Countess Vaughn shares her lace front wig nightmare: It 'messed up my life'

theGRIO REPORT - Lace front wigs have been glued to the scalps of millions from Hollywood's elite to everyday women - but for actress Countess Vaughn, they offered a temporary solution with permanent consequences.

Lilly Workneh

Mar 20, 2014

Lace front wigs have been glued to the scalps of millions, from Hollywood’s elite to everyday women — but for actress Countess Vaughn, they offered a temporary solution with permanent consequences.

Vaughn, who is known for her roles in popular sitcoms like Moesha and The Parkers, was featured in an episode of daytime talk show The Doctors this week discussing her troubling and painful experience wearing wigs.

In an open and honest reveal, Vaughn talked about the nightmare she endured after she contracted a severe scalp infection as a result of being a constant consumer of lace front wigs.

During the episode, Vaughn shared that the glue used in applying her wigs led to a reaction that resulted in hair damage, discoloration, skin loss around ears and eyes and oozing pockets of pus.

However, Vaughn initially refused to believe that the hair pieces were causing such damage and she did not consult a healthcare professional until six months after the first signs of the infection.

“The red flag was the oozing from my ears, my forehead, the whole nape around my head the pus, it had a horrible smell, it was painful,” Vaughn shared on the show. “I didn’t want to make that connection with that. I mean, I was like come on, a wig, a wig can make you sick? No, no way.”

Vaughn said the scarring on and around her scalp left many assuming it was caused by vitiligo. Now, the actress admits to using makeup to fill in bald patches around her hairline.

“It’s crazy how one day everything’s fine then the next thing, the simplest thing, can mess up your life,” she shared.

Watch a clip from her appearance above.

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