A Cure for Alopecia Universalis?

Detroit Pistons' Charlie Villanueva suffers from alopecia universalis (Photo by PR Photos)

A new study by Yale University has found a potentially revolutionary new treatment for the rare "whole baldness" condition known as alopecia universalis. Read about it here. 

Yale scientists conducted an eight-month off-label trial of the FDA-approved arthritis drug tofacitinib citrate on a 25-year old male alopecia universalis patient. The patient, who had no hair on his scalp, face or body when the trial began, grew a full head of hair, as well as eyebrows, eyelashes and other body hair. No noticeable side effects were reported during the study.

What other celebrities suffer from various types of alopecia? Check out this slideshow by ABC News.

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.

Charlie Villanueva Alleges Alopecia Insult

The Detroit Pistons' Charlie Villanueva has stirred debate about the limits of on the court trash-talking after alleging that Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics' PF) made fun of his alopecia universalis condition by calling him a "cancer patient."


As a sports fan myself, I know that trash-talking is just a part of the game - but I hope Garnett's comments were misconstrued. Cancer patients should never be a part of any joke - but also neither should those who have the auto-immune disorder alopecia universalis, which produces hair loss on the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes and other parts of the body.


For more about this condition, visit the website for the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, of which Mr. Villanueva is a national spokesman.