Alopecia Shouldn't Be A Punchline, But It Should Get More Attention [View all]
The biggest moment from the Oscars on Sunday put Jada Pinkett Smiths alopecia front and center, when Best Actor winner Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock after a joke about Pinkett Smiths shaved head.
Pinkett Smith has spoken openly about her experience with alopecia, recalling the terrifying moment she first begin losing handfuls of hair. The condition is why she began shaving her head, and still does.
Alopecia is often incredibly misunderstood and underdiscussed, even though it affects millions of people. Heres everything you need to know:
Alopecia refers generally to hair loss in parts of the body that usually have hair. As the American Academy of Dermatology Association explains, there are generally three types:
Alopecia totalis: When a person loses all hair on the scalp.
Alopecia universalis: When a person loses all hair on their body, which is very rare.
Alopecia areata: When a person develops patchy baldness somewhere on their body, including the scalp, beard area, eyebrows, eyelashes, armpits, inside the nose, or ears. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease (more on that below).
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-to-know-alopecia_l_6241b899e4b0ab00739d3b23
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Rep. Ayanna Pressley has alopecia. So does Pittsburgh backup QB Joshua Dobbs. And Arkansas women's basketball player Rylee Langerman, who embraces her baldness to inspire young girls with the condition.