Alopecia is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the immune system (the body’s “defense” system) attacks the body’s hair follicles; this pathology (which is also called “alopecia areata”) is therefore characterized by a total or partial loss of hair and/or body hair, by “plaques”.
Exactly : in a video posted on Instagram this Tuesday, December 28, 2021, Jada Pinkett Smith, the wife of actor Will Smith, has decided to discuss this disease from which she suffers and which affects approximately 1% of the French population, with half of the cases occurring before age 20 years old.
Alopecia, an autoimmune disease probably of genetic origin
“Y’all know I struggle with alopecia (…) Now I can only laugh! (…) I thought I should share [ce combat] with you so you don’t ask questions. (…) [Je veux que] nobody thinks [que j’ai] had brain surgery or something like that.“
In 2018, Jada Pinkett Smith had already described the discovery of her alopecia: “it was terrifying when it started. I was in the shower one day and had handfuls of hair in my hands. I thought to myself that I was going bald.“
Probably linked to genetic factors, autoimmune alopecia can be improved with the help of treatments with corticosteroids or ultraviolet rays (UV rays). In about 80% of cases, these treatments lead to hair regrowth within a few months.
Source : Vidal Encyclopedia
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