Ricki Lake Opens Up About Her Struggles with Hair Loss, Plus: She Has a New BF!

It was one year ago that Ricki Lake shaved her head, going public with her struggle with hair loss.

Now, she’s opening up to “Extra’s” Jenn Lahmers about how she’s doing today, and dishing on her new boyfriend!

For years she hid her hair loss under hats, telling  Jenn, “I wanted to just not deal with my hair.” The painful secret left her feeling suicidal at times, but she chose not to tell anyone, not even her therapist.

Finally, in January 2020, she made the emotional decision to shave her head, sparking an overdue conversation about women and hair loss.

She told Jenn, “I had been struggling with hair loss on and off for 30 years… and I just wanted to be set free.”

Lake confessed, “I'm not going to lie — it was literally the scariest thing I think I've ever done by choice, but I really felt empowered.”

The reason behind her hair loss? Ricki said, “I have something called androgenetic alopecia, which a lot of women have. It's the diffused thinning of hair through genetics and through aging… through the wear and tear… I also had some scarring from some of the extensions that I wore over the years.”

She continued, “When I did a movie called ‘Mrs. Winterbourne,’ that's when I was put on a crash diet to lose weight for the film… then that's when my hair starts shedding. I started noticing it in the shower. I started noticing in the hairbrush, hairs on my shoulder, and it's traumatizing because… I never had this thick, massive amount of hair. I had some, but it was fine. And so losing any is really, really hard to live with.”

Lake detailed the remedies she’s tried over the years, saying, “Thirty years on and off of suffering with this, so I have literally tried every potion, every supplement, every treatment. I've had shots in my head. I've been on steroids. I was on Propecia, which is only for men. I was on spironolactone. I was on Rogaine. I was on everything you can name.”

Now, she’s found something that works! “I've been on this program with Harklinikken… I've been on it for almost a year… and I think it's never been healthier.”

Ricki has seen 60 percent hair growth, and said, “I can't believe I actually have hair to talk about.”

It has helped with her mental health, too! “I think this process of really owning myself and loving myself through this journey… I truly now see what my value is.”

She is not only in a good place with her hair, she is also in a good place with her love life. Ricki confessed, “He was kind of my booty call for a few months, and then things took a turn on Halloween.”

The star gushed, “His name is Ross and he's amazing… and we have been living together.” Lake added, “Honestly, I'm 52 years of age, I did not think this would happen again.”