A University of the West of Scotland (UWS) graduate presents a new documentary ‘My Alopecia and Me’ for the BBC, talking to people suffering from the hair-loss condition.

For the first time medication for alopecia areata will be available on the NHS. More than 100,000 people in the UK live with this type of condition.

UWS journalism graduate Thomas Mackintosh, who has alopecia areata, goes on a personal journey in the documentary talking to families and individuals about the impact the condition has had on them.

“Earlier this year, new medication for alopecia was made available on the NHS”, commented Thomas on Instagram.

“I go on a journey to meet those keen to try the new drug, those who aren’t and those who think it could be life-changing.”

There are different types of alopecia, and various medical conditions that cause hair loss. Alopecia Areata is thought to be an autoimmune condition that causes hair to fall out, usually in round or oval patches on the scalp or other places on the body that grow hair, such as the beard, eyebrows or eyelashes.

Thomas, who graduated in 2015 from the BA (Hons) Journalism programme at UWS and is now a Journalist at BBC News in London, talks about his experience with alopecia in an interview with Five Live:

“I had alopecia areata and the hair would come out in clumps, bits and pieces through my teenage years.

“I used to play field hockey at University and there was an amateur photographer who would take photos of us playing sport and that’s how I would notice. The more and more I would sweat, the more and more the patches would become visible.”

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The half-hour episode features interviews and soundbites from a variety of people in the alopecia community, with different experiences with alopecia. Please note, the episode contains upsetting scenes and mentions suicide. View the documentary on the BBC iPlayer.

Find out more about Alopecia and support available at Alopecia UK.