Before the Oscars on Sunday, not many people knew that Jada Pinkett-Smith had a condition called alopecia, although she had talked about it publicly a couple of times.
“Alopecia” is a broad term that refers to any form of hair loss; however, when people talk about the condition, the most common type they refer to is alopecia areata.
Things To Know About Alopecia
1. It is an autoimmune disorder that causes hair to come out, often resulting in unpredictable hair loss. In the majority of cases, hair falls out in small patches around the size of a quarter. For most people, hair loss is nothing more than a few patches, though in some cases it can be more extreme.
2. It can develop suddenly at any age, although most cases occur before the age of 30.
3. It occurs when white blood cells attack the cells in hair follicles, causing them to shrink and dramatically slow down hair production.
4. It has 3 main types:
- Alopecia areata: the patchy nature of the hair loss
- Alopecia totalis: when a person loses all their scalp hair
- Alopecia universalis: The person loses all hair, leaving the entire body hairless. This is rare.
5. Alopecia areata is more likely to occur in a person who has a close family member with the disease, which means genetics plays a huge role. One in five people with the disease has a family member who has also developed the condition. It is also evident in people who have a family history of other autoimmune disorders, such as atopy, a disorder characterized by a tendency to be hyperallergenic, thyroiditis, and vitiligo.
6. The most prominent symptom of alopecia areata is patchy hair loss. The loss of hair can be sudden, developing in just a few days or over a period of a few weeks.
7. There is no cure for alopecia areata; however, its most common form of treatment is the use of corticosteroids, powerful anti-inflammatory drugs that can suppress the immune system. These are most commonly administered through local injections, topical ointment application, or orally.