OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The dispute between actor Will Smith and comedian Chris Rock at Sunday's Oscars have brought awareness to the disease Alopecia Areata.
Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune disorder that causes your hair to fall out, often in clumps, according to WebMd.com.
Actress Jada Pinkett-Smith, the wife of Will Smith, suffers from Alopecia Areata, and has been open about the condition. But that doesn't mean she isn't sensitive about her condition.
She even shaved her head.
While sitting in the audience with her husband, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett-Smith was on the wrong end of a joke by Chris Rock.
Rock said "I'm looking forward to G.I. Jane 2," in an attempt to joke about Pinkett-Smith's hair.
MORE: Pinkett Smith's hair loss from alopecia at center of spat
Smith then walked up on stage, in the middle of the show, and slapped Rock, then retreated back to his sit, and shouted twice, "keep my wife's name out of your (expletive) mouth."
The dispute has opened the sensitive conversation in regards to Alopecia Areata.
WMAR-2 spoke with Dr. Irving Wolfe, a dermatologist at Lifebridge Health in Owings Mills, about Alopecia Areata, and why it is a sensitive subject.
Dr. Wolfe says Alopecia Areata is autoimmune, meaning that antibodies are attacking their hair follicles and that's what causes it to fall out.
"Over the years, at times, it's been thought that it was related to psychological stress but no one has show that to be the actual case," Dr. Wolfe said. "Sometimes, it's a mystery about what causes it, but it is thought to be autoimmune, meaning your own body doing harm to your growth of hair."
Alopecia Areata impacts genders of all ages, including women and children in equal numbers.
According to WebMd, it may appear at any age, but most typically begins during childhood, and there are more than 2.5 million people in the United States affected by Alopecia Areata.
"It is particularly in school-aged children, teenagers that is very difficult for them to put up with — people taunting them and making jokes about their hair loss," Dr. Wolfe said. "It is not a pleasant thing to have. It adds to the stress of hair loss."
When it came to the Rock's joke about Pinkett-Smith's hair, Dr. Wolfe didn't think it was appropriate to make that comment.
"I don't think it is very nice to make jokes about people who have no control over and did not produce," Dr. Wolfe said.
