Sue Holderness, who plays Marlene in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses has told of how she has suffered varying degrees of hair loss over the last 20 years.

Well known for her distinctive hair in the hit sitcom and its spin-off, The Green Green Grass, Holderness in fact relied upon wigs and make-up as her hair was at times coming out in handfuls.

Holderness tells of how she relied on make-up artists and how she would sometimes use eye-liner to colour her scalp to hide the thinness of her hair after she started suffering hair loss in her thirties.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Holderness said:

“I have lost hair ever since I had my children in my thirties. Initially, I thought it was maybe part of being an exhausted new mum and didn’t do anything about it. But as I got older, it got worse and, one day, after I turned 40, I woke up and saw a carpet of hair left on my pillow.”

Holderness goes on to describe how frightening this experience was and how she was reluctant to look in the mirror in case she was bald. When she did look, she saw there was a chunk of hair missing and that the rest was unusually thin.

She then took the right decision by going to see her GP. If you are suffering hair loss, this is always the first step that you should take.

Eight genes that play a part in the development of alopecia areata have been identified by scientists. The same genes are also implicated in other autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes.

The fact that there are already drugs in development which target these genes is great news. As Angela Christiano, the professor of dermatology and genetics and development at Columbia University Medical Centre in New York, says:

“This greatly accelerated our ability to think about new drugs for patients with alopecia areata because so much work has already been done in these other diseases. It is a huge advantage.”

Alopecia areata is one of the most common forms of autoimmune disease. It causes hair to fall out, normally in patches, but occasionally over the entire scalp or even the whole body.

The research showed that the number of genes a person had that were associated with alopecia corresponded with the severity of the condition. If a person had more than 16 alopecia-associated genes, they were more likely to experience total hair loss, for example.

One gene in particular seemed to have a big impact. Chistiano said:

“In people with alopecia areata, we see a huge expression of the ULBP3 gene in the outermost layer of the follicle. ULBP3 is a danger signal that signals to T cells to come in and attack the follicle. It’s like putting nectar on the hair follicle, then the ‘bees’ come in and do their damage.”

The woman who played big-haired Marlene in Only Fools and Horses, Sue Holderman, has told of how she lost a substantial amount of hair after pregnancy and later on, possibly as a result of anxiety.

“During my pregnancy, my hair was gorgeous. Then I had Harriet and it all fell out after three months. It did frighten me, but I thought I was just tired and run down as new mothers are.

“After I had Freddie in 1987, my hair fell out again, but not as badly. It was two years later that my hair fell out in earnest and I wondered if I might have to face the future bald.”

Holderman suffered panic attacks and stage fright for several years and thinks this had an impact on her hair loss. She was prescribed beta blockers which she believes helped to a degree. With any instance of hair loss, it is vital that you see your doctor to get properly diagnosed as there are many possible causes and treatment varies accordingly.

BBC make-up artists were aware of Holderman’s condition and worked to disguise it. However, they could do nothing about the distress she felt.

Holderman is currently suffering no hair loss, thanks to different treatments and a change in diet.

“For one of the very first times in my life, my hair is not an issue – and I cannot tell you what a relief that is.”

The beauty pageant culture is huge in America, with thousands of young women competing every year to win be crowned their state’s beauty queen.

What you wouldn’t expect to see at these sort of competitions is a young woman who is completely bald, especially one who manages to win a state-wide competition. Breaking down all barriers when it comes to our modern perceptions of beauty, however, is 21-year-old Kayla Martell, who was recently crowned Miss Delaware.

Kayla has alopecia areata, an auto-immune condition where the immune system attacks the hair follicles and the hair falls out in patches. It does regrow in some sufferers after a year or so, but Kayla lost her hair as a teenager and it has not yet grown back.

Despite her condition, Kayla has competed in the Miss Delaware beauty pageant four times. She competed without her wig on three of the four occasions. After winning the competition thanks to her striking looks and inspiring attitude, Kayla is now on a mission to send other alopecia sufferers the message that “bald is beautiful”.

Speaking on US TV about removing her wig after the competition, Kayla said:

“I knew that I had to be on Miss America’s stage, and I had to get there somehow. I think I can be a better Miss Delaware and a better Miss America by taking the wig off.”

As part of a bold, innovative new Channel 4 documentary series called ‘First Cut’, a new programme is set to explore the causes of trichotillomania, commonly known as compulsive hair pulling.

This issue has been relatively unexplored until now, with the exception of a documentary film in 2003 called Bad Hair Life. Recent statistics show that around 2 per cent of the population suffers with trichotillomania, an impulse control disorder, although cases often go unrecorded as victims are ashamed of their compulsive hair-pulling behaviour.

The Channel 4 documentary ‘Girls on the Pull’ will examine the causes behind trichotillomania and the impact it can have on a person’s life. Female hair loss can have a devastating effect on a woman’s confidence and self-esteem, especially as today’s society sees hair as a symbol of femininity, health, sexuality and youth.

The documentary will therefore meet three women who currently live with this life-altering condition – in varying degrees of severity – and who are desperate to find a solution.

Two of these three women are currently undergoing hair loss treatment at Lucinda Ellery, industry specialists in female hair loss. Throughout the documentary, the consultancy will provide expert insights into trichotillomania, using their own experience as a clinic to discuss in detail the issues surrounding compulsive hair-pulling.

‘Girls on the Pull’ will be broadcast on Friday 16^th July at 7.30pm on Channel 4.