Alopecia took center stage, literally, when Will Smith seemingly slapped Chris Rock for cracking a joke about his wife Jada's bald head. The 50-year-old actress had previously been open about her experience with hair loss, even posting a video on Instagram discussing her struggle and decision to shave her head. She wrote, "Mamma's gonna have to take it down to the scalp so nobody thinks she got brain surgery or something. Me and this alopecia are going to be friends...period." 

She went on to say in a video, "Now at this point, I can only laugh," running her finger across a bald line patch along the center of her scalp. But you can see it in her eyes: Excessive hair loss is no laughing matter for Jada, nor the nearly 7 million people in the United States who develop the condition annually.  

In this special episode, first, we’ll hear from TEDx speaker McKenna Reitz, who like Jada, lost all of her hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes included, due to Alopecia. She'll share her journey before we bring on Dr. Helena Kuhn, MD, an assistant professor of dermatology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, who specializes in hair disorders. She’ll explain common causes of hair loss, when to see a doctor, treatment options, prevention, and more.  

LISTEN TO THIS SHOW IF: 

• You had no clue Alopecia was an autoimmune disease that affects nearly 2% of the population—men and women equally—and need the 411 STAT 
• You’re terrified you could develop Alopecia and want to know the risk factors and common causes
• You've experienced some thinning and shedding of your own and would like practical tips for keeping your hair healthy 
• You’re ready to be inspired by an alopecia warrior who has a knack for reframing life’s challenges into gifts and opportunities 

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