Jaye’s Hair Journey

 

All of our ED community will know our fantastic Family Liaison Officer, Jaye……

Jaye joined the ED Society in 2017 as family liaison/administrator, and is now the Family Liaison officer. She previously worked as a beauty therapist, and lives with her partner and 2 young children.

We are so excited to tell you that Jaye will be undergoing hair mesh integration next month and will be taking us on the hair journey with her!

About Jaye

Jaye was born with EDAR Ectodermal Dysplasia. Her biggest struggles growing up have been her teeth and hair.

She has always felt very different and would dream of having hair and teeth like all the other girls her age. When she was at the start of senior school, she went to see a hair specialist who explained her hair was too thin to have anything done to it apart from dyeing it a light blonde so it appeared to look thicker. She was so upset to think that she would never be able to do anything with her hair, and this was how she would have to live throughout her adult life too. As you can imagine, for a young girl, this was extremely difficult to accept.

 

Over the years

Over the years, Jaye has undergone treatment for her teeth as well as ongoing appointments for her skin. Jaye has had a lot of dental work throughout her younger life, and this will continue through adulthood. In 2018, she had a bone marrow transplant from her knee into her jaw, a sinus uplift due to missing teeth; the sinuses can grow into the gum, 8 dental implants put in and then lots of ongoing dental work to have the perfect bridges and teeth. This was life-changing for Jaye, and is so grateful for the smile she has today.

“32 years ago, my children were under a Paediatrician at the Cheltenham General Hospital, and when he suspected Jaye also had ED, he put her Mum in touch with me.” – Diana Perry, CEO of the ED Society, says.

“She was 6 months old at the time. She and my youngest son Jack, who is affected by ED, went to the local schools together.”

“I have watched Jaye progress through life with all its ups and downs, particularly in respect of her dentistry and hair, which caused bullying lack of self-esteem and confidence. Jaye is now a very confident young lady, having had dental implants, but is still very unhappy with the effect her hair has on her appearance. When I heard she is having a new hair system, I was so pleased and excited that, at long last for Jaye, her appearance will be complete. She will have my full support throughout this new venture.”

What is hair mesh integration?

The hair mesh integration system is not a wig; it is a permanent system worn every day, much like hair extensions. A special hairpiece is made of the finest human hair with a hypoallergenic mesh base which allows the scalp to breathe.

It integrates perfectly with your own hair, giving you a totally natural look. The super-light system allows your hair to still grow as normal underneath and causes no tension or pulling on your hair or scalp.

Discovering the treatment

 

“When I saw Steph from Iconic Fckin Hair on Tiktok I couldn’t believe my eyes, was there really something like this for people with thin, missing hair like me?” – Jaye said.

“I continued to research a lot into the hair integration unit and how it works. To my amazement, it is an integration unit specifically created for girls and boys with thin, sparse hair. People that have had chemo, alopecia, trichotillomania or even just hair that naturally breaks off. They can work with hair as short as 2 to 3 inches. I wanted it done by the best hair integration specialist to ensure there is no damage to the hair I have, which is when I decided to reach out to Steph. She was amazing and answered all the questions I had regarding the system.

I had a free consultation via Facetime with Steph, where she explained more about the system. We went through everything I wanted and all the costs, and she was extremely helpful. She confirmed it was something I could have done after looking at my hair and booked me in!

I have always been very insecure about my hair and have had a lot of confidence issues; I will often leave my coat on or wear a scarf to hide the fact my hair cannot grow and is sparse. The transition to summer can be quite hard due to not being able to have anything to hide the length of my hair. I dream of wearing strappy dresses, but again I am conscious this just draws attention to the bottom of my hair and makes me feel that people are looking at my hair.

I am so excited to go and see Steph, and I cannot wait to have full, flowing hair- I have been summer shopping for those dresses already!”

Meet the owner of Iconic Fckin Hair, Stephanie Plastow

“It was lovely to hear from Jaye via Instagram, she had seen our mesh integration reels on Tiktok and wanted to talk to me about her own hair transformation, so we swiftly booked her in for a FREE FaceTime consultation.

She had quite fine hair and had been wearing it bleached blonde to make it look thicker, but she wanted her hair to actually BE thicker to improve her confidence.

I suggested a silk closure which will give her a brand new thick parting area, with 180g of wefts to extend her hair and make it look thick; the colour we are going for is an icy cool toned blonde with depth, which also makes her hair look thicker. We already have some bits ordered ready for her appointment; we just have to order the wefts next once her silk closure has been rooted and toned by Chloe so that I can match it up.”

Steph has worn hair extensions herself since she was around 16 years old, and from a young age, was actually making clip-in extensions, custom colouring them and selling them to people who requested them, as well as wearing them herself too!

“This really is life-changing for these girls, and I’m so happy I’ll be able to help and be a part of Jaye’s hair journey.”

Jaye will be travelling to Peterborough on 8th July to undergo the treatment, which takes 2.5 – 3.5 hours, and she will be blogging about her experience for us.

We are thrilled that in this current day, hair options are evolving, and this is hugely encouraging to those affected by ED, especially those little girls growing up thinking they cannot have long, beautiful hair!

We cannot wait to see the results and share them with you all, and we hope this will inspire everyone in our ED community.

Watch this space!

 

Want to know more about Iconic Fckin Hair and their services? – Head over to their website and go give them a follow on Instagram! – @iconicfckinhair

Jaye and her son Theo with their heads touching together looking directly into the camera. Theo is wearing a navy blue suit jacket and silver tie, Jaye is wearing a choker necklace and scooped neck navy dress