Millie-Mae Adams was just about to compete in the final of Miss Wales when she discovered a patch of hair loss on her head. Before long, she found her hair would fall out in clumps while in the shower, in an experience she described as 'heart-breaking'. After calling her GP, Millie-Mae was told that she had alopecia.
Millie-Mae, the current Miss Cardiff, is competing in the Miss Wales 2023 pageant after originally entering in 2019. She says she was attracted to the world of pageantry after finding out about the charity work involved, adding that she'd had a "misconception" of it beforehand. Miss Wales fundraises for the Miss World charity, Beauty With A Purpose, which aims to help disadvantaged children worldwide.
It was while she was competing in her first Miss Wales pageant that Millie-Mae, 19, was diagnosed with alopecia areata, a condition that develops when the body attacks its own hair follicles which can cause hair loss. "It was right before the final I found my first patch. As a young girl, you can imagine, it's quite a traumatic experience to have your hair falling out," Millie-Mae said.
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"It knocked my confidence quite significantly really and I didn't feel like there was a lot of help from the GP." After finding the initial patch, Millie-Mae said her hair began falling out in 'clumps' in the shower and that, throughout the day, she would be able to feel hair coming out in her hands.
Millie-Mae said the experience was "heart-breaking", adding: "I was crying every day and I didn't want to leave the house, especially when the patches became more noticeable. I thought people would be staring and would notice them." Having been complimented on her "long, thick hair" while growing up, the experience of losing it was upsetting for the teenager.
"It was horrible. It's starting to get a little better now, I still have patches, and I will continue to have patches probably for the rest of my life," she said. She added that she had called up her GP after finding a patch on her head and was told it was alopecia areata. She continued: "That was basically it. It was kind of like for me to find any treatment routes or counselling groups."
As well as affecting the hair on her head, Millie-Mae says that alopecia affects the hair on her arms as well. Alopecia can affect hair anywhere on the body and some of those who have the condition can lose the hair in their eyebrows and eyelashes. "Touch wood, so far, it hasn't affected the hair on my eyebrows and eyelashes," Millie-Mae said.
Discovering the condition just before her first Miss Wales final, then having just turned 17, was also difficult. "As you can imagine, image is quite a big part of the final," Millie-Mae said. She added: "I feel like the image [in pageants] can be quite a big thing and obviously, as girls, you want your hair to be perfect. I feel like it's almost taboo in pageantry and beauty as well, because it's never really talked about, or if it is, it's the most extreme form of it.
"I've never seen alopecia areata represented in pageantry and not really in the beauty community. I know you see [alopecia] totalus in magazines and on social media, but I feel like, for me, I want to make the point that you can still compete in beauty pageants, even if you don't fit the typical look, if you like."
While Millie-Mae feels that her condition is noticeable, she thinks that people might be "scared" to ask questions about it, adding that she'd prefer people to ask questions so she can explain the condition. Millie-Mae added that she has started to come to terms with living with alopecia, finding support from others who live with it through a Facebook group.
"I feel like it was dismissed by the GP because alopecia areata isn't the most severe form, if you like - you can get totalus and universalus where all your hair falls out - so I feel like the GP was a bit like, 'This is the diagnosis, now it's up to you.' It's nice to be in that group with people who actually experience it."
Feeling that the emotional and mental impact of her hair loss wasn't considered by her GP, Millie-Mae feels she has benefited by being able to talk to those who live with the condition on a daily basis. She currently uses a steroid gel to promote hair growth and has started to see some re-growth. However, while it can be treated, there is no cure for alopecia.
It is unknown how Millie-Mae's condition will develop in the future - whether she will continue to have patches of hair loss, or whether the condition will progress even further. September is Alopecia Awareness Month and Millie-Mae says that she feels it is an apt time for her to open up publicly about living with the condition, something which she is doing while competing for Miss Wales.
The Miss Wales final - which will take place next year - will include a three-day event including an empowerment day designed to boost the confidence of contestants, the Miss Wales Charity Ball in aid of Beauty With A Purpose, and a catwalk event in front of an audience and judges' panel.
Millie-Mae feels much more ready to take on the competition for the second time, after finding her feet as a 17-year-old. Now knowing what her goal is, she says she feels much more prepared, but still has nerves about appearing on stage. Now a medical student at Exeter University, she says that while she had always wanted to be a doctor, her experience with alopecia has shaped her interest into going into research in the future, particularly in developing a cure for the condition.
"Alopecia has been a rollercoaster of emotions, but it’s taught me resilience above all. I feel I have a duty to raise awareness, educate and advocate for alopecia," Millie-Mae said. "I hope to show that there really is beauty in diversity which aligns with the Miss Wales mission and their charity Beauty With a Purpose."
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