Alopecia – a complex condition that can defy treatment

Health, Beauty and Lifestyle with Denise McNamara

While the kerfuffle over Will Smith’s slap of comedian Chris Rock on live television during the Oscars ceremony continues in the ether, the incident has served to draw the spotlight to the condition Alopecia, the root cause of the actor’s complete meltdown.

Rock suggested that his wife Jada Pinkett Smith should be up for the next GI Jane movie, in reference to her shaved head. She had announced on an episode of her Red Table Talk in 2018 that she was having issues with hair loss, which she described as terrifying. She revealed her buzz cut in 2021 on an Instagram post, saying it was at the behest of her daughter.

Jada is not alone – other celebrities who have spoken out about hair loss include Keira Knightly, Viola Davis and Ricki Lake.

So, what exactly is Alopecia and how can it be treated?

Trichologist Deborah Fleming, who treats clients with the condition at her Scalp Room Trichology Clinic on Shop Street in Galway City, explains that Alopecia is a hair loss condition that can take many different forms and have different names, depending on how it presents itself in the hair.

“Alopecia Areata is probably the most easily recognised, as it presents itself in defined circular or oval patches. Unfortunately, with all forms of alopecia, the cause is somewhat unknown.”

Described as an autoimmune condition, the body sees hair as a foreign object, engages its inner defence mechanism and attacks the hair, causing it to weaken, break and fall out. As with all autoimmune conditions, it is impossible to pinpoint a specific reason for it; in many causes, the person may already be weakened or compromised from previous illness or trauma. The toxins released by this illness can travel through the body and upset the immune system elsewhere.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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