BTOB's Peniel opens up about his severe hair loss on Hello Counselor

[seulgibear.livejournal.com]

[Hello Counselor] Peniel: Hair loss started 5 years ago and got worse.. up to 70% pic.twitter.com/beUUBp0lmw

— 비투비 #NEWMEN #기도 (@Btob_Mel) November 14, 2016

Today, Peniel went on Hello Counselor and opened up about his struggle with hair loss, which started affecting him 5 years ago and made him lose 70% of his hair. As a result, he was made to keep it a secret or lie about it. His parents became worried and even suggested him moving back to the US to undergo treatment, but Peniel chose to remain in Korea and continue as an idol. As a lot of people noticed, he had been wearing lots of hats for at least a year till now to hide this.

Peniel also goes on to talk about how stressful and unglamorous life as an idol is and how he wishes to contribute more to BTOB's success. Eunkwang, Minhyuk and Hyunsik were also there to support him.

[Hello Counselor] Peniel: I told company that i wanted to take off my cap and feel comfortable pic.twitter.com/cqCYW9nIbg

— 비투비 #NEWMEN #기도 (@Btob_Mel) November 14, 2016

Don't know what's the exact cause.. doctors said it could be hereditary (tho Peniel said his dad doesn't exp hair loss) or perhaps stress.

— 두삼촌의그림자 (@MrsDooB2uty) November 14, 2016

He said being an idol is not as glamorous as it looks. There's stress about schedules, must look good all the time, can't date etc...

— 두삼촌의그림자 (@MrsDooB2uty) November 14, 2016

Prior to going onto Hello Counselor, he actually asked for permission and persuaded Cube to let him reveal himself.

— 두삼촌의그림자 (@MrsDooB2uty) November 14, 2016

In regards to individual schedules, he always wonder what can he contribute to the team, after seeing mbrs getting individual schedules.

— 두삼촌의그림자 (@MrsDooB2uty) November 14, 2016

Minhyuk said he felt surprised and sad at the same time, when on one radio show, Peniel said that he's the happiest when praised by mbrs.

— 두삼촌의그림자 (@MrsDooB2uty) November 14, 2016

Peniel now has 70% hair loss and even hospitals said it's hard to cure. Wearing wig is not easy since he doesn't have hair to fix it on.

— 두삼촌의그림자 (@MrsDooB2uty) November 14, 2016

To add, manager-nim said he will try to look into ways to increase Peniel's individual activities and will allow him to date (lol)

— 두삼촌의그림자 (@MrsDooB2uty) November 14, 2016

pic.twitter.com/X3qBaBr03Z

— 타우푸//#NEWMEN (@junxuann) November 14, 2016

Minhyuk added, hoping that fans won't see him differently as Peniel took much courage to reveal himself. Just love him as he is right now ♡

— 두삼촌의그림자 (@MrsDooB2uty) November 14, 2016

pic.twitter.com/QBO6eh9hau

— 타우푸//#NEWMEN (@junxuann) November 14, 2016

"Eunkwang always make fun of me. Sometimes he call me monk, soccer ball, globe"

SEO EUNKWANG YOU BRAT 😂😂😂pic.twitter.com/NnEmSBXZm4

— 💙BornAsBie💛 (@mel0dy0929) November 14, 2016

members of the audience teared up at peniel's stories and at one point hyunsik seemed to get emotional too

oh i think here it is agscsfsgs im hyunsik im pic.twitter.com/cX5xMWlv9x

— k • #newmen (@changsvbism) November 14, 2016

via; IMean_Melody pic.twitter.com/OXzA4cGCSR

— 타우푸//#NEWMEN (@junxuann) November 14, 2016

[Hello Counselor] Minhyuk to Peniel: Like the courageous Peniel now, be the pretty beloved Peniel of BTOB

+ Eunkwang to Peniel: Don't worry pic.twitter.com/b91BtrcAMC

— 비투비 #NEWMEN #기도 (@Btob_Mel) November 14, 2016

[Hello Counselor] Eunkwang to Peniel: Let's laugh at each together like now and walk a long way together pic.twitter.com/YtAnl873U2

— 비투비 #NEWMEN #기도 (@Btob_Mel) November 14, 2016

[Hello Counselor] Hyunsik to Peniel (unbroadcasted): Thank you for following hyungs well and will take care of you in future too

— 비투비 #NEWMEN #기도 (@Btob_Mel) November 14, 2016

His appearance made Peniel trend at number 1 on naver.

wow first time being no. 1 on real time search... thanks lol. and once again! there's nothing wrong with my health so don't worry!! :D

— Peniel Shin (@PenielShin) November 14, 2016

source: btob_mel, penielshin, junxuann, changsvbism , MrsDooB2uty, gif

i cried watching this lol i'm so happy he's comfortable with this and cube finally let him stop hiding. the way the members spoke of him too ugh my heart <333333

Comments

[swhyeon1991.livejournal.com]

Peniel my bb :((
Eunkwang is #exposed tho.

[meltedd.livejournal.com]

apparently (https://twitter.com/_borntomelody/status/798195860186271748) during the recording, they said that the members gave peniel head massages often, which is why the globe got mentioned, but this was edited out.

always fun to see ek trolled though.

peniel must have been really stressed out during that time esp with all the cultural differences. glad he has lots of friends now and is able to be open about being himself

[torontok.livejournal.com]

I was just talking about this to a friend today. I've suspected he's had alopecia for a while now.
He's pretty brave for being so open about this. Losing your hair young sucks and it must be twice as hard for an idol.

[pandaapple27.livejournal.com]

70% omg. I can only imagine the stress of being an idol, the stress of not knowing why your hair is falling out and the fact that you have to keep it a secret for 5 years really taking a toll on a person. I'm glad he's comfortable with himself and that cube is no longer forcing him to cover it up. idk anything about this group, but bless this guy he's been through a lot.

Edit~

Also his smile is so cute in that gif, I might just have to stan. pls, pls tell me he was born either in 94 or before that.

[yixingsforehead.livejournal.com]

[safe age to stan stamp]
he was born in 1993

i am only allowed to support from a distance lol

[pandaapple27.livejournal.com]

Thank god! Kpop is really starting to become a dangerous game for me with each year that passes!

[gathyou.livejournal.com]

The fact that stress probably played a huge part is so sad :(
But it's great that he's talking about it and showing his head ! There's nothing wrong with a cleanly shaved head. Tbh I find that it suits him. The gif is so cute!

[missshallelujah.livejournal.com]

I'm so happy he finally feels comfortable with himself, I can't even imagine the pressure and stress he must've been under. He's really brave for talking about it openly and I couldn't be more proud of him <333

[mewaqua1.livejournal.com]

Wow, I've been following Peniel's youtube for a while and oh boy, I'm so proud of him to be able to share this. On his channel fans would ask also "when are you gonna let ur hair grow" and he would akwardly react.... poor guy, if we only knew before fans would have def not pressed so much!

He looks great still bold like this and I hope he will be able to get more schedules bc I feel him, being the only one @ home and watch how others come back from work, sucks so much especially if you have so much to contribute and want to do more

[audiograms.livejournal.com]

Aww my baby. Btob isnt my style but omg I love him so much. I love being bald and my hair gtows too much I wish we could switch, but honestly I cannot imagine how much stress that must have been

[misspoirot.livejournal.com]

It's very very brave of him to acknowledge his illness; even though the fans have known about this for quite some time. I hope him speedy recovery; if possible.

[epls6.livejournal.com]

That is really sad, I suspected for a while when watching his channel on youtube he had a disease a friend of mine had in school. When I was around 15 I had this friend that was studying chemistry with me and he was 100% bald, no hair at all in his body and since we were close I asked once and he said he has alopecia and was triggered by stress when he was little. There are many issues with stress other friend had vitiligo that started when she was a kid and was in a car accident.

For a regular human being is already hardcore to be different among others, there's a lot of self confidence issues related to it, I can imagine how is for him :( I am glad his members support him and he isn't allienated from the group knowing idols depend on their appearence to work. He is gorgeous regardless, he has a really pretty face and his fans never bothered by it knowing how well they support the whole group.

Even not being a BTOB fan cause their music isn't my style, I really cheer for them, they are a really likeble group of guys.

[lechuza-yoya.livejournal.com]

you go Paniel! he look adorable!

[lalaland-xx.livejournal.com]

There had been rumors about this for a while now, I guess it hadn't been actually confirmed... I'm just glad he's finally able to talk about it and show it to the world, I hope he keeps his confidence <3

[shinychopstick.livejournal.com]

I teared up ;~;

He's such a sweet and kind guy so it's hard to see him go through a tough time while having to evade so many questions. I'm really happy that he's starting to come out of his shell more. His vlive yesterday was so adorable (so oily!) and he's been contributing so much to BTOB lately through directing, vlogs, etc. I remember their magazine interview years ago when the members said that his weak point was not having enough drive/motivation for himself. I can tell that he's grown a lot since then and I hope he gets more individual activities!

ughhhh I love this group so much!

[seulgibear.livejournal.com]

omg this made me cry again

peniel, you got the sweetest heart in the world. We got your back, just stay with us as you are. https://t.co/33ATrlVeZe (https://t.co/33ATrlVeZe)

— 육성재 (@BTOB_6SJ) November 14, 2016 (https://twitter.com/BTOB_6SJ/status/798250881854701568)

i wish ppl would stop joking about 'bald patches' on idols, you never know what someone's going through

[shinychopstick.livejournal.com]

the members' messages + changsub kissing/touching peniel's head all the time... T-T

thanks for putting the post all together, op <3

[seulgibear.livejournal.com]

they've been so affectionate to him lately, all hugs and kisses it's adorable i love them sm

ofc <3

[babyjenkski.livejournal.com]

This is so sweet! Dongwoon also replied to Peniel's post on Twitter. So much love for Peniel its so heartwarming.

[juhli.livejournal.com]

i love that he wrote the message i. enhlish....and it's such an affectionate messafe as well.

[jinkiestabi.livejournal.com]

Himchan also sent out a tweet supporting him. BTOBAP (And BTOB2ST) friendship between the groups and the fans is so cute and sweet.

[seulgibear.livejournal.com]

he got so many messages back, it's sweet. i'll do another post now that the episode is subbed as well

[demeulemeester.livejournal.com]

that gif is so cute.

[ashdevilrun23.livejournal.com]

awww poor baby :(
he looks very cute with a shaved head tho!

[kobrakiddo.livejournal.com]

This cutie. If CUBE lets him date, I'd volunteer. Hahahaha. Glad he's happy with who he is ! (and glad that he is healthy, of course) :')

[supersunshiner.livejournal.com]

he is so precious and deserving of everything good

[mamamoos.livejournal.com]

omg they are all my babies :'( it makes my heart ache in a good way to see them supporting one another like this

there's a couple people in my family who've had literal chunks of hair falling out over stress

[agitatorswaltz.livejournal.com]

Gonna cry and stan a bit.

My boyfriend has Alopecia areata, which is where it grows and falls out in chunks, it's not consistent, and can come and go at any time. Stress sometimes may factor, but it's not the only thing that triggers it.

I remember all of the jokes about his mullet and long hair that he grew in order to attempt a "normal" look of hair, since it was balding underneath. All of his steroid shots to his skull, and all of the topical creams. When I came home from work one day to find he had completely shaved everything as to not deal with it anymore, he became a lot happier, and he rocks being my bald guy <3

I wish I could just hug the shit out of Peniel. I can only imagine what he's gone through, and he's wonderful for being able to be himself in a cut-throat industry that relies on good looks. I think he looks great!

[neoreulwonhae.livejournal.com]

It seems like alopecia since his eyebrows look drawn on. That sucks, but I bet he feels relieved finally talking about it.

[jinkiestabi.livejournal.com]

I'm glad that he was able to find courage to do this, it must have been hard for him. I've read that lavender oil is good for alopecia (if that is what he has). Just seeing the words and reading his story and then the pictures of Hyunsik getting emotional, I don't know how I'm going to watch it.

He looks so cute in the gif, like a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

[mamamoos.livejournal.com]

He looks so cute in the gif, like a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

he does

[jeit91.livejournal.com]

that takes a lot of courage to do what he did, so props on him.

[tree-star123.livejournal.com]

;~~; must have be so stressful.

[babyjenkski.livejournal.com]

The episode then the reaction is making me cry. The members really cares and its so precious to see them like this. I'm so proud of Peniel!

[bishieaddict.livejournal.com]

aww :(. I was wondering about his hair.

[episkia.livejournal.com]

i admire the guts it must've taken, and the heartbreaking ordeal he's been through.

i noticed he was first on the korean portal sites last night, and when i read what was up ;;;;;;;

i'm quite sure btob would be supportive, but keep doing your thing peniel!

[juhli.livejournal.com]

That must have taken a lot of courage, I'm glad that the other members are so affectionate to him. I admire how positive and chill he is in his vlogs.

[jaelissi.livejournal.com]

I have zero interest in BTOB, but if this kid comes out with something, I'll try to support him. The Eunkwang one is on my shitlist, however.

[blck-ink.livejournal.com]

that was a courageous thing to do. i'm happy that he feels comfortable enough to share it with everyone. he looks good :)

[atelierlune.livejournal.com]

Peniel has always seemed like a sweet guy, maybe too sweet for the industry, but I'm glad he's able to open up about this and that his group and the fans are supporting him.