a June 26 Instagram update in which Sykes showed hair loss on both sides of her head and captioned the post “#Liberty.”
Sykes Captioned the Selfie Loss + Gain = Life
The Sun reported that Sykes showed her head in the new selfie after months of public posts about alopecia and other health issues.
The post came days after she shared another close-up update showing thinning and bald patches. The Independent reported that Sykes turned her face to both sides in that video to show the extent of the hair loss.
Sykes wrote “#Liberty” in the caption of that earlier post.
She Previously Said She Was Two-Thirds Bald
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The Independent reported that Sykes previously told followers she had been left “two-thirds bald” after months of illness. In that update, she said she was “working on healing” while dealing with hair loss and “crazy inflammation all over.”
“I’m in so much pain but I wanted to say hello,” Sykes said in the video, according to The Independent. “I’m two-thirds bald, really. Every time I say I’m bald, I laugh, I don’t know why… Thank god I can laugh.”
The Sun reported that Sykes has said her hair loss has progressed over time and that she has been open with followers about the emotional and physical effects.
She Had Been Trying Wigs After Wearing Head Scarves
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Sykes previously told followers that her hair had been coming out “really quickly” after more than a year of hair loss.
The Sun reported last month that she had been trying on wigs after wearing head scarves and wrote that she could not wait to “get some hair.”
She described the wig shop as a place where she felt safe to be vulnerable, according to the outlet.
NHS Guidance Says Alopecia Is Hair Loss
The NHS says alopecia is the medical term for hair loss and advises people to see a GP if they are worried about hair loss or if it is affecting their wellbeing.
NHS Inform says alopecia areata can happen at any age and usually causes small, round patches of baldness on the scalp, though it can affect larger areas and other parts of the body.
NHS Inform also says it is not possible to predict how much hair a person will lose or how quickly it will grow back.
Sykes Has Continued Sharing Health Updates Since Leaving TV
Sykes first became widely known through TV work including Des and Mel and later appeared on shows including I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!.
The Independent reported that she stepped away from mainstream broadcasting in 2021 and has continued to share health updates with followers on social media.