Olympic Cycler New Face of Alopecia

When Joanna Rowsell stood on the podium to collect her Olympic medal for cycling, she became the new face of Alopecia. While the 23-year old may not have been looking to become the poster child for alopecia sufferers, her story and bravery is now inspiring others around the world suffering from the condition. 

Rowsell, who has suffered from alopecia areata since before she was 10, currently has only a few patches of hair on her scalp, she normally wears a wig, but on the podium, had finally found the confidence to feel at ease with her condition. Rowsell first saw signs of alopecia at the age of nine when the hair in one of her eyebrows fell out. Within months, she had developed bald patches on her scalp and she began to lose eyelashes.

Alopecia is an auto-immune disorder in which the body's own defenses target the hair follicles, resulting in hair loss and baldness. Unfortunately, at this time, there is little known about this condition and there are no effective treatments available. 

Did Stress Cause Tyra Banks to Lose Her Hair?

Tyra Banks, who recently released a new book, told the Wall Street Journal that the experience was so stressful it caused some of her hair to fall out.

While Tyra was quoted saying she "got a little alopecia" from the writing, what she was referring to was temporary hair loss known as telogen effluvium. Alopecia is a generic term that usually describes androgenetic alopecia, or more commonly, male/female pattern hair loss, a more serious condition that requires medical treatment. Alopecia can also refer to alopecia areata/universalis/totalis, which are also immune disorders to which there is no treatment yet.

Stress alone doesn't cause permanent hair loss, but it commonly contributes to temporary hair loss in both men and women. When the body goes into a state of shock, from for example extreme stress, the hair goes into a resting state of the hair growth cycle prematurely, resulting in sudden hair loss. This type of hair loss is often triggered by extreme stress associated with pregnancy, death of a loved one, surgery, serious illness or, according to a recent study, divorce.

The good news is, this type of hair loss can usually be reversed by reducing your stress. However if you want to speed up the hair recovery process, you may also want to consider a regimen of Low Level Laser Therapy and a vitamin supplement like Viviscal to help stimulate healthy hair growth. 

Study: Balding in 20s May be Early Sign of Prostate Cancer

Men who experience balding in their 20s may be twice as likely to get prostate cancer later in life, according to a new study.

The study, published this week in the journal Annals of Oncology, suggests that early hair loss could be used to select men for prostate screening. The study didn't report any link between between hair loss later in life and risk for cancer.

Male pattern baldness, or androgenic alopecia, is very common and affects 50 percent of men at some point in their lives, and some as early as their 20s.

Previous studies linked its onset to the conversion of testosterone to androgenic hormones, similarly, androgens have been implicated in the onset and growth of prostate cancer.

The drug finasteride, currently used to treat baldness, blocks the conversion of testosterone to an androgen thought to cause hair loss. Studies have also shown the drug to be successful at lowering the incidence of prostate cancer.

Further studies will be conducted to see if screenings might be appropriate for men with very early balding - but the research team warns that it is still too premature to conclude that early balding and prostate cancer are linked.

Gail Porter's Alopecia Returns

Gail Porter, 39, developed alopecia in 2005, which caused her to lose her hair, eyelashes and eyebrows. The Scottish TV personality shaved her head and refused to wear wigs or hairpieces in an effort to raise awareness for the disease.

In February 2006, she announced her hair, eyebrows and lashes had begun to grow back. By May 2010, hair had regrown on 75 percent of her scalp. But this past November, her alopecia returned and her hair started to fall out again. This week, Gail again shaved her head.

She commented on the return of her alopecia, saying, "I've been here before and it's not the best, but it's just one of those things and I have to get over it."

Alopecia can refer to various types of hair loss conditions. In Gail's case, she suffers from alopecia areata - which causes targeted hair loss in one area of the body. Alopecia is an auto-immune disorder in which the body's own defenses target the hair follicles, resulting in hair loss and baldness.

Unfortunately, at this time, there is little known about this condition and there are no effective treatments available. 

A Bald Miss America? Maybe.

Kayla Martell garnered national attention last year when she was named Miss Delaware. This weekend she'll battle for another crown, and if she wins, she will become the country's first bald Miss America.

The 22-year old beauty suffers from alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease in which the body's own defenses target the hair follicles, resulting in baldness. Alopecia can refer to different types of hair loss conditions. Kayla's condition, alopecia areata, affects only one area of her body - in this case, the scalp.

At this time, there is little known about this condition and effective treatments are not yet available.

Until we know more about this disease, Kayla is doing what she can to raise awareness for the National Alopecia Areata Foundation. Whether or not Kayla is crowned Miss America on Saturday, I commend her for bringing this disease into the spotlight. 

Real Housewives Star: 'My Son Has Alopecia'

The Real Housewives of New York star Jennifer Gilbert recently revealed that her two-year old son has been diagnosed with alopecia. Read the full interview at HollyBaby.com.


Although Jennifer doesn't specify the type of alopecia - 'alopecia' refers to a broad group of hair loss conditions, including male pattern baldness - her son was probably diagnosed with either alopecia areata or alopecia areata universalis - these are auto-immune disorders in which the body's own defenses target the hair follicles, producing baldness. 


It's tricky to tell which type he has, because he is so young. Alopecia areata typically affects one area of the body - like the scalp. It can produce patches or total scalp hair loss. Alopecia universalis, on the other hand, affects the body hair as well. However, as her son is still an infant, it would be hard to tell if that was in fact taking place.


Unfortunately, little is known about these conditions and effective treatments are not yet available.