Neighbours legend Alan Fletcher says his hair is re-growing after alopecia diagnosis
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Neighbours star Alan Fletcher has revealed that his hair is re-growing following his alopecia diagnosis.
The actor, who played Karl Kennedy on the Aussie soap for close to three decades and will return for the show's revival, revealed last year that he had been diagnosed with alopecia areata, a condition that causes hair loss in some or all areas of the body.
In a new interview, Fletcher opened up in more detail about his treatment for the condition, stigma around alopecia, and his hopes for a cure one day.
"I lost every single hair on my face and head, as the last episode of Neighbours showed," the soap star explained during a recent appearance on The Morning Show. "I even lost my eyebrows and eyelashes, which was pretty freaky, I have to say."
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He continued: "Being an older bloke, I dealt with it. But a lot of younger people suffer very badly if they get this sort of alopecia, which is alopecia areata. They can be terribly hounded for it by their peers."
However, Fletcher went on to reveal that his hair is now growing back thanks to some new, "innovative treatments".
"But mercifully, with some very innovative treatments, which help to suppress the immune system, my hair is coming back. I'm not doing too bad these days!"
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Fletcher also encouraged others with an alopecia diagnosis to seek out support and treatment if they're struggling.
"It's been very encouraging, but it's been a year-long process," he shared. "It was February last year that I started to lose all my hair and I lost it quite quickly.
"So, for anyone out that that's got alopecia, my heart goes out to you because I know how distressing it can be.
"But there are treatments available and there's more and more research being done, so hopefully one day they'll be able to cure it."
You can find further information on alopecia and hair loss via the NHS, Alopecia UK, AAD (the American Academy of Dermatology Association) and AAAF (the Australian Alopecia Areata Foundation).
Neighbours returns in the second half of 2023 with new episodes streaming free on Amazon Freevee in the UK and US. Network 10 will retain first-run rights in Australia for the new series.
Read more Neighbours coverage on our dedicated homepage
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