Ricki Lake, 51, Reveals Hair Loss Struggle After Silently Suffering for Over 30 Years: ‘Liberated’

Empowering. Ricki Lake revealed she’s been suffering from hair loss for the past few decades in a super candid Instagram post. The beloved Hairspray actress opened up about struggling with depression and admitted how she mustered up the courage to finally turn her sorrow into strength.

“Liberated and free, me,” the 51-year-old wrote, alongside a series of photos of her stunning, shaved head. “First things first, I am not sick. (THANK GOD.) I am not having a mid-life crisis, nor am I having a mental breakdown, though I have been suffering. Suffering mostly in silence off and on for almost 30 years. AND I am finally ready to share my secret.”

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Liberated and Free, Me. First things first, I am not sick. (THANK GOD.) I am not having a mid-life crisis. nor am I having a mental breakdown, though I have been suffering. Suffering mostly in silence off and on for almost 30 years. AND I am finally ready to share my secret. Deep breath Ricki…. Here goes….. I have been struggling with hair loss for most of my adult life. It has been debilitating, embarrassing, painful, scary, depressing, lonely, all the things. There have been a few times where I have even felt suicidal over it. Almost no one in my life knew the level of deep pain and trauma I was experiencing. Not even my therapist/s over the years knew my truth. I know that by sharing my truth, I will be striking a chord with so so many women and men. I am not alone in this and my goal is to help others while at the same time unshackle myself from this quiet hell I have been living in. Ever since I played Tracy Turnblad in the original Hairspray back in 1988 and they triple-processed and teased my then healthy virgin hair every 2 weeks during filming, my hair was never the same. (Yes, that was all my own hair in the film.) From Hairspray to Hairless. 🙁 In my case, I believe my hair loss was due to many factors, yo-yo dieting, hormonal birth control, radical weight fluctuations over the years, my pregnancies, genetics, stress, and hair dyes and extensions. Working as talent on various shows and movies, whether DWTS or my talk show, also took its toll on my fine hair. I got used to wearing extensions, really just over the last decade. All different kinds, tried them all, the ones that are glued on, the tape-ins, the clip ins, and then into a total hair system that I hated, and finally to a unique solution that really did work pretty well for me for the last 4 or 5 years. I tried wigs on a few occasions but never could get used to them. It all felt fake and I was super self-conscious and uncomfortable. I’ve been to many doctors, gotten steroid shots in my head, taking all the supplements and then some. My hair would recover and then shed again. It was maddening. To read more: please go to my Facebook page. ❤️

A post shared by Ricki Lake (@rickilake) on Jan 1, 2020 at 11:25am PST

Ricki, who has been quite open and honest about past struggles going on in her life, then detailed the hurdles she’s faced after starting to lose her hair in her early 20s. “I have been struggling with hair loss for most of my adult life. It has been debilitating, embarrassing, painful, scary, depressing, lonely, all the things,” she confessed. “There have been a few times where I have even felt suicidal over it. Almost no one in my life knew the level of deep pain and trauma I was experiencing.”

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The former Ricki Lake show host — who admitted “not even my therapists over the years knew my truth” — explained why she finally decided to reveal her silent struggle with the world. “I know that by sharing my truth, I will be striking a chord with so so many women and men,” she wrote. “I am not alone in this and my goal is to help others while at the same time unshackle myself from this quiet hell I have been living in.”

Although the Cry-Baby actress said her hair “was never the same” after playing the role of Tracy Turnblad in 1988’s Hairspray, she assumes her hair loss is “due to many factors,” including “yo-yo dieting, hormonal birth control, radical weight fluctuations over the years, my pregnancies, genetics, stress, and hair dyes and extensions.”

“Working as talent on various shows and movies, whether Dancing With the Stars or my talk show, also took its toll on my fine hair,” she said.

Ricki revealed how she tried to boost her confidence by wearing all types of hair extensions, which led her to experiment with wigs almost five years ago. “I tried wigs on a few occasions but never could get used to them,” she said. “It all felt fake and I was super self-conscious and uncomfortable.”

After seeking help from doctors, and most recently, suffering a large amount of hair loss, the TV personality said it was time to change her tactic. “This time, I say no more. I have to be set free,” she wrote.

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Now that it’s a new year, Ricki is hoping to channel some positive vibes. “I am liberated. I am free. I am releasing and letting go,” she gushed. “I am brave. I am beautiful. I am love. For 2020 and beyond, I want to be real.”

Although the Dancing With the Stars alum will on occasion “choose to wear hair,” she said embracing her newly-shaved head has been exhilarating. “Now it is for fun, not because I am hiding anything. I am so done with hiding.”