After the Oscar saga with Will Smith and Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith has finally addressed the issue on the newest episode of her Facebook Watch show, “Red Table Talk”.
She dedicated the episode to people living with Alopecia Areata, the hair loss disorder that affects her and millions of others.
In the first few minutes, she said “This is a really important Red Table Talk on alopecia. Considering what I’ve been through with my own health and what happened at the Oscars, thousands have reached out to me with their stories. I’m using this moment to give our alopecia family an opportunity to talk about what it’s like to have this condition and to inform people about what alopecia actually is.”
“Now, about Oscar night, my deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out, and reconcile,” she continued. “The state of the world today, we need them both. And we all actually need one another more than ever. Until then, Will and I are continuing to do what we have done for the last 28 years, and that keeps figuring out this thing called life together. Thank you for listening.”
Jada along with her daughter, Willow and her mother Adrienne Banfield Norris discussed Alopecia and how it affects people and also how important it was to give those affected by it a voice and chance to tell their stories. They were later joined by the mother of deceased Rio All red, the 12-year-old girl who committed suicide because she was bullied for having Alopecia. They were also joined by a lady who worked in the hair industry for more than a decade and former NBA player Charlie Villanueva, who talked about their alopecia experiences, and a top hair surgeon explained the many types of alopecia.
Alopecia Areata is sudden hair loss that starts with one or more circular bald patches that may overlap. Alopecia areata occurs when the immune system attacks hair follicles and may be brought on by severe stress. Research has shown that people with asthma, hay fever, atopic dermatitis, thyroid disease, vitiligo, or Down syndrome are more likely to get alopecia areata.
Many mild cases of alopecia areata will resolve without treatment, although the condition often reappears over a patient’s lifetime. It can affect people of all ages and genders but hair often grows back on its own with the help of immune-suppressing medication.
Watch the episode below:
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