What to know about alopecia, Jada Pinkett Smith’s autoimmune hair loss disorder

• Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on the Oscars after the comic joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s baldness.
• Pinkett Smith has alopecia, an autoimmune situation that causes hair loss.

On the 2022 Oscars ceremony, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage after he made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s baldness.

Pinkett Smith has an autoimmune situation referred to as alopecia, which causes the immune system to assault hair follicles and results in hair loss.

Whereas on stage, Rock implied Pinkett Smith could possibly be in “G.I. Jane 2” — referring to the 1997 film “G.I. Jane,” the place Demi Moore shaves her head bald, as Insider’s Cheryl Teh reported.

There isn’t any treatment for alopecia, and other people with the situation could expertise hair loss in massive or small patches on their head and face, however it might additionally have an effect on different elements of the physique.

Alopecia is an autoimmune situation

For most individuals with alopecia, there are not any different signs aside from their hair falling out in small patches. The patches are normally spherical, concerning the dimension of 1 / 4.

Some folks expertise hair loss that comes and goes all through their life, whereas others have one episode that by no means returns, and the hair regrows totally.

There are three major forms of alopecia:

• Patchy alopecia areata: That is the most typical kind of alopecia and includes hair loss in a number of coin-sized patches on the scalp or different physique elements.
• Alopecia totalis: This kind includes the lack of all or practically all hair on the scalp.
• Alopecia universalis: A rarer kind of alopecia, which results in practically all hair loss from the scalp, face, and remainder of the physique.

The primary signal of alopecia is normally the lack of round patches of hair on the scalp. For males, nevertheless, it may be seen within the beard, and each women and men could discover lack of eyebrows or eyelashes.

For some folks, the hair loss is preceded by a tingling, burning, or itching sensation.

Hair can regrow by itself, and outcomes are finest for individuals who misplaced much less hair initially, developed alopecia at a later age, haven’t any household historical past of the situation, and haven’t any modifications within the pits and ridges of their nails, in response to NIH.

There isn’t any treatment for alopecia and the trigger is unknown

Whereas there isn’t any treatment for alopecia, there are therapies that encourage hair regrowth. The reason for the illness is unknown however scientists imagine there’s a genetic part, in response to the NIH.

It impacts women and men equally, mostly within the teenagers, twenties, or thirties.

Pinkett Smith is open about her alopecia

Pinkett Smith has opened up about her alopecia earlier than.

In December, Pinkett Smith posted a video of herself on Instagram during which she confirmed off her shaved head and talked candidly about her hair loss.

A publish shared by Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapinkettsmith)

Revealing a bald patch on the highest of her head, Pinkett Smith mentioned: “Y’all know I have been combating alopecia, and simply impulsively in the future, have a look at this line proper right here. It simply confirmed up like that. Now that is going to be slightly harder for me to cover, so I believed I would just share it so y’all not asking any questions.”

Pinkett Smith opened up about her alopecia on an episode of her Fb collection, “Crimson Desk Discuss,” in 2018.

“It was terrifying when it first began,” she mentioned on the episode. “I used to be within the bathe in the future after which simply handfuls of hair simply in my palms.”