Ashley Tisdale Reveals She Has Alopecia

On Wednesday, January 11, the 37-year-old actress discussed her struggle with the autoimmune disorder — which results in hair loss — in a candid Instagram video created for her wellness blog, Frenshe.

"A lot of people feel embarrassed to talk about these issues," as Tisdale wrote in the caption. "Any type of hair loss can affect your self-esteem, especially if you feel like you're the only one going through it." Because as the former High School Musical star added, "That's why I want to talk about it openly — because it's nothing to be ashamed of."

As she revealed in the video, she first realized her hair was thinning in her early 20s, which led her to ask her colorist for advice. But even though alopecia can be caused by factors such as genetics or hormones, Tisdale found out that her specific condition was "connected to stress overload" after seeking out a dermatologist.

That said, the mom of one went on to say that she's learned how to properly manage her alopecia since then, adding that she's figured that meditation, yoga, her art and "figuring out what is a big deal versus not a big deal" have been the most helpful.

Additionally, Tisdale said that her autoimmune-targeted diet has been super useful as well. With an emphasis on gut health, the diet excludes foods like grains but is "basically like paleo," which has definitely made her "feel better."

However, she did advise her followers to not make it "a lifestyle diet," but rather practice it as "a 30-day thing." And if you have the means, she also recommended using a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment — which she said has been backed by research — or a Hairmax Laserband several times weekly to “stimulate the hair follicles."

You can get more of Tisdale's tips on how to handle hair loss below.

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Photo via Getty / Michael Tran / FilmMagic