Mildred's FFA Story
FFA - Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia - is an autoimmune condition which destroys hair follicles and can cause extensive hair loss.
Mildred showing the effects of long-term FFA
Mildred with her Intralace
Mildred Villano
I'll be turning 80 this December. People sometimes assume that as we get older, our hair doesn't matter as much, but for me, it has actually become even more important than when I was younger.
Back in 2013, my husband passed away. Around that time, I had already noticed my hair starting to thin, but after his passing, it became much more noticeable. At first, I thought my hair loss was just the stress of his long illness.
The thinning started at the front, and when I finally went to see a dermatologist, they did a scalp biopsy and diagnosed me with frontal fibrosing alopecia. FFA is an autoimmune disorder that causes my hair follicles to shrink and stop growing. They told me that there isn't a cure, and my hair loss is permanent. For a woman of any age, that is devastating.
But for a while, I resigned myself to the idea of living with a shiny, hairless scalp. I even tried Hair Club for a couple of years, but it wasn't the right fit. I didn't feel understood or cared for, and honestly, it was a discouraging experience.
Then one day, a stylist quietly suggested Lucinda Ellery. I went for a consultation in 2019, and I've been with them ever since. From the very beginning, I felt heard and cared for. The staff truly understands women's hair loss, and I had no idea there was even a salon dedicated to women like me. It was such a relief — and a joy — to discover that place.
My hair system has given me back something I didn't even realize I had lost; confidence. I love how it makes me feel about myself and how I look. Even now, working part-time as an usher, I never feel self-conscious about meeting people or chatting with them. Instead, I feel comfortable, confident, and myself again.
Finding Lucinda Ellery has been such a gift, and I'm so grateful.
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Mildred had lost most of her hair
Mildred showing the incredible difference her Intralace makes
Further information on Thinning Hair and our approach to dealing with it.
Here you'll find more information on Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia, including more examples of women we've been able to help.
Getting in touch
If you suffer from FFA like Mildred and you'd like a free consultation to see how we can help, please contact us via our New York Contact page
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Comments by Lucinda Ellery
Mildred is one of our favorite clients in our New York Salon and she has been with us since 2019.
Women experiencing this type of hair loss often feel at a loss and alone, feeling that it is something they did or didn't do that caused their hairline to recede. But frontal fibrosing alopecia is an autoimmune disorder.
This is a cicatricial (scarring) alopecia which causes the hair to be lost from the frontal hair line with a gradual recession into a hairband-like pattern. Sometimes it is accompanied by redness to the skin, scaling, and pimples on the scalp.
When the condition starts to cause the hairline to recess significantly, often women will look for toppers or human hair wigs to cover the balding area.
These can work well early on, but they also have limitations for FFA clients.
Toppers require existing hair at the sides or back for proper attachment and as hair loss progresses, this may become more difficult.
Traditional wigs can feel quite hot, restrict airflow to the scalp, and may not stay comfortably in place during daily activities or exercise.
These problems are eliminated by an Interlace system.
For clients with frontal fibrosing alopecia, (FFA) we can often design a system that has mesh integration at the back and sides and use a specialized medical grade tape tab to the front of the system to ensure the client can still go swimming, eat, sleep and wear her hair system at all times without having to remove it daily.