Women nationwide share their own experiences of alopecia following Oscars controversy
Jada Pinkett Smith opening up about alopecia has inspired other women to share their own experiences of living with the condition.
While Will Smith's outburst at the Oscars undoubtedly overshadowed the prestigious ceremony, one positive to come out of the controversial event has been to kickstart the conversation about a condition that for many reasons is often not talked about.
Pinkett Smith has spoken out about the impact living with alopecia has had on her life, admitting she found it "terrifying" to deal with when she first started losing her hair.
And following Sunday night's events many women have been encouraged to open up about their own alopecia experiences.
Writer and mental health campaigner Bryony Gordon decided to share her own hair loss journey on Instagram, posting a series of images highlighting how the condition impacts her.
Read more: Jada Pinkett Smith's history with alopecia after Chris Rock Oscars upset
"Well now seems as good a time as any to say MY NAME IS BRYONY AND I HAVE ALOPECIA," she wrote in the accompanying caption.
"Lots of women do. It’s fine. Except when someone points it out to me. As if I haven’t noticed."
Gordon explained that at the age of 18 she lost almost half her hair.
"It wasn’t very nice, but I have got used to it and am lucky that my patches grow back," she continued.
"I have alopecia areata. There are lots of different types though. It’s an autoimmune disorder. For me it tends to be caused by stress."
Watch: Will Smith's mother stunned by his outburst at 2022 Oscars
She concluded her post by praising those who choose to share their own experiences.
"Just wanted to add to the people putting their alopecia out there, letting the world know that women don’t owe anyone luscious hair. Big love to the alopecia crew," she finished her post.
Read more: Woman who lost 90% of her hair is hoping to become first model with alopecia to win Miss GB
Since sharing her post, others living with the disorder were inspired to share their own struggles in the comments section.
"Thank you for sharing," one user wrote. "I have suffered from Alopecia areata since I was a small girl and it has always been something I have felt embarrassed about and have never really discussed, always trying to hide my patches so nobody can see.
"It’s so refreshing to hear how many other women/men suffer with it and I am not alone".
"I have 'stress related' alopecia," another user wrote. "It’s taken me years to be okay with it… teenagers were horrid and my family didn’t do a good job of normalising it or supporting me. But now I’m a bit bald sometimes and I’m okay with it."
"Thank you for sharing! I too have alopecia," yet another user shared. "Like so many of us my hair has been my crowning glory and I’m learning alone to come to terms with the scarring this form of alopecia leaves me with and patches where regrowth is unlikely to happen.
"More support and education is definitely needed into this condition and its varying forms," the user added.
Following Sunday night's events, Loose Women panellist Kelle Bryan has also been encouraged to open up about her own hair loss.
"Speaking as a woman who has lost her hair twice, it takes a heck of a lot of confidence and support from around you to go to an event, especially one like that," she said on Monday's show.
"To embrace herself, which she has done, by shaving the head itself is really a difficult process... then being called out centre front like that, I can't even begin to imagine how she felt."
Amy Johnson, operations manager at Alopecia UK said the sharing of experiences on social media could help to shine a light on the disorder and the impact it can have on lives.
"Raising awareness of the impact that alopecia can have on a person’s life is incredibly important," she tells Yahoo UK. "It is why awareness is one of Alopecia UK’s aims.
"Alopecia much more than ‘just hair loss’," she continues. "The psychological impact can be huge, depending on the individual affected and the support network they have around them.
"We know that a greater understanding within society about what it means to have alopecia can make it so much easier for people living with the condition.
"Losing hair can be a very isolating and scary experience. Knowing you are not alone in this can be a big comfort and why it is so valuable to have others share their experiences of hair loss."
Earlier this week, the UK's leading charity for the hair loss condition responded to Sunday night's events, pointing out that while it in no way condones Will Smith's reaction or violence "dealing with unwelcome remarks and being the butt of jokes is sadly an all too real part" of having the condition.
"Baldness continues to be an easy target for obvious observational ‘humour’," the charity said in an official statement.
Read more: Eight-year-old with alopecia defies bullies to embrace being bald
What is alopecia?
Alopecia is a health condition that causes hair to fall out.
According to Alopecia UK, alopecia areata is thought to be an autoimmune condition, which often starts with isolated patches of hair loss on the scalp and/or across the body including the beard, eyebrows, eyelashes or body hair, including pubic hair.
Sometimes alopecia areata can develop into either alopecia totalis (hair loss across the entire scalp) or alopecia universalis (hair loss affecting the whole body), but in most cases the hair loss remains patchy and eventually regrowth occurs.
While the condition is often associated with stress and anxiety, it still isn't fully understood what triggers the immune system to attack healthy hair follicles when people have alopecia areata.
The condition can also have an impact on mental health.
“We see a lot of patients troubled by alopecia (hair loss), which can be either in patches or spread across the whole scalp described as thinning or shedding," explains Dr Abha Gulati, consultant dermatologist at Stratum Clinics.
"Alopecia areata is one of the commonest causes of patchy alopecia we see and has a huge impact on self-esteem and mental wellbeing."
At the moment there is no cure for the condition, but treatments are available to slow down the loss of hair.
Common treatments for alopecia areata include corticosteroids (designed to dampen down the immune response) and topical immunotherapy (to distract the immune response).
"Many patients respond to treatment with topical or intralesional steroids but there is no cure so recurrence is common for some,” Dr Gulati adds.
If you are experiencing hair loss, visit Alopecia UK for advice and support.
