Lili Reinhart is getting candid about her health and giving her followers an update. The Riverdale star, who has been honest about her mental health in the past, just revealed on TikTok that she was diagnosed with hair-loss condition alopecia while in a "depressive episode."
"Was just diagnosed with alopecia in the midst of a major depressive episode," she wrote over the video, during which she sat underneath a red light machine while lip-syncing to an audio of a man's voice saying, “I’m pushed beyond the limits of what a person should be pushed to endure.”
“Red light therapy is my new best friend #alopecia #mentalhealth,” Reinhart captioned the post.
People notes that per Cleveland Clinic, red light therapy can be an affective treatment method for the condition.
Other stars, including Jada Pinkett Smith and Sandra Bullock, have been publicly open about their battles with alopecia. The National Alopecia Areata Foundation notes that the common disorder affects 6.7 million people in the U.S. alone. While it is widely believed to be triggered by stress, the real cause of the condition remains unknown, but the National Institute of Health says it occurs when “the immune system attacks hair follicles and causes hair loss.”
Last year, Reinhart opened up about her ongoing mental health struggles, which include body-dysmorphia and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). "I wish there were more average sized arms represented in mainstream media for women," she wrote on X. "My body dysmorphia has been going crazy because I feel like my arms need to be half the size they are currently? We've glamorized these skinny arms that, for most of us, can only be achieved if you're a literal adolescent."
"I truly wonder how anyone survives or gets through this life without having severe BD," she continued. "Maybe it's a cruel amplified version in combination with my OCD, but damn. The amount of time I've wasted thinking about my arms in the last few months is insane."