Ashley Tisdale Hair Loss – Actress Speaks Out About Alopecia
Ashley Tisdale has been in the public eye since her days as part of the “High School Musical” franchise. She has also recently raised her profile by speaking out about her hair loss journey. Celebrities are not always willing to discuss any hair loss they are experiencing as they often like to maintain the illusion that their appearance is always “camera ready” and free of any flaws or imperfections, Let’s take a look at the story behind Ashley Tisdale’s hair loss including the reason for the condition.
Ashley Tisdale – Reveals Her Hair Loss Diagnosis
In a recent post on Instagram, the actress revealed that she had been diagnosed with a condition that is known as alopecia. In the post, Tisdale said, “Alopecia and hair loss are fairly common, but a lot of people feel embarrassed to talk about these issues. That’s why I want to talk about it openly – because it’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
Tisdale is not the only female celebrity who has been open with the public regarding hair loss. Some recent examples include model Ashley Graham discussing postpartum hair loss as well as Jada Pinkett-Smith and Viola Davis sharing their own stories of dealing with alopecia.
The thirty-seven-year-old Tisdale shared that her alopecia diagnosis was made by a dermatologist after she started to notice a bald spot that had appeared at the front of her head when she was in her early twenties. Tisdale also explained that her condition might have been caused (in part) by “stress overload.”
Please note that stress itself might not be the cause for hair loss in a patient. Stress can certainly accelerate a hair loss condition, but it might not be the actual cause for the loss of hair on the scalp (unless the patient is diagnosed with Telogen Effluvium where sudden stress can lead to hair loss).
Alopecia Areata – What is it?
In general, alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition where the body perceives bacteria and viruses in the body to be foreign objects. While the immune system makes white blood cells and antibodies to protect the body against bacteria and viruses, an autoimmune disease means the immune system of a person mistakes certain parts of the body as foreign objects.
When a person is experiencing alopecia areata, they will begin to see a patchy and balding appearance in the areas of the scalp that are lacking hair. These patchy areas are usually round in appearance and are often the size of a coin. During alopecia areata, the white blood cells of the patient gather around the hair follicles on the scalp that are viewed as being foreign by the body (which can result in the hair falling out and creating bald patches).
Thankfully, the hair follicles that are impacted by alopecia areata are capable of producing a normal growth of hair again if, and when, the autoimmune condition of the patient subsides. For example, Tisdale has mentioned that her hair grew back after the hair loss diagnosis was made by her doctor.
Alopecia Areata – What are the Available Treatment Options?
Patients who are experiencing hair loss due to alopecia have a number of treatment options available to them.
One of the first treatment options is also one of the simplest ones to follow as the treatment plan is…No treatment at all! Alopecia areata is considered to be a self-limiting condition which means the effects of the condition can be reversed without the need for any treatment on the part of the doctor.
Patients can also use minoxidil (Rogaine) and topical steroids to address the issue of hair loss. These solutions and creams can be rubbed on the scalp of the person with the condition as they have been shown to promote hair regrowth in some patients.
If the two treatments above do not seem to be working to reverse the effects of alopecia areata, the doctor might need to perform a series of steroid injections that can speed up the recovery process or treat any lesions that are present and proving resistant to other treatments.
There are also times when alopecia can expand beyond patchy areas and cover a larger section of the scalp. In addition, there are occasions when the hair loss turns out to be permanent which means a balding patch remains in place on the scalp. This is not the time to try and have a hair transplant as the disease might still be active and any transplanted hair might be lost due to the same condition or mechanism that made the original hair loss happen on the scalp.
Once the doctor treating the condition determines that the disease is no longer active on the scalp (thanks to an extended period of inactivity), a “test” hair transplant might be an option to transplant a limited number of hair grafts into the balding area on the scalp. If the “test” is successful, the doctor can make the decision about whether or not a “regular” hair transplant can be performed to address the total amount of hair loss.
