A Whitehaven hair-loss specialist has welcomed customers through her doors for the first time since the pandemic began.

Vanessa Cowan is the owner of Glamorous Butterfly at Hensingham Business Park, which provides wigs for women and children with medical hair loss.

Since the first lockdown in March last year, the 45-year-old has been running her business via online consultations.

This was a service Vanessa had offered pre-pandemic, as she provides support to people affected by hair loss from all over the world.

As lockdown measures started to be eased last month, Vanessa is now seeing patients who are receiving either chemotherapy or immunotherapy, face-to-face.

She has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic after becoming ill with the virus herself and then seeing her business suffer.

“I made the tough decision not to see anyone since last March last year,” she said. “I caught Covid early on. I was really, really poorly. I wasn’t able to work from March to June. It’s been tough.

“My insurance doesn’t cover pandemics. If it wasn’t for the government grants, I wouldn’t be in business. I have been doing online consultations for clients that aren’t well enough come and see me. We go into more detail than face to face consultations - some can last two to three hours.”

Vanessa is a wig supplier for the NHS in Cumbria, and also receives referrals from people living as far as Manchester and Leeds.

However, the demand for her services has fallen since the pandemic started.

She said: “I haven’t been busy at all. A lot of women have been at home and are making do with what they have got because they are not going out and socialising.

“It’s been very, very, slow. Brexit has been the nail in the coffin because most of my products are imported. It’s been tough.”

Vanessa was diagnosed with alopecia universalis eight-anda-half years ago and set up her own business after struggling to find support herself.

“You can’t do this unless you have lived it yourself. I went all over the country to get the support to get a really good medical wig, which is what prompted me to set up the business.

“It’s so important to see someone who know what you have been through.”

She urged anyone who has been affected by hair loss to get in touch.

“If people have been putting off speaking to somebody about hair loss over lockdown, just reach out to me. I know women are losing their hair with long Covid. It’s the autoimmune response.”

Vanessa can be contacted at Glamorous Butterfly on 07889 224019.