Russian Lady Who Once Had Alopecia Is Now Being Recognized as “Real-Life Rapunzel”

I’ve always had insecurities about my hair because horribly it’s bushy, crimped and gets tangled very easily. In fact, for a very long time, it was my number one insecurity. It didn’t matter how many people tried to tell me that it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was because I was turned that everyone else would hate it as much as I did.

My mom would often ask me why I didn’t just shave it all off. Of course, she didn’t mean it, and she knew that I would never seriously consider it. However, it did make me realize that I was more grateful for my hair than I originally thought.

In fact, I’m incredibly thankful for my hair, and can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like to have a condition which leads to tresses upon tresses of hair falling out.

However, this is a reality for millions of people around the world. One former sufferer of severe hair loss is 23-year-old Anastasia Sidorova. She was diagnosed with androgenetic alopecia as a teenager. The condition resulted in large chunks of her hair falling out to the extent that her head was completely covered in large bald patches.

The sudden hair loss which began when she was just 18, sabotaged Anastasia’s confidence so much so that she went to see a trichologist, an expert on hair-related conditions.

Against all odds, the treatment that Anastasia received from the trichologist allowed her hair to start growing again. She was so ecstatic to have her hair back that she began to take a deep interest in trichology and has even begun training to become a professional trichologist.

When Anastasia’s hair grew back, she couldn’t bring herself to cut it. In fact, as of 2017, her hair is a whopping 90 inches long and she’s now being referred to as the real-life Russian Rapunzel.

Anastasia is also a part-time model and has even appeared in numerous Pantene adverts in Russian magazines.

The Russian beauty has over 241,000 followers on her Instagram where she primarily uploads photos of herself and her long luscious red locks.

In light of her newfound expertise on all things hair, she often gives people advice on how best to treat their locks:

“Before you decide on which shampoo suits you, you need to decide on the type of hair. Improperly selected shampoo can damage your hair very badly.

For example, if you have dry hair, start using shampoo for oily hair, you remove all that natural fat, without which the normal condition of the hair, which is already lacking, is impossible.”

“You will dry the scalp and make your hair very fragile, brittle. Many people often face a season of hair loss. If the iron content in the body is normal and there are no hormonal changes, this is normal.”

In order to protect her luscious locks, Anastasia says she never straightens her hair, allows her hair to air dry 60 percent of using a hairdryer, and uses special treatments (including taking daily doses of omega-3 and vitamin D) to keep her hair perfect.

Dr. Omar Milhem, who is the spokesperson for the National Hair Council has dealt with a number of cases in which sufferers of hair loss suffered psychologically as a result:

“The impact that hair loss is having on British women’s lives is huge. Knowing how common hair loss is and how important self-image is to most women, it’s concerning that they feel less attractive and avoid certain social circumstances when suffering.”

Of course, it should be emphasized that the psychological impact of hair loss is one that doesn’t discriminate. There are many millions of men who suffer from conditions such as alopecia and are equally as distraught by it.

Hopefully, those who suffer from hair loss will be able to take inspiration from Anastasia’s story and realize that all hope is not lost. However, even if it turns out that their hair loss condition is chronic, they should know that it’s almost certainly worse in their own heads than it is in others’.