For anyone who has not yet learned (we suspect there are), the slap that Will Smith gave to comedian Chris Rock on Oscar night came after the inappropriate comment the latter made about Jada Pinkett's hair. During the ceremony Jada appeared without hair, but her look came as a result of a health problem. So far, everything has been discussed about that moment, except the reason for Jada's appearance. 

The actor's wife suffers from a disease called alopecia, a disease that has also caused her hair to fall out. Such a diagnosis affects more than 6.8 million people in America and 1/3 of women experience it in various forms during their lifetime. 

What is Alopecia?

Alopecia is the medical term used for "bald" or "hair loss". This includes all types of hair loss, including partial hair loss in men. Alopecia is an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss from the scalp, but also facial hair or other parts of the body. 

There are three main types of this disease which are: 1. alopecia areata- hair loss in the form of stamps in different parts of the body, 2- alopecia totalis- when someone completely loses hair from the scalp, 3- alopecia universalis- the rarest form of alopecia, when one loses all body hair.

What causes this?

Alopecia develops when your immune system attacks healthy hair follicles, causing hair to fall out completely. Unfortunately scientists have not yet found the reasons that cause it. Although hair loss can occur at any age, alopecia is most common in children and adolescents. Hair loss in half of them resumes 12 months after their fall. 

Is there a cure?

There is still no cure for alopecia. Still, there are plenty of treatment options, but not one that can eliminate it forever. Different hair loss requires different treatments, but you should keep in mind that not all treatments can guarantee that someone's hair will regrow again. 

Source: The Cut