World Fitness Blog : Leading Global Bloggers

March 30, 2022

Alopecia has been thrust into the spotlight by the Oscars. Here’s what you need to know about it

Filed under: Fitness — Tags: — admin @ 5:03 am

If there is one thing the now-infamous Will Smith Oscars slap has achieved — other than sending shockwaves around the world — it’s that it has people talking about the condition his wife Jada Pinkett Smith lives with.

Pinkett Smith first revealed she was dealing with hair loss issues in 2018 on her Facebook series Red Table Talk, before speaking publicly about her condition, alopecia, in December last year. When the actress became the butt of a joke by Chris Rock about her shaved head during Sunday’s ceremony, her husband Smith saw red.

So what exactly is alopecia and what causes it?

READ MORE: Jim Carrey lashes ‘spineless’ crowd at Oscars ceremony

Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith at the Oscars 2022
Alopecia has been thrust into the spotlight by the Oscars incident. (Getty/ABC America)

What is alopecia?

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss, ranging from patchiness to complete baldness. Sometimes the hair can grow back or is only lost in a few spots, while some people can suffer more extreme and permanent hair loss.

Alopecia areata is the most common form of the disorder, though there are other types.

“Alopecia areata describes hair loss to a particular area,” Danita Peoples, Clinical Associate Professor of Dermatology at Wayne State University, told The Conversation.

“It has different levels of severity, so there might be just a coin-sized area of hair loss on the scalp, or it could affect large areas. It can occur any place on the body, or it might result in complete hair loss on the scalp, alopecia totalis.

“Some people lose eyebrows or see a thinning of their eyelashes. People can even have alopecia universalis, which is a loss of hair on the entire body.”

A woman is indoors in her living room. Her head is shaved due to hair loss alopecia
Alopecia areata can cause hair loss ranging from patchiness to complete baldness. (iStock)

Who can alopecia affect?

Put simply — alopecia areata can occur in anyone of any gender, age, or race, though the onset often begins in childhood.

As the National Alopecia Areata Foundation explains on its website, the condition is not life-threatening, but it is life-changing, especially as the sudden onset of symptoms and recurring episodes can have a huge mental impact on the lives of those affected.

While anyone can experience hair loss, a 2018 US study found Black and Hispanic women have an increased risk of developing alopecia areata compared to non-Hispanic, white women. Further to that, a 2016 survey of 5,594 Black women found 47.6 per cent of respondents had experienced hair loss.

READ MORE: Which type of rice should you choose?

Man with alopecia areata on head, Spot Baldness, Hair loss problem
Alopecia areata can occur in anyone – any gender, age, or race. (iStock)

How does it develop?

While it is understood what happens when someone develops alopecia — inflammation around the hair roots cause them to become inactive and shrink in size — the cause of the inflammation is not yet fully understood.

It can be a result of a variety of factors, including deficiency in vitamins or other food, methods of hair care, external injury, or sometimes stress, though the science here is still catching up.

The cause is not any fungal bacterial or viral infection and it cannot be transmitted to any other person.

“Alopecia areata is considered an ‘immune-mediated’ type of hair loss. The immune system is attacking the hair follicles. It has to do with T cells, the important white blood cells in the immune system,” Danita explained.

“And then other autoimmune disorders can have alopecia associated with them. This is the form of alopecia that Jada Pinkett Smith has said she has.”

Most health experts also believe genetics play a big role. Hormonal changes and medical conditions can also play a role in someone’s likelihood of developing the disorder.

young woman worried about hair loss
Alopecia areata is considered an ‘immune-mediated’ type of hair loss. (iStock)

What treatment is available for alopecia?

While the cause is unknown, there is neither a cure or a single treatment for alopecia areata.

“It depends on the cause,” Danita told The Conversation. “There are injected or topical corticosteroids for alopecia areata. If it’s due to a nutritional deficiency, like iron or protein, obviously you simply need to correct the deficiencies with supplements or by changing the diet.”

Some people find medications approved for other purposes can help hair grow back, at least temporarily but you should consult your healthcare professional about the best option for you.

Famous people with alopecia

On her Facebook series Red Table Talk in 2018, Pinkett Smith called her hair loss “terrifying”.

It was terrifying when it first started,” she said. “I was in the shower one day and had just handfuls of hair in my hands and I was just like, ‘oh my God, am I going bald?'”

READ MORE: Serena Williams: ‘Nothing has ever held me back throughout my career’

Jada Pinkett Smith
Jada Pinkett Smith first called her hair loss ‘terrifying’. (Instagram)

In December she shared a video on her Instagram account, saying: “Now, at this point, I can only laugh. You all know I’ve been struggling with alopecia and just all of a sudden one day, look at this line here.”

Little Britain star Matt Lucas lost all his hair following an accident when he was four years old.

During a holiday to Portugal with his family, he was struck by a car and the aftermath of that accident would haunt him even two years later. At age six, Lucas developed the condition alopecia.

“The doctors — and we saw an endless stream of them — concluded that it must have been a delayed response to the shock of being knocked down by the car in Portugal two years earlier,” Lucas explained in an essay for The Guardian in 2017.

Little Britain star Matt Lucas opens up about battle with alopecia.
Little Britain star Matt Lucas has spoken about his battle with alopecia. (Instagram/ITV)

Viola Davis has spoken about experiencing hair loss from the age of 28 as a result of stress.

In an interview with Vulture in 2014, she revealed she struggled with self-esteem issues as a result, and often turned to wigs to combat the hair loss, but eventually grew to embrace her situation.

Viola Davis, playing Michelle Obama, new anthology series
Viola Davis struggled with hair loss from the age of 28. (Getty)

“I wore a wig in the Jacuzzi. I had a wig I wore around the house. I had a wig that I wore to events. I had a wig that I wore when I worked out. I never showed my natural hair,” she told the publication.

“It was a crutch, not an enhancement. I was so desperate for people to think that I was beautiful. I had to be liberated from that [feeling] to a certain extent.”

For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here

Mariah Carey

Famous people with strange sleeping habits

Source

Comments are closed.

Powered by WordPress