American actress hid alopecia for years
- By Jeremy Harkin
- Published 24th August, 2008
- Hair News
- Unrated
Jeremy Harkin
Jeremy has enjoyed a varied career in advertising and media. He is now a freelance editorial consultant working with mainstream men's mags and their associated websites.
American soap actress Amy Gibson was diagnosed with alopecia at the tender age of fourteen, but she successfully hid her condition for the next seventeen years.
Gibson, who starred in General Hospital, kept her alopecia a secret from her colleagues on the show, by wearing wigs.
For seventeen years, Gibson received monthly injections of cortisone to stimulate hair growth, but no permanent effects were forthcoming.
Gibson learned how to walk in the wind with her forehead slightly angled so her wig wouldn't blow off. She hid her hair loss condition from boyfriends, afraid they would think she was ugly.
"Hair loss is such a sensitive issue for women," said Gibson. "It affects your self-esteem in ways no one can really describe. You begin to feel that you are less than a woman."
Eventually, she started making hairpieces for women. She launched her line, the Color Beautiful Collection, in 2006.
Gibson says half of her clients have alopecia and others have undergone cancer therapy. Her goal is to provide them with stylish options: "I never realized losing my hair was the biggest gift. We can't undo what has happened to you, but I do have a solution. You aren't alone."
Gibson, who starred in General Hospital, kept her alopecia a secret from her colleagues on the show, by wearing wigs.
For seventeen years, Gibson received monthly injections of cortisone to stimulate hair growth, but no permanent effects were forthcoming.
Gibson learned how to walk in the wind with her forehead slightly angled so her wig wouldn't blow off. She hid her hair loss condition from boyfriends, afraid they would think she was ugly.
"Hair loss is such a sensitive issue for women," said Gibson. "It affects your self-esteem in ways no one can really describe. You begin to feel that you are less than a woman."
Eventually, she started making hairpieces for women. She launched her line, the Color Beautiful Collection, in 2006.
Gibson says half of her clients have alopecia and others have undergone cancer therapy. Her goal is to provide them with stylish options: "I never realized losing my hair was the biggest gift. We can't undo what has happened to you, but I do have a solution. You aren't alone."