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Is Kat Von D losing her hair?

Radar Online is reporting that famous tattoo artist is so stressed that she is losing her hair.

According to a close source, the stress of her recent break-up/make-up with fiancé Jesse James, along with her TLC show being canceled have attributed to her going bald at such a young age.

A source close to the tattoo artist says: “Kat totally has bald spots and it’s from stress. It’s worse than anyone her age should have. She’s started ordering wigs along with the hair pieces and extensions she already uses. I feel really bad for her because the bald spots are horrible. The stress of losing her hair is only stressing her out more and making it worse!”

If these accounts from the source are actually true there are two conditions that may be occurring with Kat. She is likely suffering from Telogen Effluvium or Alopecia Areata. Without seeing pictures of the hair loss these diagnoses are purely speculation from the above description.

Telogen Effluvium

Can stress really make your hair fall out? Absolutely! Telogen effluvium is a scalp disorder characterized by massive hair loss as a result of early entry of hairs into the telogen phase.  Emotional or physiological events may result in an alteration of the normal hair cycle. It may be due to a variety of causes, eating disorders, fever, childbirth, chronic illness, major surgery, anemia, severe emotional disorders, crash diets, hypothyroidism, and drugs. Typically a person with telogen effluvium will experience the hair loss approximately 3-4 months after the stressful event. The good news about this condition is that it is usually temporary and all of your hair will most likely grow back.

Alopecia Areata

If Kat had bald spots that are completely hair free she would most likely be suffering from a condition called Alopecia Areata. Alopecia areata is a hair loss condition where your  immune system mistakenly attacks your hair follicles. You will usually see hair fall out in clumps and are left with round patches that are completely bald. Alopecia Areata can not only affect the scalp but it can also affect facial hair such as eyebrows or beards in men. Typically hair will grow back in 6-12 months. The most common treatment for Alopecia Areata is  cortisone injections into the bald spots.

Hair loss for anyone, women especially, can be devastating. Consulting your health care provider for treatment options can be beneficial.

 

 



Kim Kardashian Diagnosed With Psoriasis

On a recent episode of “Keeping up with the Kardashians” Kim Kardashian took time to visit her dermatologist and discovered that a flaky rash on her leg was in fact psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a common skin condition that causes skin redness and irritation. Most people with psoriasis have thick, red skin with flaky, silver-white patches called scales. Unpredictable and irritating, psoriasis is one of the most baffling and persistent of skin disorders. It’s characterized by skin cells that multiply up to 10 times faster than normal. Skin cells grow deep in the skin and normally rise to the surface about once a month. In persons with psoriasis, this process is too fast (about 2 weeks instead of 4 weeks) and dead skin cells build up on the skin’s surface.

People who get psoriasis usually have one or more person in their family who has psoriasis. Kim’s mother, Kris Jenner, revealed that she also suffers from psoriasis. Not everyone who has a family member with psoriasis will get psoriasis.

While there is no cure for psoriasis there are many treatments that can help control the condition.

Check out my contribution to a Self Magazine article about Kim’s Psoriasis HERE


Zac Efron’s Extra Nipples?

*image via gawker

It is not widely known, but about one in 50 women and one in 100 men have a third nipple. This goes by several names besides “third nipple”. It is a supernumerary nipple, accessory nipple, pseudomamma, polythelia, or polymastia. It is often not entirely developed as a fully functioning nipple. Sometimes it can be mistaken for a mole. The third nipple usually has no clinical significance as long as nothing else is wrong.

They are not properly formed like normal nipples and can usually be found on an imaginary ‘milk line’ between the armpit and inner thigh. If you feel uncomfortable about yours, it’s probably best to speak to your dermatologist or general practitioner to determine whether surgery is needed. One celebrity that stands out as possibly having one, possible two, accessory nipples is Zac Efron. Extra nipple or not I’m sure there would be plenty of girls lined up for Zac.

Check out my contribution to these post about Zac Efron’s suspected extra nipples here, here and here

Heidi Montag replaces plastic surgery obsession with extreme exercise

Reality star, Heidi Montag, made headlines after admitting that she had 10 procedures done in a marathon plastic surgery in 2009. Now she has traded her hankering for plastic surgery for an extreme exercise regiment. She tells US Weekly Magazine that she worked-out about 14 hours a day for the past 2 months in order to get ready for her pool party appearance. “I’ve been working out from, like, 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. for two months now. I’ve been working out really hard because I had this pool party and I was like, I have to be in shape”

Heidi says that she lost 27 lbs after hitting a top weight of 130 lbs after taking a year off from the gym to recover from her surgeries. “My breasts, because they’re so big, really needed some time,” she explained. “So I’m just starting to work out again after my surgery. Sometimes I get shooting pains, but I hear that’s normal.”

Do you think an exercise obsession is healthier than a plastic surgery obsession? Or just as bad?

Practice Sun Saftey

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