One of the worst aspects of
Alopecia Areata an autoimmune condition characterised by the sudden onset of bald patches is that it can feel like you are the only person in the world who has it. The reality, of course, is that this isn’t the case.
Affecting men, women and even children, it can be comforting for people experiencing this type of
hair loss to realise that aren't 'in this' alone. Here we’ve compiled a list of five famous faces from the movies and TV, who have spoken openly about their Alopecia Areata and who have continued to enjoy professional success in spite of their baldness.
1 Matt Lucas
The cuddly star of Little Britain and hit Tim Burton film Alice in Wonderland,
Matt Lucas a more extreme form of Alopecia named
Alopecia Universalis, a condition which leads to total hair loss all over the scalp and body. He started to go bald at the age of six, and it is possible that the reasons for his hair loss are genetic, as his father also lost his hair when he was 13. Lucas has suggested that another possibility for his hair loss is that it was a delayed reaction to the extreme shock of being knocked down by a car when he was on holiday as a four-year-old.
2 Barry Corbin
American actor Corbin has a face you’ll know even if you don’t know his name. Having featured in many dozens of films and TV shows, the Texan actually started out as a Shakespearean actor before landing a succession of roles as a military leader, law enforcement officer or villain. He played the sheriff in Dallas between 1979 and 1984. When he lost much of his hair to
Alopecia Areata in the 1990s he continued to find work, sometimes as a character with a fully bald head. He once told America’s National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF): “
I'm sure if enough of us band together this condition will become better known and hopefully there will be some strides made to figure out why we reject our hair.”
3 Tomas Lemarquis
The Icelandic actor was diagnosed with Alopecia when he was 13 and told The Times Of India a few years ago that from an acting point of view, the condition “
makes it impossible to do all kinds of roles.” He also says, however, that acting helped him to overcome his frustration at being mocked at school and that he first took off the hat he’d been wearing for years when he was required to do so for a theatrical production when he was 17. As the star of forthcoming blockbuster
X-Men: Apocalypse, Lemarquis noted that many of his old tormentors have since apologised to him. Like Matt Lucas, Lemarquis has Alopecia Universalis.
4 Joseph Gatt
The muscular Londoner boasts something of a gold-plated CV, and can count roles in
Game Of Thrones, True Detective and the TV series Teen Wolf as some of his biggest successes to date. He too has Alopecia Universalis, a condition which made all his hair fall out from head to toe when he was 14 years old.
5 Anthony Carrigan
Starring in the Fox TV series Gotham has helped American TV star
Anthony Carrigan to face up to the hair loss that he has been trying to conceal for most of his life. He recently said that embracing his Alopecia Areata and going completely bald for the role of Victor Zsasz in the Batman spin-off has been liberating and helped him to feel good about himself - he was even offered more roles
because of his unique look. The actor’s hair loss began when he was just three years old and though relatively minor at first, it steadily worsened as the years progressed. As Carrigan also has no eyelashes or eyebrows, it is likely he now has
Alopecia Totalis or Universalis.
While
treatment for Alopecia Universalis has a relatively low success rate,
Alopecia Areata treatment can be significantly more successful in cases where the condition is not too severe.
A hair loss specialist is usually the best port of call for anyone experiencing patchy hair loss. They can provide both a professional diagnosis and explain how treatments such as
high strength minoxidil can help to stimulate the hair follicles into producing regrowth.